Waxy crude treated with pour-point-depressants: flow behavior and its evaluation

Treatment using the pour-point-depressant (PPD) may significantly improve the flow behavior of a waxy crude, hence facilitate crude pipelining, however, some factors may drastically influence the effectiveness of the PPD. Shear imposed by a pump and due to pipe flow may be the factor with the most significant influence. This shear effect is discussed in this paper. An equation is derived for calculating the shear rate on pipe wall for turbulent flow of power law fluids. Methods are discussed for evaluating the flow behavior of a PPD-treated crude for application to pipeline design and operation.