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Drag Reducing Agent is being added in crude oil during cross country pipeline transfers .Crude oil will be processed in the refinery Crude column along with Drag reducing agent. In crude column the crude oil is subjected to very high temperature . The remains of drag reducing agent after thermal stressing will land in which stream ?
 
Answers
12/08/2019 A: keith bowers, B and B Consulting, kebowers47@gmail.com
The amount of 'drag reducing agent' is very small and this crude is likely part of a 'blend' fed to the crude column, further reducing the drag agent concentration. It is a high molecular weight polymer and normal boiling point is in the reduced crude or vacuum tower bottom range.

How the drag reducing agent decomposes is not in my 'knowledge base.' Because the amount is so small in relation to the crude bottoms, determining how it partitions in the tower s an exercise in futility . The temp/time history will vary a lot from any laboratory test.

IF I were interested, I would first 'top' the crude in a D-1160 apparatus to see if it cokes up the flask or heated area, realizing it may badly foul the lab equipment. I would NOT risk costly glassware trying a 'crude assay' type analysis.

I would then run a Conradson Carbon residue CCR) on the 'reduced crude' and compare that with one run on the neat crude (no drag reducer.)

f the D-1160 apparatus remains clean (enough), I would then try a true D-1160 analysis on the 'reduced crude.'