June 15, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) recently received a patent for its EZ Flow™ technology, which reduces the viscosity of heavy crude oil by 40 to 60%. Developed through internal research funding, EZ Flow could help address a significant barrier for utilizing heavy crude oil in North America.
In the simplest terms, viscosity measures a fluid’s resistance to flow. It indicates how thick or thin a fluid is and how easily it moves under an applied force. Viscosity is affected by temperature, pressure, composition and impurities.
“When first developing EZ Flow, our goal was to make transport of heavy crude oil possible through existing pipelines,” said Principal Scientist James Wood. “Traditionally, moving heavy crude oil required cost-prohibitive chemical treatments, the addition of large volumes of diluent and/or heating. EZ Flow addresses those challenges.”
EZ Flow is a two-part process that starts with a proprietary low-concentration chemical additive followed by controlled hydrodynamic cavitation, a mixing process that uses a rotor to produce microscopic bubbles. Shockwaves produced when the bubbles collapse heat and mix the additive into the heavy crude oil, reducing its viscosity for extended periods of time. This process does not change the chemical composition of the heavy crude oil, and the chemical components added do not affect downstream processing.
SwRI scientists have found the process offers at least six months of reduced viscosity. However, Wood says more testing is needed to understand the effectiveness of EZ Flow at lower ambient temperatures.
“EZ-Flow is designed to bring down the costs associated with transporting heaving crude oil, which could ease supply chain shocks caused by global shifts in energy markets,” Wood said. “We are excited to bring this technology to our clients through licensing or technology transfer.”
EZ Flow is an example of how SwRI’s Internal Research and Development program develops future-focused, unproven concepts to advance technology for government and industry clients. In fiscal year 2025, SwRI invested more than $13 million to fund new and continuing IR&D projects to pioneer new technologies, expand institutional knowledge and capabilities, and encourage the professional growth of its staff.
For more information, visit Treating Heavy Crude Oil for Transport or contact Camaron Brooks, +1 210 522 2357, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.