Research Projects

The depletion of conventional crude oil reserves, growing domestic energy demand, and the government's goal to reduce foreign crude oil imports have led to India's oil and gas industry producing waxy crude oil reserves. However, transportation of these crudes remains a major challenge due to their high pour point and viscosity, particularly in low-temperature conditions like subsea pipelines. The presence of wax in these crude oils, which crystallizes and deposits during transportation, is a significant concern. Dosing waxy crude oils with suitable pour point depressants (PPDs) is considered the most convenient and economical method for transportation through pipelines. However, a particular PPD might not be suitable for different waxy crude produced from different fields due to changes in their physico-chemical properties. The application of nanoparticles reinforced PPDs (Nanocomposites, N-PPDs) may prove to be an economical solution to tackle the problem faced with conventional PPDs and lead to efficient transportation of waxy crude oils. In this work, suitable and cost-effective N-PPDs will be synthesized in the laboratory using various types/sizes of nanoparticles and polymers/surfactants, and characterized using analytical instruments. These N-PPDs will be evaluated for inhibiting wax deposition and improving flow properties of waxy crude oils collected from Indian oil fields. The practical feasibility of the proposed work will be assessed experimentally by subjecting virgin and treated waxy crude samples to flow through a test pipe section of a laboratory-scale flow loop setup.