Injection system for solid friction reducing polymers

A method for injecting particulate polymer into a pipeline hydrocarbon comprising, providing a mixing chamber having a rotary metering valve at the upper end of the chamber, intermediate storage on top of the metering valve, and a bin activator on top of the intermediate storage;

• admitting particulate polymer to the chamber via the bin activator, intermediate storage, and metering valve;
• spraying liquid tangentially in the chamber into direct contact with the polymer;
• removing a slurry of particulate polymer and liquid from the chamber;
• and, injecting the slurry into the pipeline hydrocarbon.

A method for maintaining polymer particles in readily recoverable, discrete form and for injecting the particles into a pipeline hydrocarbon comprising, providing a storage hopper having a cone bottom and an auger extending upwardly from the apex of the cone bottom;

• disposing particulate polymer within the hopper;
• mintaining the polymer particles in readily recoverable, discrete form by rotating the auger to force contacting polymer particles upwardly in the hopper;
• reversing the rotation of the auger to pass polymer particles downwardly into a mixing chamber via a rotary metering valve at the upper end of the chamber;
• spraying liquid tangentially in the chamber into direct contact with the polymer;
• removing a slurry of particulate polymer and liquid from the chamber;
• and injecting the slurry into the pipeline hydrocarbon.

An apparatus for maintaining polymer particles in readily recoverable, discrete form and for injecting the particles into a pipeline hydrocarbon comprising, a storage hopper having a cone bottom and an auger extending upwardly from the apex of the cone bottom;

• means for disposing particulate polymer within the hopper;
• means for rotating the auger to force contacting particulate polymer upwardly in the hopper;
• means for reversing rotation of the auger to pass particulate polymer out of the storage hopper and into a mixing chamber via a rotary metering valve at the upper end of the chamber;
• liquid inlet means for spraying liquid tangentially into the chamber into direct contact with the polymer;
• and suction means for removing polymer/liquid slurry from the chamber and for injecting the slurry into the pipeline hydrocarbon.