Occurrence and Characterization of Paraffin Wax Formed in Developing Wells and Pipelines

Abstract

Deposition and precipitation of paraffin wax in pipelines are major problems in the production, transfer, storage, and processing of crude oil. To prevent complete clogging, it is necessary to minimize and remove deposited wax in pipelines and tubing. Significant research has been done addressing the mechanisms of wax formation and its composition. In this review, the status of research and perspectives on the occurrence and characterization of the paraffin wax that forms in crude oil developing wells and pipelines has been critically reviewed. Several approaches for detecting paraffin wax and managing wax formation damage during oil recovery were discussed. This review also highlighted the effects of temperature and crude oil type on wax formation.

Depositional Behaviour of Highly Macro-Crystalline Waxy Crude Oil Blended with Polymer Inhibitors in a Pipe with a 45-Degree Bend

“…Subsequently, the n-paraffin gradually became rich in higher molecular carbon component of higher molecular weight with decreasing fraction. This is in accordance with other research findings (García et al, 2000;El-Dalatony et al, 2019;Japper-Jaafar et al, 2016). Overall, in this study, the macro-crystalline wax (C 15 -C 36 ) in the sample varies between 0.196-1.161wt%, with exception of a unique peak around C 17 (2.31wt%).…”

“…Characterization of wax crude oil is one of the crucial stages prior to the production in any oil field. The data obtained play a significant role in handling wax formation and deposition and predicting its severity for strategic prevention, management and control during production, transport, refining, and storage (El-Dalatony et al, 2019). Composition and properties such as wax content, n-paraffin distribution, SARA fraction and even morphology of the crude are critical parameters in the design of the oil field production plan.…”

“…Indeed, several wax prevention and remediation methods have been developed and tested in the oil field that include (1) mechanical method, using devices known as pigs, scrapers or cutters (2) thermal method, such as inductive heating, (3) chemical treatment using inhibitors (Al-yaari and Fahd, 2011;Chi et al, 2016;El-Dalatony et al, 2019;Kok and Saracoglu, 2000;Li et al, 2018) and (4) microbial method, which uses microorganisms to produce by-products that act as surfactants or solvents (Etoumi, 2017;Sakthipriya et al, 2017). Other methods tested with limited success are (1) electromagnetic treatments (Balakirev et al, 2007;Coto et al, 2014;Towler and Rebbapragada, 2004), (2) piezoelectric energy (Sulaiman et al, 2011), and (3) vacuum-insulated tubing (Singh et al, 2007).…”

Experimental and theoretical study on wax deposition and the application on a heat insulated crude oil pipeline in Northeast China

“…Researchers have conducted a lot of study on wax deposition of oil pipelines. It has been acknowledged that molecular diffusion, shear dispersion, gravity settlement and Brownian diffusion are three main mechanisms governing the wax deposition process [5][6][7]. Hamouda and Viken (1993), and Brown and Niesen (1993) believed that the effect of shear dispersion on the wax deposition process is not significant [8,9].…”

Ultrasonic and Heat Treatment of Crude Oils

“…The peculiarity of rheological properties of such oils appears in the variability of their viscosity, namely, in the nonlinear character the of the shear stress dependence on the shear rate. When transporting high wax crude oil, intensive waxing of pipelines occurs, which leads to large energy overspending for pumping, complicates the technology in general and increases the cost of oil [1]. High wax content crude oil at low temperatures exhibits pronounced non-Newtonian (viscoplastic, viscoelastic, thixotropic) properties; without taking them into account it is impossible to organize the rational operation of wells, gathering, preparation, and transportation of oil [2].…”