Technological Assessment of Pipeline Transportation of Heavy Crude Oil and Ongoing Challenges

The satisfaction of increasing future energy demands necessitates not only the production of heavy oil from reservoirs, but also requires the use and development of reliable and promising methods of pipeline transportation of heavy crude oil. This article examines various methods of crude oil transportation by pipeline (heating, dilution, oil- in- water emulsion, upgrading and core annular flow), describing their potentiality from both technical and economical views. This paper focuses on the technical solution and possible improvement on them underlying ongoing technological challenges in this regard. This paper also overviews the pipeline transportation of heavy crude oil as a need for Middle-Eastern oil-producing countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran on its routes towards progress, specifically in the future situation.