The effect of cationic surfactant additives on flow properties of crude oil

Pretreatment of the crude oil with flow improver or pour point depressants has received the greatest acceptance due to its simplicity and economy. Three cationic surfactants Bola form based on urea were prepared by quaternization reaction with alkyl dihalides of different chain length (hexayl, decyl-, and dodecyl-dibromide). The prepared compounds (U6, U10, and U12) were evaluated as surface active agents as well as pour point depressant for crude oil compared to monosurfactant (U12a) corresponding to (U12). The surface parameters of each synthesized surfactant were calculated from their surface tension profile including the critical micelle concentration, maximum surface excess (Γ_max), and the minimum surface area (A_min). The free energies of micellization (ΔG°_mic) and adsorption (ΔG°_ads) were also calculated. Its pour point and viscosity decreased significantly after adding surfactants. FTIR studies of crude-surfactant mixture showed remarkable decrease in concentration of viscosity enhancing groups such as alkanes, alcoholic, and acidic groups, indicating the effectiveness of both the surfactants.