REVIEW ON POUR POINT DEPRESSANTS FOR WAXY CRUDE OIL ISSUES

Abstract

Crude oil contains heavy paraffin molecules that cause the deposition of solid wax. Wax deposition is a critical problem in the petroleum industry, which results in various production problems. Pour Point Depressant (PPD) is a chemical additive that prevents wax deposition. PPD is employed to lower the pour point temperature allowing crude oil to flow at a significantly lower temperature. Several types of PPD include polymer, nano-composite and a natural organic compound. This review paper provides insights regarding different types of chemical additives to solve waxy crude oil issues. The effectiveness of these chemical additives is compared based on the changes in pour point value in degrees Celsius, as it is one of the physical properties of crude oil. Ultimately, this paper provides information regarding the performance of different PPDs in reducing pour point temperature to solve wax deposition issues.

Keywords

• flow assurance
• paraffin wax
• wax deposition
• mechanism of wax deposition
• chemical additives
• pour point depressant