Clariant Oil Services launches WAXTREAT SubZero Pour Point Depressant technology for cold climate regions
HOUSTON – Thousands of oil and gas professionals will gather at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Canada, from September 30th through October 2nd, where Clariant Oil Services will unveil its new WAXTREAT SubZero Pour Point Depressant (PPD) technology. This product will help oil production companies, especially operating in cold climate regions, overcome the challenges associated with the transportation of waxy crude oils and the mitigation of wax deposition.
WAXTREAT SubZero is a winterized PPD with customization capabilities, enhancing performance, while mitigating paraffin build-up, in crude oil pipeline systems, at the same time reducing OPEX requirements associated with pipeline cleaning. This product has recently been selected as a finalist in the “Best Oilfields Fluids and Chemicals” category at the 2019 World Oil Awards.
Anton Kaiser, head of strategic innovation, Clariant Oil & Mining Services, will present a paper on the new technology at SPE ATCE, entitled ‘Customizable Synergistic Polymer Micro-Dispersions for Treating Challenging Waxy Crudes in Cold Regions’. “We developed a series of higher active winterized polymer micro-dispersions to overcome issues commonly found in cold climates,” he comments. “Inhibitors and dispersants are viable solutions to minimizing organic precipitations and fouling in pipelines and storage tanks. Unfortunately, those PPDs are part of the challenge that customers are currently facing, due to their high product pour points. There is a real product offering gap in the market.”
Both laboratory and field data demonstrated that the micro-dispersed polymers in WAXTREAT SubZero can perform at significantly lower dose rates when compared to the alternative, winterized polymers in solution, to help contribute to an easier flow of oil.
The product remains stable and pumpable in cold storage, eliminating the need for heated tanks and lines while reducing operation and capital expenditures.
“Customers here in Canada, and in regions such as Russia and other colder oil producing basins like the Rockies, face oil production and transportation challenges every winter”, said Al Ferguson, Clariant’s regional business lead for Canada. “This breakthrough PPD is available to them now and can greatly reduce those challenges, improving flow assurance, reducing unplanned operational downtime and maintenance costs.”
Some field trials are ongoing, in Canada, with very positive initial results, demonstrating early success in lab-to-field deployment. Join Anton Kaiser during the SPE ATCE Flow Assurance Challenges and Remediation technical session on Tuesday October 1st, from 08:30-11:55am, where he will outline the research methodologies and lab and field trials undertaken to develop WAXTREAT SubZero.
