Synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation of novel terpolymers as pour point depressors and paraffin inhibitors for Egyptian waxy crude oil
Sameh A. Elbanna, Abdellatief M. M. Abd El Rhman, Ayman S. Al-Hussaini, Salah A. Khalil
Abstract
Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in wax precipitation prevention techniques. Herein, novel reactive terpolymer was synthesized by free radical polymerization of styrene, dodecyl acrylate, and maleic anhydride monomers. After that, esterification and imidation modifications for the synthesized terpolymer were performed. The pristine and modified terpolymers various characteristics were investigated by FTIR, 1H-NMR, GPC, and TGA techniques. The performance of the synthesized modified terpolymers as pour point depressors and paraffin inhibitors for the Egyptian waxy crude oil were evaluated. Additionally, the influence of their addition on the wax crystals modification was examined by polarizing optical microscopy. The results show that all the synthesized additives exhibited an efficient depressive effect on the waxy crude oil (i.e., low pour point depressant and high paraffin inhibition). Styrene dodecyl acrylate maleic anhydride imide (IDA) exhibited the best performance at optimum dosage of 200 ppm as it depresses the pour point by 17 °C from the blank and achieved a paraffin inhibition of 95%. So, the synthesized terpolymers can be considered as promising and applicable additives for depressing the pour point and inhibiting the paraffinic precipitates for the waxy crude oils.