Preparation and evaluation of new liquid crystal compounds as flow improvers for waxy crude oil

Abstract

One of the most serious problems in the petroleum field is the presence of paraffinic waxes in crude oil. Hence, a variety of methods are utilized to reduce this problem. Flow improvers (FIs) are extensively used to increase the mobility of crude oil. In this work, we prepared three novel liquid crystal compounds to be used as FIs for crude oil. These compounds were allyl 4-(decyloxy) benzoate I-10, allyl 4-(dodecyloxy) benzoate I-12, and allyl 4-(octadecyloxy) benzoate I-18, characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic analysis. The phase transitions were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The prepared compounds with different concentrations were tested as FIs for Qarun crude oil (QN field). The efficiency was increased by increasing the concentration. It is also noticed that the efficiency has improved as the length of the aliphatic chain increased.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Waxy crude oil
• pour-point depressant
• viscosity improver
• liquid crystal

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University (AU) and Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute for their cooperation in this research.