Modificação da celulose e avaliação da sua ação no fenômeno de parafinação em petróleo

Abstract

Cellulose is a natural substance, macromolecular, non-toxic, renewable and biodegradable source. With increasing worldwide attention to environmental problems, the chemical modification of cellulose has been evaluated with increasing applicability in various industries among them the mining industry and oil production. The chemical structure of cellulose may be modified by replacing the hydroxyls present in their macromolecule, for different chemical species, and so obtaining products with varying properties of use. This study aimed to develop a technological route to obtain modified cellulose of interest to the oil industry, and assess its effect on precipitation and deposition of paraffins in the presence of formation water with salinity of the pre-salt oilfields scenario. For that, xanthates from cellulosic sisal (Agave sisalana) modified with lauric alcohol, a new amphiphilic substance obtained was chemically characterized by absorption spectroscopy in the infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) for the presence of the insert of modifier in the cellulosic macromolecule. The analysis results show that the employed modification process of was effective. Subsequent chemical analysis showed that the modification process performed gave good dispersion and solubility of the product, and low degree of saponification new product aqueous medium. The evaluation in lab bench, the critical micelle concentration of the product, performed by means of electric conductivity and of its action on the waxing phenomenon in heavy oil by means of measurement paraffin crystals appear initiation temperature (WAT) and flow activation energy show that this did not cause decreases in WAT values, but reduced the flow activation energy; and the rheological behavior of the heavy oil was kept in a non-Newtonian fluid, ideal plastic type.