Oil & Gas
In oilfield, every project or application is as unique as its geographical location. Whether you are exploring deep-water, or onshore, we are dedicated to boosting your flow and minimising deposits. We have developed novel technologies that can be formulated to improve your performance in virtually any environment and maximise your production throughput.
Our main areas of research with regards to flow assurance lie within:
- Asphaltene inhibition
- Paraffin inhibition
Asphaltene Inhibition
Asphaltene inhibitors prevent the aggregation of asphaltene molecules so the chemical treatment could be as an injection into the wellbore.
Asphaltene inhibitors also commonly work as asphaltene dispersants (ADs), thereby dispersing ready-formed asphaltene agglomerates. Therefore the treatment products will also perform when injected into pipelines and will improve crude oil transportation.
Our Solutions
The ASTM D7061-06 method is used at Croda. This test measures the n-heptane induced phase separation of asphaltenes as separability number using an optical scanning device (Turbiscan). Figure 1 shows a crude oil sample with the presence of our FlowSolve asphaltene dispersant product range. It can be seen that the FlowSolve range of products can be used at lower concentrations than dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DDBSA) to achieve an increased asphaltene dispersion.
% of Asphaltenes dispersed when FlowSolve products are present
New FlowSolve 150
Our newly developed product in the FlowSolve product range is FlowSolve 150.
Key benefits of FlowSolve 150:
- High performance asphaltene inhibition characteristics
- High polymer loading despite low product viscosity and BTEX free
- Certified for umbilical lines
- Excellent low temperature handleability characteristics, remains gel free at -15˚C
Paraffin Inhibition
Waxes are made up of long hydrocarbon chains from about C15 to C160 and occur naturally in crude oils causing many flow assurance problems. Challenges in both production and transportation of crude oils include wax deposition, flow problems and gelling, which are most evident in subsea and deep water operations. Paraffins can be linear, branched or cyclic. Like asphaltenes, the formation of waxes can be caused by a change in temperature, pressure, crude oil surge or when there is high gas to oil ratio.
Paraffin inhibitors fall into two categories, wax inhibitors and pour point depressants.
Wax inhibitor: Prevents waxes from depositing on cold surfaces such as pipeline walls.
Pour point depressant: Prevents wax gelling and ensures that the oil will flow at low temperatures. Assists in pipeline restart.
Percentage (w/w) of paraffin inhibited when FlowSolve products are present (Crude A)
Percentage (w/w) of paraffin inhibited when FlowSolve products are present (Crude B)
Crude A
Wax appearance temperature: 35 °C
Pour point: 0 °C
Wax content: 6.0 % w/w
Crude B
Wax appearance temperature: 18 °C
Pour point: -6 °C
Wax content: 7.5 % w/w
Recommended Treat Rates
Typical treat rates of FlowSolve products range from 10 to 500 ppm dependant on the crude oil type and the severity of the asphaltene or wax deposition tendency. Laboratory testing should be conducted for individual oils to establish an optimum treatment regime. To assist the process of product selection and treat rate determination, we can provide samples of all products in the FlowSolve series if you contact us.