Drag-reducing agents for hydrocarbon pipelines

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Canada has a vast network of pipelines that are integral for the transportation of crude oil and refined petroleum products to local and oversea markets. Pumping liquid hydrocarbons over long distance demands a considerable amount of electricity that adversely effects the potential daily throughput and energy efficiency of the pipelines. To reduce the pumping power and increase the pipelines throughput, oil-soluble polymers - commonly called drag-reducing agents (DRAs) - have often been employed by pipelines operators. When injected and mixed with the liquid hydrocarbon within the pipeline, the DRAs can induce a 20 to 50% reduction in drag, which translates to less energy consumed by the pumps. Unfortunately, predicting the drag-reducing capabilities of these DRAs has often been challenging. Our partnership with Enbridge will develop a procedure for better predicting the friction drag of hydrocarbon liquids with polymeric DRAs. The derived method will enable pipeline operators to select the most effective DRA and its optimum dosage for the given batch of hydrocarbon in the pipeline. The implications of this project will be a greater reduction in electricity consumed by the pumps and a more efficient delivery of oil products to local and international markets.Our procedure for predicting the efficacy of DRAs will be achieved using a three step approach. First, we will discover and characterize the material properties of several hydrocarbon-DRA solutions and measure their friction drag in a laboratory-scale pipe loop. Second, we will identify the fluid property that correlates best with the friction drag of the pipe flow. Third, a model equation will be derived that relates the material properties of the fluid with the friction drag measurements. The equation will require a simple rheological measurement to provide an accurate estimation of the frictional drag of a hydrocarbon-DRA combination. The proposed research program will provide the knowledge and expertise required to select DRAs for hydrocarbon pipelines. The petroleum industry in Canada will benefit from the achievements of this program by increasing the efficiency of their pipelines and reducing their environmental emissions.