Drag reduction of asphaltenic crude oils

Abstract

A composition in a pipeline includes a liquid hydrocarbon having an asphaltene content of at least about 3 weight percent and an API gravity of less than about 26° and a drag reducing polymer is disclosed. The drag reducing polymer can comprise the residues of a monomer having at least one heteroatom. The drag reducing polymer allows a reduction in pressure drop associated with turbulent flow of the liquid hydrocarbon through a conduit.

1 . A composition in a pipeline, comprising:
 (a) a liquid hydrocarbon having an asphaltene content of at least about 3 weight percent and an API gravity of less than about 26°; and   (b) a drag reducing polymer that is capable of reducing friction loss associated with turbulent flow in a pipeline containing the liquid hydrocarbon, the drag reducing polymer having been added to the liquid hydrocarbon in an amount between about 0.1 ppmw and about 500 ppmw without causing a decrease in viscosity of the liquid hydrocarbon, and wherein the drag reducing polymer comprises a heteroatom selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorus atom, and a chlorine atom.   
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the asphaltene content of the liquid hydrocarbon is in the range of from 5 to 25 weight percent. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the asphaltene content of the liquid hydrocarbon is in the range of from 4 to about 35 weight percent. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon has an asphaltene content of at least about 11 weight percent. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the API gravity of the liquid hydrocarbon is in the range of from 5° to 23°. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon has an asphaltene content of at least about 5 weight percent and an API gravity of less than about 21°. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate). 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) and comprises at least 50,000 repeating units. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a copolymer comprising 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate having at least 50,000 repeating units. 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the heteroatom is an oxygen atom. 
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a latex drag reducer. 
     
     
         12 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon has an asphaltene content of at least about 5 weight percent and an API gravity in the range of from 5° to 23°, wherein the heteroatom is an oxygen atom, wherein the drag reducing polymer comprises at least 50,000 repeating units and has a weight average molecular weight of at least 5 million g/mol, wherein the drag reducing polymer has been added to the liquid hydrocarbon in the range from about 1 to about 100 ppmw, and wherein the drag reducing polymer is capable of providing at least about 36.7 percent drag reduction for the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has been added to the liquid hydrocarbon in the range from 2 to 50 ppmw. 
     
     
         14 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a copolymer having been formed from a reaction mixture comprising 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate and an acrylate. 
     
     
         15 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer exhibits little or no crosslinking. 
     
     
         16 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of at least 5 million g/mol. 
     
     
         17 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has a solubility parameter within about 10 percent of a solubility parameter of the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         18 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has a solubility parameter from 17.5 MPa 1/2  to 23 MPa 1/2 . 
     
     
         19 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer has a solubility parameter that is within 2.5 MPa 1/2  of that of the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         20 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is capable of providing at least about 28.5 percent drag reduction for the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         21 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is capable of providing at least about 36.7 percent drag reduction for the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         22 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is capable of providing at least about 42.5 percent drag reduction for the liquid hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         23 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer was formed from a reaction mixture including at least one monomer having the following chemical structure: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 1  is selected from the group consisting of (a) H and (b) a C1-C10 alkyl radical; and 
         wherein R 2  is selected from the group consisting of (a) H, (b) a C1-C30 alkyl radical, (c) a C5-C30 substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl radical, (d) a C6-C20 substituted or unsubstituted aryl radical, (e) an aryl-substituted C1-C10 alkyl radical, and (f) a —(CH2CH2O)x-R A  or —(CH2CH(CH3)O)x-R A  radical, wherein x is in the range of from 1 to 50 and R A  is selected from the group consisting of (i) H, (ii) a C1-C30 alkyl radical, and (iii) a C6-C30 alkylaryl radical. 
       
     
     
         24 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the drag reducing polymer was formed from a reaction mixture including at least one monomer having the following chemical structure: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 1  is selected from the group consisting of (a) H and (b) a C1-C10 alkyl radical; and 
         wherein R 2  is a C1-C30 alkyl radical. 
       
     
     
         25 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon is a crude oil selected from the group consisting of Merey heavy crude, Petrozuata heavy crude, Corocoro heavy crude, Albian heavy crude, Bow River heavy crude, Maya heavy crude, San Joaquin Valley heavy crude, Western Canadian Select, and Marlim Blend. 
     
     
         26 . A composition that was formed in a pipeline, comprising:
 a liquid hydrocarbon mixed with a drag reducing polymer that is capable of reducing friction loss in a pipeline containing the liquid hydrocarbon, wherein the liquid hydrocarbon has an asphaltene content of at least about 3 weight percent and an API gravity in the range of from 5° to 23°;   wherein the drag reducing polymer includes at least about 25,000 repeating units comprising an oxygen atom, the drag reducing polymer having been added to the liquid hydrocarbon in an amount between about 0.1 ppmw and about 500 ppmw without causing a decrease in viscosity of the liquid hydrocarbon.   
     
     
         27 . The composition of  claim 26 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) and has least 50,000 repeating units. 
     
     
         28 . The composition of  claim 26 , wherein the drag reducing polymer is a copolymer comprising 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate having at least 50,000 repeating units. 
     
     
         29 . A composition in a pipeline, comprising:
 (a) a heavy crude oil having an asphaltene content of a least about 5 weight percent and an API gravity of less than about 26°; and   (b) a drag reducing polymer mixed with the heavy crude oil in a pipeline, the drag reducing polymer having been formed from a reaction mixture comprising 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, the drag reducing polymer being capable of providing at least a 20 percent drag reduction for the heavy crude oil as it flows in the pipeline, the drag reducing polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least 5 million g/mol and having been added to the heavy crude oil in an amount between about 0.1 ppmw and about 500 ppmw without causing a decrease in viscosity of the heavy crude oil.   
     
     
         30 . A treated liquid hydrocarbon in a pipeline, comprising:
 (a) a liquid hydrocarbon having an asphaltene content of at least about 5 weight percent and an API gravity in the range of from 5° to 23°; and   (b) a drag reducing polymer formed from a reaction mixture comprising 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, the drag reducing polymer being capable of reducing pressure drop associated with turbulent flow of the liquid hydrocarbon through a pipeline, wherein the drag reducing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of at least about 5 million g/mol;   
       and wherein a viscosity of the treated liquid hydrocarbon is not less than that of the liquid hydrocarbon prior to treatment with the drag reducing polymer.