Synthesis of new flow improvers from canola oil and application to waxy crude oil

Several techniques are employed to mitigate the problems associated with the crystallization of paraffin during the production and/or transportation of waxy crude oil. One of these techniques is the addition of chemicals that depress the pour point of the oil and inhibit the formation of paraffin crystals. In this work, the chemicals, polyamine amide (PAA), are prepared by aminolysis and polycondensation from canola oil and polyamine as substrates. Nitrogen atoms are fixed in the main chain of the polymers to modify the polarity. The effectiveness of the PAAs on four crude oil was tested as pour point depressants as well as paraffin inhibiters. The highest pour point reduction depression was achieved as 12.6°C. Differential scanning calorimetry and paraffin crystal morphology studies were conducted on simulated crude oil to elucidate the mechanism of pour point reduction.