VISCOPLEX® crude oil paraffin inhibitors

improve efficiency
 VISCOPLEX® crude oil paraffin inhibitors (COPIs)
Crude oil is a very complex mixture of hydrocarbons. Some with very high paraffinic wax can create critical
flow problems, even at ambient temperatures. This is due to high melting points and long-chain paraffin
crystallizing at the cloud point or below. In general, there are three problems: increased viscosity, a higher
pour point, and increasing wax deposition. A number of methodologies have been employed to fix the flow
problem, such as using pigging, heating, solvent dilution, and a paraffin inhibitor. Depending on the specific
conditions, one methodology or combination of several are used to achieve the most economical method to
keep the crude oil flowing.
Crude Oil Paraffin Inhibitors, or “COPIs,” have been developed by the Oil Additives specialists at Evonik to
solve this problem. Evonik’s COPIs modify the size and the shape of the wax crystals, dispersing them and
preventing them from adhering to pipeline or transporting vessel surfaces.
Evonik’s crude oil paraffin inhibitors provide important benefits in:
• Crude oil recovery
• Flow assurance
• Storage

Virtually all paraffinic mineral oil base

stocks contain small amounts of waxy
materials. As the temperature of the oil is
decreased, some of the waxy components
come out of solution as tiny crystals,
and the solution begins to appear hazy
to the naked eye. The temperature at
which this occurs is called the cloud
point. As additional wax precipitates, the
crystals grow into plates and, finally, if
the temperature is decreased far enough,
the plates will grow together to form a
three-dimensional network that totally
immobilizes the oil. This solidification
process is sometimes referred to as
gelation. The lowest temperature at which
the oil is fluid is called the pour point.

New
Orleans

Morgan
City
Louisiana

2
Wax deposition will occur on the cold surface of the pipeline

Offshore
platform
Sea water temperature gradient

500

Thermocline
Wax crystallites form at Wax network forms, 1000
5°C at the temperatures as warm as trapping sand and
surface of approximately 60°C silt particles
the pipe 1500

Increasing depth (m)

2000
Flow
line 2500

3000

70-150°C
within the 3500
oil reserve
Effective pipe diameter Additional wax molecules 4000
decreases, flow rate drops, diffuse into deposit,
productivity suffers increasing hardness 4500
0° 4° 8° 12° 16° 20° 24°

Increasing temperature (°C)

Wax molecules Sand and silt particles

Without crude oil paraffin inhibitors

Wax crystallites can start forming in crude oil At a depth of 1,000 meters (3,280
at temperatures as warm as 60°C (140°F), as ft.), sea water is about 4°C (39°F). At
these temperatures are below the cloud point this temperature, a wax network forms
of wax. Due to the wax crystal formation, inside the pipeline, trapping sand and silt
the crude oil becomes a non-Newtonian particles. Additional wax molecules attach,
fluid. Its viscosity increases quickly when increasing deposition hardness and further
the temperature continues to drop during narrowing the pipe diameter.
transport. Thus, productivity diminishes,
Decreased flow and lost productivity are
increasing pump pressure, and eventually
expensive. Oil industry insiders cite one
stopping flow due to wax solidification.
specific repair job that ran into hundreds
In deep water drilling, this problem is of millions of dollars.
amplified many times over as the deeper the
drilling, the colder the water surrounding
the pipeline, leading to significantly more
wax deposits.

3
 Evonik’s paraffin
inhibitor chemistry
To ensure crude oil flows efficiently, some The technology behind Evonik‘s crude oil
state-of-the-art techniques are combined and used, paraffin inhibitor
such as heating and insulation, pigging, solvents,
dispersants, hydrate inhibitors, asphaltene inhibitors Without VISCOPLEX® COPI With VISCOPLEX® COPI
and paraffin inhibitors.
Evonik’s paraffin inhibitors are based mainly on
polyalkyl methacrylate chemistry (PAMA). By varying
the length of the PAMA molecule’s alkyl side chains,
Evonik tailors the structure-property relationship to
modify wax crystal growth in crude oil.
Evonik’s COPIs prevent the interlocking of wax
crystals, leading to smaller and more random
structures. As a result, the crude oil continues to flow
without the build-up of a wax network.

Densely structured wax formation Randomly dispersed wax crystals

4
 Analytical techniques
for COPIs
The effectiveness of crude oil paraffin inhibitors
varies depending on the type of crude oil to which
it’s applied. To determine the most effective paraffin
inhibitor, the Oil Additives specialists at Evonik
conduct various analytical screening evaluations and
employ techniques using state-of-the-art equipment.

