# US 10,370,607 B2 · Compositions based on ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers and their use as anti-gelling additives of paraffinic crude oils > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,370,607 B2 - Document ID: US10370607B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/102,138 - Filed: 2014-12-05 - Published: 2017-02-02 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-06 - Assignees: Versalis S.P.A.; ENI S.p.A. - Applicants: versalis S.p.A.; ENI S.p.A. - Inventors: Paolo Mariani; Michela Agnoli; Alessandro Casalini; Massimo Merlini - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370607B2 ## CPC - C10L 1/1973: {mono-carboxylic} - C08L 23/0853: Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers - C10L 10/16: Pour-point depressants - C08L 2205/025: containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure - C10L 2230/14: for improving storage or transport of the fuel - C10L 2250/04: Additive or component is a polymer - C10L 2300/20: Mixture of two components - C10L 2300/30: Mixture of three components - C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) ## Abstract A polymeric composition suitable for lowering the Pour Point of paraffinic crude oils comprising a synergic mixture including at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers respectively having an average molecular weight Mw lower than 130,000 Dalton (measured via GPC), a content of vinyl acetate monomer ranging from 15 to 50% by weight, with the proviso that the content of vinyl acetate monomer in the respective copolymers differs from one copolymer to another, by over 5%, on a weight basis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A polymeric composition suitable for lowering the Pour Point of paraffinic crude oils comprising a synergic mixture comprising at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers having an average molecular weight Mw ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 Dalton (measured via GPC), a content of vinyl acetate (VA) monomer ranging from 15 to 50% by weight, respectively, with the proviso that the content of vinyl acetate monomer in the respective at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers differs from one another by a value higher than 5% on a weight basis, wherein the synergic mixture does not comprise an alkyl(meth)acrylate polymer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the number of EVA copolymers in the synergic mixture ranges from 2 to 6. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the EVA copolymers have a weight average molecular weight MW ranging from 25,000 to 80,000 Dalton. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of VA comonomers, on a weight basis, differs from one copolymer to another by a value from 7 to 22%. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the synergic mixture comprises three EVA copolymers having a content of vinyl acetate comonomer of 20, 30 and 40% by weight, respectively. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the synergic mixture comprises three EVA copolymers having a content of vinyl acetate comonomer of 24, 33 and 40% by weight, respectively. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The polymeric composition according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of a single EVA copolymer, in the synergic mixture, is equal to or higher than 5% by weight. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The polymeric composition according to claim 7, wherein the concentration of said single EVA copolymer in the synergic mixture ranges from 10 to 60% by weight. ### Claim 9 A process for the lowering the Pour Point of a paraffinic crude oil having a paraffin content higher than 5% by weight, which comprises adding, to the paraffinic crude oil, from 50 to 1,500 ppm (by weight), with respect to the crude oil, a synergic mixture comprising at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers respectively having an average molecular weight MW ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 Dalton (measured via GPC), a content of vinyl acetate monomer ranging from 15 to 50% by weight, with the proviso that the content of vinyl acetate monomer in the respective at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers differs by a value higher than 5% on a weight basis, wherein the synergic mixture does not comprise an alkyl(meth)acrylate polymer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The process according to claim 9, which comprises: a. dissolving the synergic mixture in an organic solvent to obtain a solution (a), b. adding the solution (a) to the paraffinic crude oil at the fluidification temperature of the crude oil, with a concentration of the synergic mixture in the crude oil ranging from 50 to 1,500 ppm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process according to claim 10, wherein the solution (a) comprises from 1 to 10% by weight of the synergic mixture. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The process according to claim 10, wherein the organic solvent is an aromatic hydrocarbon, an aliphatic hydrocarbon, a polar solvent, or mixtures thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The process according to claim 9, wherein the synergic mixture is added to the paraffinic crude oil together with a surfactant with a hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB), higher than or equal to 10. ### Claim 14 A paraffinic crude oil having a Pour Point lower than 10° C. comprising: i. a paraffinic crude oil with an average content of paraffins higher than 5% by weight; and ii. 50-1,500 ppm (by weight) with respect to the crude oil of a synergic composition comprising at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers having a weight average molecular weight MW ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 Dalton (measured via GPC), a content of vinyl acetate monomer ranging from 15 to 50% by weight, with the proviso that the content of vinyl acetate monomer in the respective at least two ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers differs from one another by a value higher than 5% on a weight basis, wherein the synergic composition does not comprise an alkyl(meth)acrylate polymer.