Additives for drag reducing polymers
View Patent ↗A method of forming a drag reducing polymer formulation. The method begins by forming a drag reducing polymer. A hydrocarbon additive is then incorporated with the drag reducing polymer to form a drag reducing polymer formulation. The drag reducing polymer formulation is then used as a drag reducer in hydrocarbon pipelines.
1. A method of forming a drag reducing polymer formulation comprising:
forming a drag reducing polymer; and
incorporating a hydrocarbon additive with the drag reducing polymer to form the drag reducing polymer formulation;
wherein from about 3 wt % to about 30 wt % hydrocarbon additive is incorporated with the drag reducing polymer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a latex drag reducing polymer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is formed via emulsion polymerization.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon additive is selected from the group consisting of: heptane, isooctane, kerosene, N-Paraffin depleted kerosene, and combinations thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon additive has a distillation temperature less than 275° C.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer suppresses the growth of turbulent eddies in hydrocarbon pipelines.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer comprises at least about 25,000 repeating units.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of at least 1×10 6 g/mol.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein from about 3 wt % to about 16 wt % hydrocarbon additive is incorporated with the drag reducing polymer.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon additive comes from a source different than the hydrocarbon pipelines.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incorporation of the hydrocarbon additive does not affect the stability of the drag reducing polymer.
12. A method of forming a drag reducing polymer formulation consisting essentially of:
forming a latex drag reducing polymer via emulsion polymerization; and
incorporating from about 3 wt % to about 30 wt % of kerosene additive to the latex drag reducing polymer to form the drag reducing polymer formulation.
13. A method of injecting a drag reducing polymer formulation consisting essentially of:
forming a latex drag reducing polymer via emulsion polymerization;
incorporating from about 3 wt % to about 30 wt % of kerosene additive to the latex drag reducing polymer to form the drag reducing polymer formulation; and
injecting the drag reducing polymer formulation into a heavy oil pipeline.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the latex drag reducing polymer suppresses the growth of turbulent eddies in the heavy oil pipeline.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the latex drag reducing polymer comprises at least about 25,000 repeating units.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the latex drag reducing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of at least 1×10 6 g/mol.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the kerosene additive comes from a source different than the hydrocarbon pipelines.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the incorporation of kerosene additive does not affect the stability of the latex drag reducing polymer.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon additive has a distillation temperature of 300° C. and below.