Free-Flowing Solid Drag Reducing Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drag reducing additives in the oil and gas industry require non-solvents for storage and shipping, which increase costs and are not suitable for direct addition to finished fuel streams, necessitating a more convenient and economical alternative.
Innovation Solution
A process to manufacture free-flowing solid encapsulated drag reducing additives by forming solid additives from C5-20 olefin monomers, dispersing them in a liquid medium with an encapsulant, grinding under non-cryogenic or cryogenic conditions, and removing the non-solvent through drying techniques like spray drying or flash drying, resulting in a product with less than 1 wt.% non-solvent content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If drag reducing additives are stored and shipped as dispersions or slurries in non-solvents, then they can be conveniently handled and transported, but non-solvents add cost and do not improve drag reduction performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the non-solvent component from the drag reducing additive formulation, producing a free-flowing solid product that no longer requires non-solvents for storage and shipping. This eliminates the associated costs while maintaining handling convenience through the free-flowing solid form.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards the non-solvent component from the formulation entirely, recovering only the essential drag reducing additive in a free-flowing solid form. This eliminates unnecessary material costs while preserving the core functional benefits.
2Quantity of substance
If water based products are used, then they are cheaper, but they cannot be added to finished fuel streams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the drag reducing additive by formulating it as a free-flowing solid that is compatible with hydrocarbon-based fuel streams. This allows the product to maintain cost-effectiveness while achieving compatibility with finished fuel streams through careful selection of encapsulant materials and formulation parameters.
3Productivity
If high molecular weight polyolefins are ground into small particles, then they dissolve efficiently in hydrocarbons, but they require non-solvents for storage which increase cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the non-solvent requirement from the system by formulating the ground polyolefin particles in a free-flowing solid form that does not require non-solvents for storage. This maintains the dissolution efficiency benefits of fine particles while eliminating the associated costs.
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 process allows for the production of drag reducing additives that can be transported without non-solvents, reducing material costs and avoiding hazardous material transport, while maintaining effective drag reduction performance.
Implementation Method 1
removing the non-solvent by a drying technique including spray drying, flash drying, or rotating disc drying
Data Source
AI summary
A process of manufacturing a free-flowing solid encapsulated drag reducing additive comprises: forming a solid drag reducing additive from one or more C5-20 olefin monomers; dispersing the solid drag reducing additive in a liquid medium to form a dispersion, the liquid medium comprising an encapsulant and a non-solvent; grinding the solid drag reducing additive in the liquid medium under non-cryogenic grinding conditions to form an encapsulated drag reducing additive in a particulate form; and removing the non-solvent by a drying technique including spray drying, flash drying, or rotating disc drying to form the free-flowing solid encapsulated drag reducing additive.