A comprehensive monitoring approach for quality control of product oil containing drag reducing agent during pipeline transmission

[Objective] Insufficient dissolution or shearing of drag reducing agents(DRAs) in product oil during pipeline transmission can have a significant impact on the oil's quality and may even result in quality accidents. [Methods] This study initially established characteristic physical and chemical indexes, including appearance, kinematic viscosity, distillation range, and unwashed gum, for the determination of DRA-containing product oil. Subsequently, a comparison was made against normal values to detect any abnormalities, enabling preliminary judgments on the impact of DRAs on product oil. Furthermore, a method leveraging concentration-infrared spectroscopy was developed for extracting macromolecular components from gasoline, and an analytical means was established to determine the presence of long-chain alkanes in gasoline. Additionally, gel chromatography was employed to determine the molecular weight of macromolecular components in gasoline, offering a qualitative and quantitative approach to identify insufficiently sheared DRAs. [Results] The appearance-kinetic viscosity method was established as a preliminary visual evaluation technique after conducting an analysis on the dissolving process of DRAs in product oil. The distillation range/unwashed gum method was identified as suitable for routine quality control, following an investigation into the influence of DRAs on the quality indexes of product oil during pipeline transmission. Moreover, the established concentration-infrared spectroscopy method proved effective in determining the presence or absence of long-chain alkanes through characteristic peak analysis. Furthermore, the gel permeation chromatography(GPC) method was established. It offered qualitative and quantitative analysis on the macromolecules in product oil, facilitating direct judgments on the shear rate of macromolecule chains. [Conclusion] This study presents a comprehensive set of appraisal methods, enabling accurate detection of the impact of DRAs on the quality of product oil during pipeline transmission. The findings of this study offer a feasible solution for preventing quality accidents in product oil during pipeline transmission,thus enhancing the overall quality assurance of product oil transported through pipelines.