Bi- or Multi-Modal Particle Size Distribution To Improve Drag Reduction Polymer Dissolution

摘要

The frictional pressure drop, or drag, of hydrocarbon fluids flowing through pipelines of various lengths is preferentially lowered by dissolving therein polymeric drag reducer suspensions exhibiting bi- or multimodal particle size distributions. Drag reducers having larger particle sizes dissolve more slowly than drag reducers having smaller particle sizes, and vice versa. By using at least bi-modal particle size distributions, the drag reduction effect may be distributed more uniformly over the length of the pipeline where smaller sized particles dissolve sooner after injection (upstream in the pipeline), and larger sized particles dissolve later (further along the pipeline). Drag reducer suspensions with bi- or multimodal particle size distributions may be made by suspension polymerization.