Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Keith D Fairchild

Nagesh Sri Kommareddi

Jack B Ward

Nagesh S Kommareddi

Jerry J Weers

John Francis Motier

Ross Poland

Thomas Mathew

Lu-chien Chou

Daniel L Reed

Robert Tipton

Lu-Chien Chou

A liquid treatment method includes mixing a liquid with an agent to form a mixture, aging the mixture to obtain to a predetermined condition in at least one of the liquid and the agent, and dispensing the aged mixture. An interaction between the liquid and the agent causes the predetermined condition to occur. Also, a majority of the aging occurs while the mixture is in a dynamic state. A related system includes a mixer receiving a liquid and a drag reducing agent and an aging module connected to the mixer. The mixer disperses the drag reducing agent in the liquid to form a mixture and the aging module has a flow path along which the mixture flows. The flow path has a distance sufficient for a majority of the aging to occur while the mixture is in a dynamic state, wherein the aging changes the drag reducing agent to a predetermined condition.

Systems and methods for treating fluids

Hydrocarbon streams, such as crude oil streams, may have reduced drag when an effective amount to reduce drag of a drag reducing composition is added to a liquid hydrocarbon, where the drag reducing composition includes a drag reducing latex comprising at least one plasticizer in an amount effective to improve the ability to pump the latex into a hydrocarbon composition or stream with assured flow of the latex. Latex formulations are known to cause agglomerated particles during pumping operations, and the agglomerated hard particles tend to plug check valves in injection pump equipment, but the inclusion of at least one plasticizer reduces or prevents such problems.

Plasticized latex formulations for improved pumpability

A method for producing a particulate polymer drag reducing agent, comprising granulating a bulk polymer DRA having an average size of greater than about 100 mm in the presence of a liquid wetting agent to form a granulated polymer DRA having an average size of from about 1 to about 100 mm. The granulated polymer DRA may then be ground to form a particulate polymer DRA having an average particle size of less than about 1 mm. The 'wet' granulation process may advantageously enable one-step granulation and therefore simplified production of polymer DRAs. Examples of the liquid wetting agent include blends of glycols with water and/or an alcohol. Preferred production apparatus includes use of multiple rotary jaws for the granulation.

Non-cryogenic process for granulating polymer drag reducing agents

Low viscosity, high concentration drag reducing agents may be prepared by slowly adding a liquid, non-solvent (e.g. isopropyl alcohol) for a drag reducing polymer (e.g. a polyalphaolefin) to a mixture of the polymer and the solvent (e.g. kerosene) in which the polymer is dissolved. When enough non-solvent is added, the polymer precipitates into fine particles. The supernatant mixture of solvent and non-solvent is then removed from the precipitated polymer slurry concentrate. Further solvent contained in the slurry concentrate may be removed by evaporation or further extraction with the liquid, non-solvent. The resulting slurry concentrate dissolves rapidly in flowing hydrocarbon streams to reduce the drag therein, and gives exceptionally good drag reducing results at low concentrations. Additionally, no injection probes or other special equipment is required to introduce the drag reducing slurry into the hydrocarbon stream, nor is grinding of the polymer necessary to form a suitable DRA slurry.

Low viscosity, high concentration drag reducing agent and method therefor

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Sand Springs, OK, United States of America

Keith D Fairchild