TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractInsulation and active heating options evaluated for transportation of waxy crude oil in an 8-inch flowline from a platform 10 miles offshore. Two bundled pipeline configurations are studied, and the results are compared with conventional pipe-in-pipe and a non-jacketed insulated pipe. The crude has a high pour point (PP, 91°F) and a high wax appearance temperature (WAT, 105°F).A solution is provided that allows the crude to stay above WAT. The non-jacketed pipe option is not thermally efficient; the pipe-in-pipe option can keep the crude oil warm during normal flow; but high storage capacity is required at the platform, which makes the solution impractical. The bundled pipeline configurations maintain the crude oil temperature above WAT thus avoiding waxing and gelling during steady state flow and during restart operations.Despite being more expensive, the bundled pipeline configuration proved to be the right solution for this particular field. The results of this study are applicable for evaluations of similar field developments.

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