Method and apparatus relating to pipeline transport of fluids

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR LUBRICANTING A PETROLEUM PRODUCT FLOWING IN A PETROLEUM PRODUCT PIPELINE WHEREIN WATER LUBRICANT IS INJECTED IN THE SAID PIPELINE THROUGH MICROSCOPIC CHANNELS IN AN INJECTOR TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS MICROSCOPIC FILM OF WATER LUBRICANT BETWEEN THE INNER WALL AREA OF THE PIPELINE AND THE PETROLEUM PRODUCT WHICH IS FLOWING WITHIN THE PIPELINE UNDER PRESSURE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SIMULTANEOUSLY INJECTING WATER LUBRICANT INTO THE PIPELINE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIAL MICROPOROUS INJECTORS SPACED AT SUBSTANTIAL INTERVALS AND MAINTAINING THE FLUID PRESSURE DROP FROM THE OUTSIDE WALL OF THE INJECTOR TO THE INSIDE WALL OF THE INJECTOR GREATER THAN THE PRESSURE DROP FROM THE TOP OF THE PIPELINE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPELINE AND MAINTAINING A PRESSURE ON THE WATER LUBRICANT SUFFICIENT TO INTRODUCE WATER LUBRICANT INTO SAID PIPELINE IN AMOUNTS SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN ONLY A MICROSCOPIC LUBRICANT FILM FROM ONE INJECTOR TO THE NEXT INJECTOR WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BUILDUP IN LUBRICANT FILM THICKNESS ALONG SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCES OF PIPELINE.