New Heavy Crude Oil Flow Improver Increases Production: Application Scenarios Available to Purchase

As worldwide heavy crude oil production increases, pipelines are faced with challenges to transport these higher viscosity fluids. Historically, heavy crude oil has been a challenge for existing commercially available DRAs. As crude oil gravities fall below ∼23 °API, existing DRAs become ineffective. ConocoPhillips Specialty Products Inc. (CSPI) developed a new class of DRAs to address this need. CSPI’s new heavy crude oil DRA technology, ExtremePower™ Flow Improvers, is proven to increase deliveries of produced heavy crude oil to market. In this paper we will discuss the mechanism of drag reduction, how a heavy crude oil DRA works, and two scenarios in which value is created by utilizing the product.