Patent ID: 7857871

Claim:
In a method of reducing the deposition of paraffin in a petroleum fuel or crude oil by the addition of a paraffin inhibitor to the petroleum fuel or crude oil, the improvement comprising adding to the petroleum fuel or crude oil an imidazoline (in combination with the paraffin inhibitor), wherein the amount of paraffin deposited in the petroleum fuel or crude oil is less when the combination of paraffin inhibitor and imidazoline is added to the petroleum fuel or crude oil than when the paraffin inhibitor is added to the petroleum fuel or crude oil without the imidazoline and further wherein the imidazoline is of the formula: wherein R is a C 1 -C 30 hydrocarbon radical; DR is R 2 or —C n H 2n —NR 2 —R 2 ; each R 2 is independently selected from —H or a C 1 -C 6 alkyl group; and n is from about 1 to about 6.