Preparation and Application of Natural and Low Cost Palm Fibers as an Effective Drag Reducing Agent for Flow Improvement in Iraqi Crude Oil Pipelines

Abstract

Flow of crude oil in pipelines suffers from a problem of fluid flow pressure drop and high energy consumption for fluid pumping. Flow can be enhanced using either viscosity reduction or drag reduction techniques. Drag reduction (DR) is considered as a most effective and most applicable method. The technique contributes in reducing the frictional energy losses during the flow by addition of little amounts from drag reducing agents. The present work focuses on preparation and application of a new natural and low cost material derived from palm fiber (PF) that has been tested as a drag reducing agent (DRA) for crude oil flow enhancement. This objective has been achieved through designing and constructing of an experimental rig consisting of: a crude oil pipe, oil pump, pressure sensors, solenoid valve and programmable logic control. The additive material (PF) is prepared with different diameters (75µm, 125µm, 140µm) and tested with different concentrations as: 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg/L for reducing the drag inside the oil pipe. The experimental results showed that the fiber with 125µm diameter and 100ppm is the best where the percentage of drag reduction reached 43%. Furthermore, the results of this work proved that PF is an efficient and low cost DRA that can be applied successfully in crude oil pipelines as well as its contribution in the waste management.

Improving Crude Oil Flow Using Graphene Flakes under an Applied Electric Field

“…The main factor of the high energy consumption in crude oil pipelines and other transportation systems has been attributed to drag [5,6] that arises because of high viscosity and friction of the oil against the pipe walls, phenomena that require a high amount of energy to overcome to enable the oil to be efficiently pumped through pipelines [7]. Flow improvement can be achieved by enhancing the fluid-mechanical efficiency of the oil using a material referred to as a flow improver, which significantly reduces the friction of crude oil in oil pipelines, thus reducing pumping energy consumption [8]. Different types of flow improvers and drag reducers can be used in this process, such as surfactants, fibers, and polymers, all of which efficiently reduce the turbulent friction inside pipelines [9][10][11][12].…”