Wax deposition using a cold rotating finger: An empirical and theoretical assessment in thermally driven and sloughing regimes

Yaghy, Ghinwa; Ali, A. F.; Charpentier, Thibaut; Fusi, Lorenzo; Neville, Anne; Harbottle, David

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2020.108252

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…It is also worth noting that the carbon number distribution of deposits is also influenced by the speed of fluid movement, which was experimentally confirmed in [42][43][44]. At the same time, in the «Cold Finger» installation, the linear velocity of fluid movement significantly changes over the volume of deposits due to the constancy of the peripheral speed and the increase in the radius of oil movement [45]. These disadvantages are absent when conducting studies on the «WaxFlowloop» installation: the volume of the studied fluid is regularly mixed and circulated through the system, preventing its excessive cooling, and the fluid velocity field in the laminar mode is more uniform [46].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Development of an Approach for Determining the Effectiveness of Inhibition of Paraffin Deposition on the Wax Flow Loop Laboratory Installation

2021

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The formation of wax deposits is a common phenomenon in the production and transportation of formation fluids. On the territory of the Perm Krai, this problem occurs in half of the mining funds. One of the most common and promising methods of dealing with these deposits is the use of inhibitor regents. The most popular technique for assessing the effectiveness of a wax inhibitor is the «Cold Finger», which has a number of significant drawbacks. This work presents a number of methods for assessing the effectiveness of inhibition of paraffin formation on the laboratory installation «WaxFlowLoop». A number of laboratory studies have been carried out to determine the effectiveness of a paraffin deposition inhibitor for inhibiting the paraffin formation process of four target fluids. Verification of the obtained values was carried out by comparing them with the field data. As a result of laboratory studies, it was found that the value of the inhibitor efficiency, determined by the «Cold Finger» method, differs from the field data by an average of 2 times. At the same time, the average deviation of the results determined at the «WaxFlowLoop» installation from the field data is 8.1%. The correct selection of a paraffin deposition inhibitor and its dosage can significantly increase the inter-treatment period of the well, thereby reducing its maintenance costs and increasing the efficiency of well operation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Development of an Approach for Determining the Effectiveness of Inhibition of Paraffin Deposition on the Wax Flow Loop Laboratory Installation

2021

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“…These trends are consistent with previous observations. 15,16 As the oil stirring rate increases, so does the shear experienced by the deposit, which generates an effect that strips some of the deposit off, even as more deposit is forming. As the bulk oil temperature increases, the solubility of the wax increases, decreasing the amount of wax that must precipitate for the system to reach the equilibrium concentration.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface Material Effects on Wax Deposition in Noncoated Pipelines

Burmaster,

2023

Energy Fuels

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Nonsteel pipes are being more widely used in gathering and transporting oil and gas due to their low-cost and anticorrosion properties. Most of the existing literature studies wax deposition on pristine steel surfaces, with very limited attention to nonsteel pipes. To fill this gap, in the current work, we aim to elucidate the surface material effects on wax deposition in noncoated and nonsteel pipelines. Copper and PTFE were chosen as the surface materials for their high (1362 mN/m) and low (18 mN/m) surface free energy, respectively, so that a wide range of surface free energies was created to maximize the strength of the effect observed. For the first time, a customized cold finger apparatus with specially designed cold fingers was constructed to generate consistent surface temperatures when different surface materials were employed, so that the thermal effects and surface effects on wax deposition could be isolated. Continuous thickness data was collected via a custom computer vision software, and deposits were weighed and analyzed for composition after the tests were finished. It was found that the deposits formed on PTFE and copper have similar thickness but the deposits formed on PTFE have a higher fraction of heavy components, with a slightly larger mass. The differences in deposit mass, thickness, and composition between PTFE and copper are relatively small, contrary to the much larger effects reported in the prior literature in which no attempts were made to control the surface temperatures. These observations indicate that depositional differences between different noncoated surface materials could also be caused by alterations to the heat transfer process, rather than through the surface energy and chemistry alone, an important insight that would benefit the design of remediation practices (i.e., pigging) for wax deposition in non-steel pipelines.

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Treatment of paraffin deposition behavior in gas-condensate wells with chemical inhibitors

Shi,

Hong,

Wang

et al. 2023

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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As deep gas-condensate reservoirs are explored, the problem of paraffin deposition is becoming more prominent. Therefore, this paper collects condensate samples from representative paraffin deposition gas-condensate wells and analyzes basic physical properties. The cold plate deposition device is employed to study paraffin deposition behavior under well conditions and to divide the critical regions for paraffin deposition in gas-condensate wells. The experimental apparatus, such as the crude oil dynamic paraffin deposition rate tester, is utilized to investigate the preventive effect of paraffin dispersants and paraffin crystal modifier. The results show that there is significant phase change behavior in gas-condensate wells and gas phase is dominant form, but there is also phase evolution. It can be identified from the experiments that paraffin deposition is mainly located in the 1000 ~ 1500 m region, and a paraffin deposition identification chart has been established. The maximum deposition rate could reach 15.50 mm/year, which matched the temperature and pressure conditions of 45 ℃ and 70 MPa. The preventive effect of paraffin crystal modifiers greatly exceeds that of paraffin dispersants, with paraffin prevention rates of 85–95% at the optimal concentrations of 0.25–0.50 wt.%. The dissolving paraffin rate can reach 0.0169 g/min. It decreases the paraffin appearance temperature approximately 40% and significantly changes the paraffin crystal morphology. Increased deposition surface area of the cold plate structural design describes the paraffin deposition. This diagram facilitates the reliable identification of paraffin deposition areas and the deposition rates in the wellbore during production. The optimum amounts of BZ and PI paraffin inhibitors are quantified. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the paraffin deposition behavior, and scientific basis and guidance for the selection of paraffin inhibitors in gas-condensate wells.

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Wax deposition using a cold rotating finger: An empirical and theoretical assessment in thermally driven and sloughing regimes

Cited by 10 publications

References 33 publications

Development of an Approach for Determining the Effectiveness of Inhibition of Paraffin Deposition on the Wax Flow Loop Laboratory Installation

Development of an Approach for Determining the Effectiveness of Inhibition of Paraffin Deposition on the Wax Flow Loop Laboratory Installation

Surface Material Effects on Wax Deposition in Noncoated Pipelines

Treatment of paraffin deposition behavior in gas-condensate wells with chemical inhibitors

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