Patent ID: 7939584

Claim:
A method for introducing polymer drag reducing agents into a hydrocarbon fluid, comprising: precipitating a first drag reducing agent (DRA) into a slurry comprising a non-solvent for the first DRA and removing solvent for the polymer that is present, the non-solvent comprising a non-solvent selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, a glycol, a glycol ether, a ketone, and an ester, where the first DRA has a particle size distribution ranging from about 100 to about 150 microns; preparing a second DRA by a method selected from the group consisting of: non-cryogenic grinding of a bulk polymerized polymer, cryogenic grinding of a bulk polymerized polymer, homogenizing a bulk polymerized polymer, and combinations thereof, wherein the bulk polymerized polymers are not microcapsules or macrocapsules of polymers formed within a shell, wherein microcapsules are defined as having a size of 5000 microns or less and wherein macrocapsules are defined as having a size of greater than about 5000 to about 15,000 microns, wherein the second DRA has a particle size distribution different from the first particle size distribution, and the second DRA has a particle size distribution ranging from about 100 to about 550 microns; and introducing the first DRA into the hydrocarbon fluid; and introducing the second DRA into the hydrocarbon fluid, wherein the first DRA and the second DRA are polyalpha-olefins.