Polymeric compositions as pour point depressants for crude oils

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072115-B2
Application number	US-201715434935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

Polymeric compositions obtainable by free-radical polymerization of at least two different alkyl (meth)acrylates in the presence of at least one ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer, the alkyl (meth)acrylates used being a mixture comprising alkyl (meth)acrylates having linear C 12 - to C 60 -alkyl radicals and different alkyl (meth)acrylates having linear C 1 - to C 11 -alkyl radicals and/or branched C 4 - to C 60 -alkyl radicals and/or cyclic C 6 - to C 20 -alkyl radicals. The use of such polymeric compositions as pour point depressants for crude oils, mineral oils or mineral oil products.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing a polymer formulation, the formulation including
a polymeric composition prepared by free-radical polymerization of 70 to 90% by weight monoethylenically unsaturated monomer (A) in the presence of 30 to 10% by weight ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B), based on the sum of the monomers (A) and the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers (B),
wherein the monomer (A) includes at least 70% by weight of alkyl(meth)acrylate (A1), based on the amount of all monomers (A), and the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B) includes 55 to 85% by weight of ethylene and 15 to 45% by weight of vinyl esters of the formula H 2 C═CH—O—(O)C—R 1 , where R 1 is H or a C 1 to C 4 hydrocarbyl radical, and
a mixture of different hydrocarbon solvents, wherein the polymeric composition is present from 30% to 70% by weight, based on the sum of all components of the composition including the mixture of solvents, and
the solvent mixture includes a nonpolar solvent comprising saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon and having a flashpoint ≥60° C., and an aromatic solvent having a flashpoint ≥60° C.,
said process comprising:
(I) providing a solution of the monomer (A) including alkyl(meth)acrylate (A1) in the saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon by esterifying (meth)acrylic acid with alcohols R 3 OH wherein R 3 is a linear alkyl with 12 to 60 carbon atoms;
(II) mixing the alkyl(meth)acrylate (A1) and the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers (B); and
(III) free-radically polymerizing the monomers (A1) in the presence of the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers (B) by addition of at least one thermally decomposing free-radical initiator at a temperature of at least 50° C.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the providing the solution of the monomer (A) in process step (I) includes providing a mixture of at least one alkyl(meth)acrylate (monomer A1a) and at least one alkyl(meth)acrylate (monomer A1 b), wherein
the monomer (A1a) is present from 50 to 99 mol %, and is of formula H 2 C═CR 2 —COOR 3 where R 2 is H or methyl and R 3 is a linear alkyl with 12 to 60 carbon atoms, and
the monomer (A1b) is present from 50 to 1 mol %, and is of formula H 2 C═CR 2 —COOR 4 , where R 4 is a saturated aliphatic radical selected from the group of R 4a , R 4b , and R 4c radicals, where
R 4a : linear alkyl radicals having 1 to 11 carbon atoms,
R 4b : branched alkyl radicals having 4 to 60 carbon atoms, and
R 4c : cyclic alkyl radicals having 5 to 20 carbon atoms, and the sum of monomer (A1a) and (A1b) adds to 100 mol %.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the monomer (A1a), R 3 is a linear alkyl radical having 12 to 24 carbon atoms.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the monomer (A1b), R 4 is the R 4b having 4 to 17 carbon atoms.

5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the R 4b is selected from the group consisting of i-butyl, t-butyl, 2,2′-dimethylpropyl, 2-ethylhexyl, 2-propylheptyl, i-nonanol, i-decyl, i-tridecyl, and i-heptadecyl radicals.

6. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the monomer (A1a), R 3 is selected from the group consisting of 1-hexadecyl, 1-octadecyl, 1-nonadecyl, 1-eicosyl, 1-heneicosyl, 1-docosyl, 1-tetracosyl, 1-hexacosyl, 1-octacosyl, 1-triacontyl, and any one mixture of monomer (A1a) thereof.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the monomer (A1a) includes at least 40% by weight of 1-docosyl (meth)acrylate.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the monomer (A1a) is a mixture that further includes 1-octadecyl (meth)acrylate and 1-eicosyl (meth)methacrylate.

9. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the monomer (A1a) is present from 70 to 90 mol %, and the monomer (A1b) is present from 30 to 10 mol %.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer formulation is a liquid at room temperature at a solids concentration of 20% to 80%.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Garcia Castro Ivette
• Gumlich Kai
• Heuken Maria
• Konrad Rouven
• Neubecker Karin
• Frenzel Stefan

Classifications

• C10N2030/02

  Pour-point; Viscosity index · CPC title

• C10G71/00

  Treatment by methods not otherwise provided for of hydrocarbon oils or fatty oils for lubricating purposes · CPC title

• C10M2203/1006

  used as base material · CPC title

• C08F255/026 Primary

  on to ethylene-vinylester copolymers · CPC title

• C10M2205/022

  Ethene · CPC title