Effect of pour point depressants and diluents on exergy destruction during pipeline transportation of crude oil

Abstract

Abstract Exergy destruction in pipeline flow of crude oils mixed with pour point depressants (PPD) and diluents has been investigated. Ethylene vinyl acetate with vinyl acetate content of 18% and 28% (EVA-18 and EVA-28) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with concentrations of 200 ppm, 1000 ppm and 1500 ppm were chosen as the PPDs for this purpose. Four different diluents were considered viz. n-hexane, cyclohexane, n-butanol and toluene representing paraffins, naphthenes, alcohols and aromatics respectively. The viscosity reduction was found out experimentally. Using these results for a hypothetical pipeline, the effect of API gravity of crude oil, pipeline diameter, Reynolds number, PPD concentration and diluent type on exergy destruction was investigated. These findings would help in making a prudent choice of PPD and diluents for efficient transportation of crude oil through pipelines.