The impact of different antifreeze agents on the thermal properties of ethylene vinyl acetate emulsion

Abstract

The application of pour point depressants in the form of emulsions provides an alternative to overcoming the problem of handling during applications in cold climate environments. The incorporation of antifreeze agents to these emulsions helps to improve their cold flow properties, without sacrificing much of the other properties. This study considered the effect of the incorporation of different antifreeze agents into ethylene vinyl acetate emulsions that are used as pour point depressants. The results obtained revealed that the ethylene glycol (EG) emulsion system gave the lowest freezing temperature of −45°C, while the propylene glycol emulsion system provided the lowest vitrification temperature of −64°C. The size of the particles in the emulsion was significantly reduced from 359.1 nm to 207.4 to 216.4 nm when an antifreeze agent was used in the emulsion compared to the control sample (pure water). As for the selection of the most suitable antifreeze for the emulsion system, the vitrification performance was a factor that was taken into consideration in the decision to select the EG system due to the fact that this system offered an adequate performance in terms of vitrification efficiency at around −59°C, although it was not as excellent as the vitrification efficiency portrayed in the propylene glycol system. However, the EG emulsion system was the most suitable system for the ethylene vinyl acetate emulsion, as it delivered the best protection against freezing and, at the same time, produced a decent particle size distribution.