Pour-depressant properties of additives based on ethylene-propylene copolymers in domestic furnace fuel

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation of the pour-depressant properties of ethylene-propylene (SKEP) and ethylene-propylene ethylidenenorbornene (SKEPT-ENB) copolymers and products from their thermal breakdown in domestic furnace fuels (DFF). The influence of the additive content on the solid point of the DFF is investigated. The molecular weight distribution of different samples of SKEP were investigated to determine the influence of polydispersity of the ethylene-propylene copolymers on their depressant properties. By IR spectroscopy it is determined that the ratio of optical densities characterizes the content of head-to-tail propylene blocks, which ratio is termed the ''block index.'' It is determined that depression is a function of the block index: the fewer the head-to-tail propylene blocks in the structure, the greater is the depression.