The Impact of the Composition of the Crude Oils on the Wax Crystallization

Hosseinipour, Arya; Sabil, Khalik M.; Ekaputra, Andhy Arya; Japper, Azuraien B.; Ismail, Lukman

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.625.196

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Wax prevention is of paramount importance in the petroleum industry, especially during production in gas-lift wells. There are several well-known methods [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] used to handle wax formation problems such as mechanical-removal methods, chemical inhibitors, thermal techniques, chemical solvents, and other methods. Although there are several methods that have been applied to handle the wax formation problem in recent decades, questions concerning their economic viability as well as their effectiveness remain relevant.…”

Section: A Methods Of Hot Apg Injection To Prevent Wax Deposit Formation In Gas-lift Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Technology for Preventing the Wax Deposit Formation in Gas-Lift Wells at Offshore Oil and Gas Fields in Vietnam

2021

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Within the past few decades, the production of high-wax oils at offshore fields in Vietnam has been fraught with severe problems due to the intense formation of asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits (ARPD) in the downhole oil and gas equipment. The formation of organic wax deposits in the tubing string led to a significant decrease in gas-lift wells production, efficiency of compressor units, transport capacity of the piping systems, along with an increase in equipment failure. Subsequently, the efficiency of gas-lift wells dramatically decreased to less than 40% as a whole. The existing methods and technologies for combating organic wax deposit formation in downhole equipment have many advantages. However, their use in producing high-wax anomalous oil does not entirely prevent the wax formation in the tubing string and leads to a significant reduction in oil production, transport capacity, and treatment intervals. The results of theoretical and experimental studies presented in this article demonstrate that a promising approach to improve the efficiency of gas-lift wells during the production of high-wax oil is to use the technology of periodic injection of hot associated petroleum gas (APG) into the annulus of an oil-producing well. The effectiveness of the proposed method of combating wax formation in gas-lift wells highly depends on the combination of a few factors: the determination of wax deposit formation intensity in the well and the implementation of a set of preparatory measures to determine the optimal injection mode of hot APG (flow rate and injection depth) into the annulus between tubing strings and technological pipes. The injection depth of the hot APG should not be less than the depth of wax formation in the tubing string. The optimal injection rate of hot APG is determined by analyzing and mathematically modeling the APG injection system based on well-known thermodynamic laws.

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Section: A Methods Of Hot Apg Injection To Prevent Wax Deposit Formation In Gas-lift Wellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Well-known methods to prevent and mitigate wax deposits in downhole equipment during the operation of gas-lift wells are mechanical, thermal, and chemical methods [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology for Preventing the Wax Deposit Formation in Gas-Lift Wells at Offshore Oil and Gas Fields in Vietnam

2021

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“…Although, there are several methods that have been applied to handle the wax formation problem in recent decades, questions concerning their economic viability as well as their effectiveness remain relevant. Moreover, the effect of the component composition of fluids on the wax formation process has been studied by a number of researchers [49][50][51][52]. The authors showed that the light-end hydrocarbon components (С 1 -С 4 ) and the remaining components (heavy fractions) play completely different roles in wax crystallization and as a result, they have a great impact on the WAT.…”

Section: A Comprehensive Solution To Preventing the Formation Of Wax ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