Analytical screening techniques:

• Cloud point
• Pour point
• Differential scanning calorimeter
• Rheometer
• Brookfield cone and plate
• Cold finger

Cold finger
analytical Chiller

VISCOPLEX® COPIs performance in a North

technique
American crude oil measured by a cold finger test (up Due to better correlation with
to 88% wax deposit reduction is found in this study) field performance, “Cold finger”
is the preferred screening method
1.0
to identify an effective flow Crude oil
0.9
improver or paraffin inhibitor. sample
0.8
In the graph to the left, three
Wax deposit ratio

0.7
0.6
VISCOPLEX® products were
0.5
tested by cold finger testing in
0.4 one crude oil for six hours.
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0

0 160 320 480 640

Magnetic stirrer hot plate
Treat rate, PPM

VISCOPLEX® COPI A, wax deposit ratio 

VISCOPLEX® COPI B, wax deposit ratio

VISCOPLEX® COPI C, wax deposit ratio

5
 Test results

Effective reduction of Pour Point (PP) and

wax deposit by changing COPI chemistry

PP D97 [°C] Change in wax deposition [%]

Sample Treat rate MO1 MO2 MO3 MO1 MO2 MO3

0 ppm 30 40 55 n/a n/a n/a

500 ppm -2 17 55 0 -42 26

COPI 1 1000 ppm -9 20 55 -19 -49 9

2000 ppm -24 21 55 -34 -15 26

500 ppm 18 26 55 -69 2 -41

COPI 2 1000 ppm -24 -13 55 -52 4 -52

2000 ppm -13 6 55 -60 64 -50

500 ppm 17 26 -14 -26 -55 22

COPI 3 1000 ppm 11 17 28 -38 -40 3

2000 ppm 12 13 42 -72 -20 -10

500 ppm 26 28 39 0 -42 26

COPI 4 1000 ppm 26 27 36 -19 -49 9

2000 ppm 12 23 46 -34 -15 26

COPI product summary

Figure 1: Wax deposit on

For regular crude For heavy crude Tailor-made cold finger surface.

14-900 14-301

14-921 14-302

14-924 14-303 We will develop

customized products
to meet your
14-927 14-304 specific needs.

14-950 14-401

14-982 14-402

6
 COPIs for environmentally-
friendly lubricants
Demand for environmentally-friendly lubricants is growing due to environmental
concerns and strict government regulations. Evonik can help address these
concerns by designing VISCOPLEX® crude oil paraffin inhibitors to meet rigorous
environmental protection requirements.

Get an edge with Evonik

With plants in the US, Canada, Europe and Singapore, the Oil Additives specialists
at Evonik create custom solutions using paraffin inhibitors to meet each customer’s
specific needs.
Evonik provides worldwide technical support and is engaged in continuous product
development. Its innovative, tailor-made products give customers “an edge” in
beating the competition, and helping them to “future-proof” their business against
industry challenges.

To learn more, contact Evonik’s Oil Additives specialists at [email protected].

Germany
Canada
France

United States
Japan
China

Singapore

Headquarters
Regional offices
Technology centers
Manufacturing facilities
Sales offices & representatives

7
This information and all further
technical advice is based on our
present knowledge and
experience. However, it implies no
liability or other legal
responsibility on our part,
including with regard to existing
third party intellectual property
rights, especially patent rights. In
particular, no warranty, whether
express or implied, or guarantee of
product properties in the legal
sense is intended or implied. We
reserve the right to make any
changes according to technological
progress or further developments.
The customer is not released from
the obligation to conduct careful
inspection and testing of incoming
goods. Performance of the product
described herein should be verified
by testing, which should be carried
out only by qualified experts in the
sole responsibility of the customer.
Reference to trade names used by
other companies is neither a
recommendation, nor does it imply
that similar products could not be
used.

VISCOPLEX® is a trademark of
Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH or
one of its subsidiaries. ©05/2017
EVONIK INDUSTRIES AG – v8

EUROPE, AFRICA, MIDEAST AMERICAS ASIA PACIFIC

Evonik Resource Evonik Oil Additives USA, Inc. Evonik Oil Additives Asia
Efficiency GmbH 723 Electronic Drive Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Kirschenallee Horsham, PA 19044-4050 3 International Business Park
64293 Darmstadt USA 07-18 Nordic European Centre
Germany Singapore 609927
PHONE +1 215 706-5800
PHONE +49 6151 1809 FAX +1 215 706-5801 PHONE +65 6809-6571
FAX +49 6151 18-4100 Toll-free +1 888 876-4629 FAX +65 6809-6707

[email protected]
www.evonik.com/oil-additives