In the production of crude oil, changes in thermodynamic parameters such as temperature, pressure and composition can influence wax precipitation and deposition. This wax precipitation can foul the pipes and other production equipment; therefore, wax inhibitors are typically applied to the produced fluid. To address a new set of crude oils, a set of long alkyl chain methacrylate copolymers was developed. In particular, the longer alkyl chains provided the greater wax inhibition and pour point reduction for the broadest set of crude oils. However, further improvements were hindered by a lack of understanding of the wax inhibition mechanism, so a series of analytical experiments was carried out that demonstrated that the experimental wax inhibitors do not reduce the wax appearance temperature of the South American crude oil but do change the wax structure whereby it is less ordered or more weakly associated. In particular, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray Scattering showed a reduction in the crystallinity, polarized light microscopy showed a reduction in the crystal aspect ratio, X-ray Scattering showed an unchanged crystal unit cell, and gas chromatography showed a reduction in the molecular weight of the wax. These findings are consistent with some other published findings and can be used to better design future wax inhibitors or help recommend current wax inhibitors to treat new crude oil samples.

Long alkyl chain methacrylate copolymers as wax inhibitors for crude oil production

2019 Fall National Meeting

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