Inhibition of wax crystallization and asphaltene agglomeration by core-shell polymer@SiO2 hybride nano-particles

The gelation of crude oil with high wax and asphaltene content at low temperatures often results in the block of transportation pipeline in Africa. In recent years, it was reported that surface hydrophobic-modified nanoparticles have important applications in crude oil flow modification. In this work, four kinds of core-shell hybride nanoparticles by grafting poly (octadecyl, docosyl acrylate) and poly (acrylate-α-olefin) onto the surface of nano-sized SiO₂ were synthesized by grafting polymerization method. The chemical structure of nanoparticles was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The rheological behaviors of crude oil and precipitation of asphaltenes in the presence of nanoparticles were studied by measuring the viscose-temperature relationship curve, the cumulative wax precipitation amount, and morphology of waxes and asphaltenes. The results indicate that the docosyl polyacrylate@SiO₂ nanoparticle (PDA@SiO₂) can reduce the cumulative wax precipitation amount of crude oil by 72.8%, decline the viscosity of crude oil by 85.6% at 20 °C, reduce the average size of wax crystals by 89.7%, and inhibit the agglomeration of asphaltene by 74.8%. Therefore, the nanoparticles not only adjust the crystalline behaviors of waxes, but also inhibit the agglomeration of asphaltenes. Apparently, core-shell hybride nanoparticles provides more heterogeneous nucleation sites for the crystallization of wax molecules, thus inhibiting the formation of three-dimensional network structure. The core-shell polymer@SiO₂ hybride nanoparticles are one of promising additives for inhibiting crystallization of waxes and agglomeration of asphaltenes in crude oil.