INVESTIGATION INTO THE FLOW ASSURANCE OF WAXY CRUDE OIL BY APPLICATION OF GRAPHENE-BASED NOVEL NANOCOMPOSITE POUR POINT DEPRESSANTS

In this research article, novel polymer nanocomposites poly (2-ethylhexyl acrylate) - graphene oxide [P(2-EHA)-GO] were developed (with 0.5 wt. % - 2 wt. % GO concentrations) by in-situ free radical polymerization and were characterized using several analytical techniques to confirm the formation of nanocomposites. Subsequently, when doped in crude oil, beneficiation were observed in pour point and rheological parameters of a selected waxy crude oil, thus evaluating them as potential pour point depressants (PPDs). An optimized amount of graphene oxide (1 wt. %) in nanocomposite results in improved flow characteristics of crude oil, providing a notable 18C depression in the pour point and upto 99 % reduction in its apparent viscosity (down to 0.01 Pa.s). Comparison of its beneficiation effect with P(2-EHA), the base polymeric PPD, indicated a superior performance using nanocomposite PPDs which was mainly attributed to a proposed pour point depression mechanism, according to which the graphene oxide sheets...