Designing maleic anhydride-α-olifin copolymeric combs as wax crystal growth nucleators

Modification of the wax crystal habit is of great practical interest during transportation and processing of crude oil at low temperature. Various pour point depressant (PPD) additives can facilitate this modification by different mechanisms. Comb shaped polymer additives are known to depress the pour point of crude oil by providing different nucleation sites for the precipitation of wax. This paper describes performance based design, synthesis, characterization and evaluation of comb shaped polymeric diesters. Copolymers of maleic anhydride with different unsaturated C22 esters were synthesized and copolymers then reacted with two unsaturated fatty alcohols. All products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). Rheological properties of crude (with and without additive) were studied by Advance Rheometer AR-500. In this study the additive based on oleic acid was evaluated as good PPD and rheology modifier.