Experimental Study of the Effects of a Nanocomposite Pour Point Depressant on Wax Deposition

Abstract

A nanocomposite pour point depressant (NPPD), as a new type of wax additive or flow improver for waxy oil, has raised wide attention. Recent advances have been made in the modification of the crystal morphology and the rheological behavior of waxy oil by NPPD. In this work, the effect of NPPD on wax deposition behavior has been studied via a cold finger apparatus. It was found that the deposition mass is obviously eliminated with the addition of NPPD, while the composition analysis by high-temperature gas chromatography (HTGC) indicates that the wax content in the deposit increases. Further, the measured variation of the initial gel time and mass, the critical carbon number, and the carbon number distribution of the deposit is found and should be owed to the effect of NPPD.