John S. Manka

A Novel Method to Winterize Traditional Pour Point Depressants

Crude oil producers have used pour point depressants and wax deposition inhibitors with great success for several decades. Unfortunately, undiluted pour point depressants and wax deposition inhibitors are waxy materials that are often solids at the ambient production site temperature. To be able to pump these wax control products down hole, they usually need to be drastically diluted with solvent. The solvent adds to the raw material expense, handling, transportation and storage costs and increases the health, fire and safety hazards of using these heavily diluted products. This paper introduces an innovative technology that eliminates the need for extensive dilution while improving the low temperature handleability of the pour point depressant or wax deposition inhibitor. This technology does not involve a new type or family of additives. The new process is simply a novel way to deliver traditional performance chemicals down hole. A patented process is used to emulsify waxy pour point depressants and other high melting performance chemicals to yield a product that pumps easily and flows at temperatures as low as -55°F while still delivering a relatively concentrated package. Based on laboratory testing, the emulsified additives retain their original field performance.