Flow improvers for assured flow of crude oil in midstream pipeline - A review

The ability to transfer crude oil through pipelines from wellhead to refinery without any complication is dealt with midstream flow assurance. Crude oil deposits are found in reservoir under high temperature and pressure which when extracted and transported through pipelines results in drastic changes in their process condition thereby leading to several problems. Conventional methods like electric, emulsification and thermal insulation are highly expensive and often require regular pigging in crude pipelines. Here, Pour Point Depressant (PPD) plays a significant role in reducing the problems faced in pipeline transportation in midstream sector. One of the advanced and recent methods of using PPD is gaining importance over conventional methods due to the ease in handling the different types of crudes. To make this possible, different types of PPDs are employed to encounter various problems. This review discusses the necessity and importance of PPDs, their types, mechanism, nature, advantages etc. in detail. It also touches upon the conventional and a few other techniques applied.