Paraffin suppressant compositions and methods
Disclosed herein are paraffin suppressant compositions, and methods of making and using them. The compositions comprise a paraffin inhibitor, a hydrocarbon-soluble hydrotrope equivalent, and optionally one or more additional paraffin dispersants. When added to hydrocarbon media such as crude oils to form crude oil compositions, the suppressant compositions inhibit the precipitation of paraffin waxes in the crude oil compositions. The suppressant compositions, added to hydrocarbon media such as hydrocarbon solvents or crude oils, exhibit reduced precipitation, gelling, and/or crystallization of paraffin inhibitor from the hydrocarbon media, when the media are subjected to sustained temperatures between 4° C. and −60° C.
1. A paraffin suppressant composition comprising:
a hydrocarbon-soluble organic-ammonium salt of an alkylbenzene sulfonic acid, wherein the organic-ammonium is selected from primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary organic-ammonium; and
a paraffin inhibitor comprising a polymer comprising one or more residues of an imide having the formula (I), a compound having formula (Ia), an ester having formula (XV), or a combination thereof
and one or more residues of α-olefin having formula (II)
wherein each R 1 is C10 to C30 alkyl, R 2 is C10-C50 alkyl, each R 9 and R 10 is individually selected from hydrogen or a C10-C50 alkyl, each R 15 and each R 16 is individually selected from hydrogen and C1-C50 alkyl wherein at least one of each R 15 and R 16 is hydrogen, and X is —OH or a conjugate base thereof, —NHR 1 , —N(R 1 ) 2 , or —OR 1 .
2. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 wherein R 3 is a C10 to C20 alkyl group.
3. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic-ammonium is ethanolammonium.
4. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , further comprising additional paraffin dispersant selected from:
one or more dispersants having the formula (IV)
one or more dispersants having the formula (V)
one or more dispersants having the formula (VI)
one or more dispersants having the formula (VII)
or any combination thereof,
wherein x is from 1 to 27, m is from 1 to 100, n is from 1 to 100, and R 8 is hydrogen or alkyl.
5. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , further comprising a paraffin dispersant having the formula (VIII)
wherein x is from 1 to 27 and n is from 1 to 100.
6. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , further comprising a solvent selected from C1-C12 alcohols, C5 to C18 linear alkanes, C5 to C18 branched alkanes, C5 to C8 cycloalkanes, benzene, toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, refined petroleum solvent, or any combination thereof.
7. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a C4-C50 alkyl phenol-formaldehyde resin.
8. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises less than 10% of water.
9. A crude oil comprising about 0.1 ppm to 10,000 ppm of the paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 .
10. A method comprising applying about 0.1 ppm to 10,000 ppm of the paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 to a first oil composition to make a second oil composition.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first oil composition consists essentially of crude oil.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising subjecting the second oil composition to a temperature of between 4° C. and −60° C.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising pumping the second oil composition through a pipe.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein the applying is conveying through an umbilical cable.
15. A paraffin suppressant concentrate consisting essentially of:
about 1 wt % to 5 wt % of a paraffin suppressant composition according to claim 1 ; and
a solvent selected from C1-C12 alcohols, C5 to C18 linear alkanes, C5 to C18 branched alkanes, C5 to C8 cycloalkanes, benzene, toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, refined petroleum solvent, and mixtures thereof.
16. The paraffin suppressant concentrate of claim 15 , wherein the concentrate comprises less than 10% of water.
17. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , wherein the alkylbenzene sulfonic acid has the formula (IX)
wherein R 3 is a branched C10-C50 alkyl group, and wherein R 17 and R 18 are individually selected from H, C1-C50 alkyl, C7-C50 alkaryl, or C6-C50 aryl.
18. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises the one or more residues of the imide having the formula (I), the one or more residues of the compound having the formula (Ia), or a combination thereof.
19. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 17 , wherein the alkylbenzene sulfonic acid has the formula (III)
20. The paraffin suppressant composition of claim 18 , wherein R 1 is a C18 alkyl.