Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for maintaining polymer particles in readily recoverable, discrete form, and for injecting the particles into a pipeline hydrocarbon by disposing particulate polymer within a storage hopper having a cone bottom and an auger extending upwardly from the bottom, rotating the auger to cause the polymer particles to revolve in the hopper, reversing the rotation of the auger to pass polymer particles downwardly into a mixing chamber below the hopper, the particles passing through a rotary metering valve, or optionally, a bin activator, intermediate storage and rotary metering valve at the upper end of the chamber, simultaneously spraying a liquid such as oil or water tangentially in the chamber optionally agitating the chamber and removing a slurry of particulate polymer and the liquid from the chamber and injecting the slurry into a pipeline hydrocarbon.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for maintaining polymer particles in readily recoverable, discrete form, and for injecting the particles into a pipeline hydrocarbon by disposing particulate polymer within a storage hopper having a cone bottom and an auger extending upwardly from the bottom, rotating the auger to cause the polymer particles to revolve in the hopper, reversing the rotation of the auger to pass polymer particles downwardly into a mixing chamber below the hopper, the particles passing through a rotary metering valve, or optionally, a bin activator, intermediate storage and rotary metering valve at the upper end of the chamber, simultaneously spraying a liquid such as oil or water tangentially in the chamber optionally agitating the chamber and removing a slurry of particulate polymer and the liquid from the chamber and injecting the slurry into a pipeline hydrocarbon.