Additive System for Heavy Crude Diluent Viscosity Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for improving the fluidity and transport of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils require direct addition of additives to the crude, which necessitates significant solvent volumes and infrastructure adjustments, as they are not effectively applied to solvents to reduce viscosity and enhance dilution capacity.
Innovation Solution
A chemical additive system comprising high-efficiency oil and water-based dispersants, pour point reducers, and biodegradable solvents is applied at strategic points in the production process, primarily in the solvent rather than the crude, to create a stable crude-water dispersion, reducing viscosity and enhancing diluent potency, thereby minimizing pressure drops and diluent consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional flow improver additives are added directly to heavy crude oil, then viscosity is reduced and fluidity is improved, but significant volumes of solvents are required and infrastructure adjustments are needed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding viscosity-reducing additives directly to the heavy crude oil as conventionally done, this invention inverts the approach by adding the same additives to the diluent solvent. This inversion allows the additive to modify the solvent properties first, creating a more effective dilution mixture that reduces viscosity with significantly lower additive volumes and without requiring infrastructure adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of where the additive is introduced in the system - from the crude oil phase to the diluent phase. This parameter change transforms the mechanism of action: the additive modifies the solvent's interaction with the crude oil, creating a more efficient dispersion system that achieves better viscosity reduction with less material.
2Ease of operation
If large volumes of diluent are used to reduce crude oil viscosity, then fluidity improves, but transport costs and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The additive is applied preliminarily to the diluent before the diluent contacts the crude oil. This preliminary modification of the diluent creates a pre-conditioned solvent that is more effective at reducing viscosity, thereby achieving the same fluidity improvement with a smaller volume of diluent required in the final mixture.
3Productivity
If conventional additives are applied to heavy crude, then flow capacity improves, but pressure drops in transport pipelines increase due to required infrastructure adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the application point from crude oil to diluent, the invention avoids the need for infrastructure adjustments that would be required for direct crude oil treatment. The modified diluent achieves flow capacity improvement through a gentler mechanism that maintains lower pressure drops in the transport system.
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 additive system achieves instantaneous formation of low-viscosity crude-water dispersions, reduces friction and pressure drops, decreases diluent consumption by up to 35%, and optimizes transport and treatment processes, ensuring energy savings and infrastructure integrity.
Implementation Method 1
an additive system that increases fluidity and/or flow capacity and minimizes pressure drops from the lifting stages... The composition of the additive system according to the invention understands: high-efficiency oil and water-based dispersants
Implementation Method 2
high-efficiency oil and water-based dispersants for fluids in a wide temperature range
Implementation Method 3
increases fluidity and/or flow capacity... increases the dilution capacity of the solvents used in the production of extra-heavy and heavy crudes... reduce viscosity
Implementation Method 4
minimizes pressure drops from the lifting stages in producer wells, recollection lines, dehydration systems, and heavy and extra heavy crude oil transport pipelines
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method including a system of additives which increase fluidity and/or flow capacity and minimize pressure drops from the steps of lifting in production wells, collection lines, dehydration systems and ducts for transporting heavy and extra-heavy hydrocarbons. In addition, the injected system of chemical additives increases the dilution capacity of the solvents that need to be applied to improve the quality of the crude oil (reduce viscosity and density, and increase API gravity), thereby facilitating the dehydration and transport.