Evaluation of polymeric phosphoric ester-based additives as modifiers of paraffin crystallization

The challenge of producing paraffinic and heavy oils plays an important role in the scenario of technological innovations in the petroleum industry. This work presents the synthesis of a new polymer-based chemical additive, and its evaluation as inhibitor of petroleum paraffin deposition. This polymer was obtained by reacting a long chain phosphoric ester with sodium aluminate, generating a molecule with relatively high molecular weight and amphiphilic character. The studies were carried out using a model-system of petroleum paraffin (P-140) dissolved in paraffin solvent. Rheological, calorimetric, chromatographic and optical and electron microscopy tests demonstrated that the additive acts as modifier of petroleum paraffin. The efficiency depended on the polymer molecular weight.

Polymeric additives; phosphoric ester; petroleum paraffin; calorimetry; morphology