Influence of ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate copolymers on the flow properties of wax synthetic systems

Wax crystallization can cause serious damage to petroleum flow because as the viscosity increases, there is organic deposition in the pipe lines, which causes oil production reduction. Ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA) are used as an alternative to prevent such problems. The influence of EVA copolymers on the properties of wax synthetic systems, composed of a solvent mixture and paraffin and petroleum asphalt residue (PAR), was evaluated in this work. The performance of EVA as a wax inhibitor depends on the molecular weight and vinyl acetate content of the copolymer and on the presence of the asphalt fraction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1337–1348, 2002