VISCOSITY DATA AND CORRELATION FOR MIXTURES OF BITUMEN FRACTIONS

A Cold Lake bitumen sample was distilled under vacuum into five fractions or "cuts". The viscosities of these bitumen fractions differ considerably by several orders of magnitude. The viscosity data over a 60-100°C temperature span are presented for several reconstituted binary blends of these fractions. The effect of temperature on the viscosity of the blends is correlated very well by use of a two-parameter correlation, with average deviations between predicted and experimental values of less than 3%. The validity of a recently proposed viscosity mixing formula, which does not involve any viscous interaction term, is investigated with the new binary blends viscosity data. Also proposed are generalized correlations in terms of the molar mass fractions, for the two parameters in the viscosity-temperature correlation. © 1990.