Novel Approach for Improving the Flow of Waxy Crude Oil Using Thermochemical Fluids: Experimental and Simulation Study

Alade, Olalekan; Hassan, Amjed; Mahmoud, Mohamed; Shehri, Dhafer Al; Al-Majed, Abdulaziz

doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b04268

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…First, the mechanical and rheological properties of paraffin waxes are highly relevant to flow assurance of waxy crude oils and the removal of existing wax deposits in pipelines . Recently, Alade et al have investigated the softening of wax deposits using thermochemical reactions to increase the oil temperature . It is known that the physical properties of the crystal and rotator phases differ, which has been quantified by measurements of the elastic constants and the speed of sound .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 Recently, Alade et al have investigated the softening of wax deposits using thermochemical reactions to increase the oil temperature. 77 It is known that the physical properties of the crystal and rotator phases differ, which has been quantified by measurements of the elastic constants and the speed of sound. 78 Wang et al investigated the viscoelastic properties of paraffin wax and found that the dynamic moduli were highly temperature-dependent in the crystal phase and dropped by over 1 order of magnitude upon crystal−rotator transition.…”

Section: ■ Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benchmarking of Molecular Dynamics Force Fields for Solid–Liquid and Solid–Solid Phase Transitions in Alkanes

et al. 2021

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Accurate prediction of alkane phase transitions involving solids is needed to prevent catastrophic pipeline blockages, improve lubrication formulations, smart insulation, and energy storage, as well as bring fundamental understanding to processes such as artificial morphogenesis. However, simulation of these transitions is challenging and therefore often omitted in force field development. Here, we perform a series of benchmarks on seven representative molecular dynamics models (TraPPE, PYS, CHARMM36, L-OPLS, COMPASS, Williams, and the newly optimized Williams 7B), comparing with experimental data for liquid properties, liquid–solid, and solid–solid phase transitions of two prototypical alkanes, n-pentadecane (C15) and n-hexadecane (C16). We find that existing models overestimate the melting points by up to 34 K, with PYS and Williams 7B yielding the most accurate results deviating only 2 and 3 K from the experiment. We specially design order parameters to identify crystal–rotator phase transitions in alkanes. United-atom models could only produce a rotator phase with complete rotational disorder, whereas all-atom models using a 12-6 Lennard-Jones potential show no rotator phase even when superheated above the melting point. In contrast, Williams (Buckingham potential) and COMPASS (9-6 Lennard-Jones) reproduce the crystal-to-rotator phase transition, with the optimized Williams 7B model having the most accurate crystal–rotator transition temperature of C15.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benchmarking of Molecular Dynamics Force Fields for Solid–Liquid and Solid–Solid Phase Transitions in Alkanes

et al. 2021

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“…Crude oil is often characterized by the hydrocarbons in it. Paraffins account for a greater percentage of hydrocarbons in crude oil [20]. Because of the different hydrocarbon contents in them, crudes from different parts of the world often have varying colors and viscosities.…”

Section: Classification Of Crude Oilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crude oil and the problem of wax deposition on pipeline systems during transportation: A review

Onwumelu¹,

Onwuka²,

Nnebeana³

et al. 2022

World J. Adv. Res. Rev.

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Crude oil, the world’s major source of energy, is obtained from the earth as a Newtonian fluid and needs to be transported to refineries for further processing. Pipeline transport has proven to be the most efficient, environmental-friendly and cost effective of all modes of crude oil transportation from subsea production sites. However the formation and deposition of waxes (mainly paraffinic and asphaltenic components) along pipelines remains one of the greatest flow assurance problem in the petroleum industry. This is aided by attainment of wax appearance temperature (WAT), the crude’s hydrocarbon contents and rheological properties, and the production conditions amongst others. The deposited waxes clog the pipeline, reduces the flow diameter, converts the behavior of the fluid from Newtonian to non-Newtonian, decreases throughput, causes more work on pumps and other process equipment, increases energy consumption, and ultimately raises the cost of production thereby decreasing profits. It also leads to several downtimes and in extreme cases can cause permanent shut down of facilities. Several studies have been done to understand the nature of crude oil waxes and the various techniques for solving this problem. This paper takes a critical look at crude oil and reviews the current state of research into the causative factors, deposition mechanisms and remediation methods including the thermal, mechanical, biological and chemical techniques. At the end there is a conclusion and further research on the use of biological techniques (microorganisms) has been advised herein.

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“…Limited by the actual flow area of the wellbore, the production of the well is reduced and the pumping cost is increased. 1 − 5 If the deposits are not removed in time, it may even threaten the safety of transmission in serious cases. 6 − 9 Wax deposition has always been a hot issue in the field of petroleum exploration and the development and pipeline transportation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the process of petroleum production, the pipe diameter decreases with the buildup of wax deposits. Limited by the actual flow area of the wellbore, the production of the well is reduced and the pumping cost is increased. − If the deposits are not removed in time, it may even threaten the safety of transmission in serious cases. − Wax deposition has always been a hot issue in the field of petroleum exploration and the development and pipeline transportation. Detailed research has been conducted on it by scholars for many years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wax Deposition Law under a Gas–Liquid Bubbly Flow Pattern

Gao

Cai

et al. 2021

ACS Omega

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Under the high-pressure and low-temperature environment of the deep sea, wax deposition will occur in the wellbore. This study discusses the effect of gas–liquid two-phase bubbly flow on wax deposition. In this study, wax deposition experiments of a gas–liquid two-phase flow in vertical pipelines were carried out using waxy white oil and air as the experimental medium. The results show that under the bubble flow pattern, within a short period of time from the start of wax deposition, it rapidly accumulates to the peak, then rapidly cuts off part of it, and then presents a simple harmonic dynamic trend until the final stability. The average wax-deposit thickness decreases first and then increases with the increase of superficial gas velocity, and it increases first and then decreases with the increase of superficial liquid velocity. The average wax-deposit thickness decreases with the increase of oil temperature. The average wax-deposit thickness was substantially constant and then decreases with the increase of ambient temperature. The wax-deposit thickness increases with the increase of wax content in oil flow. This research is useful for people to further understand the changes in the wax deposition process.

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Novel Approach for Improving the Flow of Waxy Crude Oil Using Thermochemical Fluids: Experimental and Simulation Study

Cited by 30 publications

References 25 publications

Benchmarking of Molecular Dynamics Force Fields for Solid–Liquid and Solid–Solid Phase Transitions in Alkanes

Benchmarking of Molecular Dynamics Force Fields for Solid–Liquid and Solid–Solid Phase Transitions in Alkanes

Crude oil and the problem of wax deposition on pipeline systems during transportation: A review

Wax Deposition Law under a Gas–Liquid Bubbly Flow Pattern

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