Water-in-Oil Emulsion Drag Reducing Agent
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drag reducing agents are ineffective in water-in-oil emulsions due to the lack of water-soluble and fat-soluble components that can significantly reduce hydrodynamic drag in pipeline transportation.
Innovation Solution
A drag reducing agent comprising a water-soluble powder component made of polyacrylamide and a fat-soluble powder component made of polyacrylate, mixed in a weight ratio ranging from 1:2 to 1:4, which is added to the water-in-oil emulsion to reduce hydrodynamic drag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If polyalphaolefin is used as drag reducing agent, then hydrodynamic drag of liquid hydrocarbons is reduced, but it cannot effectively reduce drag of water-in-oil emulsions due to lack of water solubility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines water-soluble polyacrylamide and fat-soluble polyacrylate into a single two-component powder additive system. The water-soluble component dissolves in the water phase to reduce drag, while the fat-soluble component dissolves in the oil phase, allowing the additive to effectively reduce hydrodynamic drag of water-in-oil emulsions as a unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite additive system consisting of two distinct polymer components with different solubility characteristics. This composite approach allows the single additive product to interact with both water and oil phases simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between water solubility requirement and oil phase effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If encapsulated polymeric flow improvers are used, then they form free-flowing particles, but they contain small amount of active base relative to total mass and cannot be used in water-in-oil emulsions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and composition parameters of the additive by using high-molecular-weight polyacrylamide and polyacrylate in powder form rather than encapsulated liquid or low-concentration solutions. This allows the active polymers to constitute the majority of the additive mass while maintaining free-flowing powder characteristics suitable for easy handling and dosing.
3Reliability
If only hydrophilic polymers are used, then they can dissolve in water phase, but they cannot effectively improve fluidity of water-in-oil emulsion due to absence of fat-soluble component
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite system where hydrophilic polyacrylamide handles water phase dissolution and hydrodynamic drag reduction, while hydrophobic polyacrylate handles oil phase interaction. This composite material approach ensures both reliable water phase dissolution and effective overall emulsion fluidity improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-component powder additive system performs multiple functions simultaneously: the water-soluble component provides dissolution and drag reduction in the water phase, while the fat-soluble component provides compatibility and effectiveness in the oil phase, making the single additive product universally effective for water-in-oil emulsions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution effectively reduces the hydrodynamic drag of water-in-oil emulsions in pipelines, improving the efficiency and reducing transportation costs by optimizing the dissolution rate of the drag reducing agent components.
Implementation Method 1
a drag reducing agent comprising a water-soluble powder component made of polyacrylamide and a fat-soluble powder component made of polyacrylate, mixed in a weight ratio ranging from 1:2 to 1:4, which is added to the water-in-oil emulsion to reduce hydrodynamic drag
Data Source
AI summary
A drag reducing agent for a water-in-oil emulsion is provided. The agent comprises a water-soluble powder component and a fat-soluble powder component. The weight ratio of the water-soluble powder component to the fat-soluble powder component in the agent ranges from 1:2 to 1:4. The water-soluble powder component is made of polyacrylamide, and the fat-soluble powder component is made of polyacrylate. By using the powder form of the water-soluble and fat-soluble components, it is possible to mix them into the water-in-oil emulsion, which may significantly reduce the hydrodynamic drag of the water-in-oil emulsion. In a preferred embodiment, the fat-soluble powder component is made of polyacrylate latex. In an optional embodiment, the agent may further comprise an anti-agglomeration agent to prevent the fat-soluble and water-soluble powder components from agglomerating with each other.