An extensive solution to prevent wax deposition formation in gas-lift wells

Nguyen¹,

Александров²,

Рогачев³

2022

J Appl Eng Science

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In recent years, an insurmountable problem in high-wax oil production has been the intensive formation of organic deposits in the bottom-hole zone of the formation, downhole and surface equipment, leading to a dramatic loss in wells production, transportation capability, and subsequently has a detrimental effect on efficiency. Gas-lift is a widely used method, where compressed high-pressure gas is injected through the tubing annulus. Consequently, the current fluid level in the annulus decreases and increases in the tubing string. The compressed gas enters the tubing through gas-lift valves, mixing with the liquid. During production, changes in pressure, temperature, and fluid composition along the well bore highly depend upon the compressed gas injected into the well. At temperatures below the wax appearance temperature, organic wax crystals will form either in bulk volumes of fluid or on cold surfaces of equipment, consequently, covering the surface. Wax formation is a hazardous and costly task in the oil and gas industry, especially when operating gas-lift wells. Hence, the prevention of wax formation in gas-lift wells is of utmost importance. Although, numerous methods have been implemented to handle the wax formation problem in recent decades, questions concerning their economic viability as well as their effectiveness remain relevant. In this paper, a complete algorithm for determining changes in the oil component composition in a gas-lift well during the injection of associated petroleum gas is detailed. The obtained results play a pivotal role in the study of wax deposition. A technological scheme has been developed to prevent wax deposit formation in the tubing strings during gas-lift well operation. A simulation using the introduced process and technology has been run, and an observed result obtained. After running the simulation, we determined the optimal composition of the associated petroleum injection gas based on the required flow rate of the working agent and the lowest value of the wax appearance temperature. This method offers potential solutions to increasing gas-lift well production efficiency under complex wax formation conditions.

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“…The continuous wax build-up obstructs oil flow and leads to marginal oil recovery and the shutdown of the production pipeline (Sharma et al, 2016). On top of that, oil companies lose millions of dollars annually due to the reduced oil production and high cost of wax removal (Hosseinipour et al, 2014). The flow assurance problems also reflect the rising cost of production because extra horsepower and workforce are needed to alleviate the pressure to prevent wax deposition (Elsharkawy et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Biodegradation of Paraffin Wax in Malaysian Crude Oil Mediated by Degradative Enzymes

et al. 2020

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The deposition of paraffin wax in crude oil is a problem faced by the oil and gas industry during extraction, transportation, and refining of crude oil. Most of the commercialized chemical additives to prevent wax are expensive and toxic. As an environmentally friendly alternative, this study aims to find a novel thermophilic bacterial strain capable of degrading paraffin wax in crude oil to control wax deposition. To achieve this, the biodegradation of crude oil paraffin wax by 11 bacteria isolated from seawater and oil-contaminated soil samples was investigated at 70 • C. The bacteria were identified as Geobacillus kaustophilus N3A7, NFA23, DFY1, Geobacillus jurassicus MK7, Geobacillus thermocatenulatus T7, Parageobacillus caldoxylosilyticus DFY3 and AZ72, Anoxybacillus geothermalis D9, Geobacillus stearothermophilus SA36, AD11, and AD24. The GCMS analysis showed that strains N3A7, MK7, DFY1, AD11, and AD24 achieved more than 70% biodegradation efficiency of crude oil in a short period (3 days). Notably, most of the strains could completely degrade C 37-C 40 and increase the ratio of C 14-C 18 , especially during the initial 2 days incubation. In addition, the degradation of crude oil also resulted in changes in the pH of the medium. The degradation of crude oil is associated with the production of degradative enzymes such as alkane monooxygenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, lipase, and esterase. Among the 11 strains, the highest activities of alkane monooxygenase were recorded in strain AD24. A comparatively higher overall alcohol dehydrogenase, lipase, and esterase activities were observed in strains N3A7, MK7, DFY1, AD11, and AD24. Thus, there is a potential to use these strains in oil reservoirs, crude oil processing, and recovery to control wax deposition. Their ability to withstand high temperature and produce degradative enzymes for long-chain hydrocarbon degradation led to an increase in the short-chain hydrocarbon ratio, and subsequently, improving the quality of the oil.

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The Impact of the Composition of the Crude Oils on the Wax Crystallization

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

Technology for Preventing the Wax Deposit Formation in Gas-Lift Wells at Offshore Oil and Gas Fields in Vietnam

Technology for Preventing the Wax Deposit Formation in Gas-Lift Wells at Offshore Oil and Gas Fields in Vietnam

An extensive solution to prevent wax deposition formation in gas-lift wells

Microbial Biodegradation of Paraffin Wax in Malaysian Crude Oil Mediated by Degradative Enzymes

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