A viscosity reducer developed specifically for high-viscosity oily sludge. It tackles the poor flowability, difficult pumping and uneven agitation of sludge under winter, low-temperature and high-wax conditions, creating workable process conditions for C50N3 hot-wash separation.
At low temperature, high-viscosity sludge turns paste-like or even block-like: it will not pump, will not stir and does not contact the chemicals fully — even the best separation agent cannot do its job. PL15 works at the very front of the chain: it turns material you cannot treat into material you can treat.
In the following cases, we recommend adding a PL15 pretreatment step before C50N3 hot-wash separation.
At low ambient temperature, sludge flowability in storage tanks and silos drops sharply, making unloading and transfer difficult.
Sludge formed from waxy crude has a high pour point and is paste-like at ambient temperature; the wax-crystal network must be broken before hot washing.
Long-deposited tank-bottom sludge has a high proportion of heavy fractions and high viscosity; direct mixing and agitation are inefficient.
When material must be moved over long distances, reduce viscosity first to cut line losses and the cost of line clearing and heat tracing.
PL15 only solves flowability; it does not replace C50N3's demulsification and separation. The two are dosed in stages, each handling its own segment.
| Process stage | Chemical | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Pretreatment | PL15 | Viscosity reduction and dilution; restores pumping and agitation conditions | Add PL15 first; enter the hot wash only after thorough mixing |
| 2 · Hot-wash separation | C50N3 | Demulsification and wetting; oil stripped from the solids; oil content of the solids <2% | With hot water and mechanical agitation |
| 3 · Aqueous-phase flocculation | PAM | Flocculates the fines for settling; speeds up solids–liquid separation | Cationic type; standard in the C50N3 process chain |
| 4 · Final clarification | PAC | Coagulation removes oil and turbidity at the final clarification stage | Used together with PAM |
Demulsification and separation of spilled sludge and tank-bottom sludge; oil content of the solids <2%; applied at bases of a major Chinese oil & gas group.
PAMFlocculation settling and aqueous-phase clarification; standard in the C50N3 process chain.
PACCoagulation of oily wastewater to remove oil and turbidity; final-stage clarification in the process chain.
Send a sample or the material parameters; first we decide whether viscosity reduction is needed, then we discuss separation.