Allyl ester-based liquid crystal flow improvers for waxy crude oils

Crude oil pretreatment using flow improver or pour point depressants has been accepted considerably owing to its simplicity and economy. We prepared herein new allyl 4-(dodecyloxy) benzoate 112 and allyl 4-(octadecyloxy) benzoate 118. Moreover, we synthesized the homopolymer of the prepared ester and prepared copolymers with dioctadecyl maleate by free-radical polymerization using toluene as solvent and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. These compounds are characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) used to determine the properties of the liquid crystal. The prepared polymers at different concentrations are tested as flow improvers for Qarun crude oil (QN) through pour point depression and rheological parameters. Results demonstrate that polymers' alkyl chain length significantly affects the pour point, where MHI18 manifests the highest pour point reduction. Effects on the rheological properties increase with the alkyl chain length increase, where the highest reduction of both yield value and apparent viscosity is attained with poly (4 Octadecyloxy allyl benzoate co Dioctadecyl maleate) MHI18. The additive efficiency increases as the additive concentration increases from 1000 to 5000 ppm. Copolymerization with dioctadecyl maleate increases the efficiency of the prepared polymers. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

The use of flow improvers or pour point depressants in crude oil pretreatment is widely accepted due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. New compounds were prepared and tested as flow improvers for Qarun crude oil, with one copolymer showing the highest efficiency in improving the flow properties.