Wax formation in oil pipelines: A critical review

Aiyejina, Ararimeh; Chakrabarti, Dhurjati Prasad; Pilgrim, Angelus; Musti, K. S. Sastry

doi:10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2011.02.007

Cited by 384 publications

(271 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…Aiyejina et al [5] reported that the deposition of waxes in pipelines carrying waxy crude oil was a complex phenomenon, which depends on the composition, pressure and temperature, heat and mass transfer, and phase interactions, which include solid-solid and solid-liquid interactions. Economides et al [6] conducted a laboratory test and heat transfer analysis on waxy crude oil under cold atmospheric conditions that resulted in alteration of the sample behaviour and rheological properties owing to heat loss to the surroundings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of convective heat transfer coefficient and initial temperature of waxy crude oil on the formation of voids

Chala¹,

Sulaiman²,

Japper-Jaafar³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Automot. Mech. Eng.

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This paper presents the convective heat transfer coefficient of waxy crude oil while undergoing cooling and reports the influence of initial temperature on the intra-gel void formation. A flow loop rig was used to cool down waxy crude oil to the same end temperature while varying the initial temperature to observe the effects of initial temperature on the voids formed. The convective heat transfer coefficient and heat transfer rate of waxy crude oil subjected to cooling were calculated. It was observed that the heat transfer rate and the convective heat transfer coefficient of waxy crude oil below the wax appearance temperature were much lower than that of the Newtonian liquid crude oil owing to the wax crystal formation entrapping some liquid crude oil within it, below which the formation of voids is eminent. In addition, it was found that lower initial temperatures tend to form higher void volumes near pipe walls and in the entire pipe with a maximum change in void volume of 0.9% observed between the maximum and the minimum initial temperature tested. The insignificant influence of initial temperature on intra-gel void formation was also observed as the waxes are liquid above the wax appearance temperature.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of convective heat transfer coefficient and initial temperature of waxy crude oil on the formation of voids

Chala¹,

Sulaiman²,

Japper-Jaafar³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Automot. Mech. Eng.

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“…Despite very large reserves, their exploitation is limited by their high viscosity". Looking for best ways to overcome this limitation, several reviews, experimental and numerical works are available in scientific literature, as for example : Pouraria et al (2016), Hart et al (2014), Santos et al (2014), Aiyejina et al (2011), Palau et al (2011), Phillips et al (2011), Goldstein et al (2010, Li et al (2010), Ashrafizadeh and Kamran (2010), Guozhong and Gang (2010), Saniere et al (2004), among others, reflecting the interest of the scientific community and industry on this topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of heat transfer on two-phase flow behavior in onshore oil pipelines

et al. 2016

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<p>Computational tools for simulation of multiphase flow in oil pipelines are of great importance for the determination of the technical feasibility of the production in oilfields. The present article presents the mathematical and numerical modeling of the oil biphasic flow in a partially submerged onshore pipeline. The biphasic behavior of the heavy oil of 13,2ºAPI is translated by the Dukler correlation. The oil’s viscosity is regarded as dependent on the temperature and on the API density of the oil by means of the Hossain correlation. The pipeline, of 3,600m and 4 inches (10.16cm) in diameter, transports the oil from a collecting station to a storage center and consists of three sections. The first and third sections are above ground and are in contact with the external environment. The intermediate section is sitting on the river bed and is the critical part of the pipeline, once high heat losses are observed. The influence on the type of pipe insulation in the pressure and temperature gradients was analyzed with the aid of commercial 1D software Pipesim®. The results, of this 1D and non-isothermal problem with prescribed outlet pressure, show that the use of isolation when appropriately designed in terms of material quality and thickness is of utmost importance to maintain the heat transfer at low levels, in order to ensure the movement of fluids in long sections without compromising the system operation.</p>

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“…Aging of wax in the production pipeline is also an important area of research with respect to wax deposition. Several researchers have developed wax aging models and these models have been reviewed by Aiyejina et al [4]. In cases where production must be stopped in order to remove the plugged portions of the pipeline due to large wax deposits, the cost involved in replacement and downtime was estimated by Huang et al as ~$30,000,000 whilst in severe cases the platform could be abandoned at a cost of $100,000,000.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several researchers have studied and proposed methodologies [6][7][8][9][10][11] for detecting wax deposition. Aiyejina et al [4] have reviewed wax formation in oil pipelines. In their critical review, deposition mechanisms including wax deposition models were captured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online estimation of wax deposition thickness in single-phase sub-sea pipelines based on acoustic chemometrics: A feasibility study

Halstensen

Arvoh

Amundsen

et al. 2013

Fuel

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Wax deposition in sub-sea oil producing pipelines is a concern to the oil producing companies. The deposition of wax in pipelines can cause serious economic implications if not monitored and controlled. Several researchers have developed models and investigated the deposition of wax in crude oil pipelines. As of today, there is no off the shelf instrument available for reliable online estimation of the wax deposition thickness in sub-sea pipelines.Acoustic chemometrics was applied to investigate the potential for online estimation of wax deposition thickness in sub-sea pipelines. This feasibility study was carried out as a so called piggy back on experiments performed at Statoil research centre in Porsgrunn, Norway with real crude oil or waxy gas condensate. The first investigations focussed on the repeatability of the acoustic chemometric technique followed by online prediction of the wax deposition thickness in a single-phase oil flow pipeline. A partial least squares regression model was calibrated and validated with a totally independent data set. The calibrated model had a root mean squared error of prediction of 0.28 mm with a final wax deposition thickness of 3.36 mm, a slope of 0.91 and R 2 of 0.83 which were satisfactory results. The effect of varying oil flow rates on the wax deposition thickness was also investigated. The preliminary results showed the need for further investigations based on a robust experimental design and sample  Corresponding author: e-mail: maths.halstensen@hit.no, Tel: +47 35575187, Telefax: +47 35575001 3 pre-processing. The general conclusion that can be drawn from this feasibility study was that the potential of adapting the acoustic chemometric technique for online estimation of the wax deposition thickness exist and must be further investigated.

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Wax formation in oil pipelines: A critical review

Cited by 384 publications

References 126 publications

Investigation of convective heat transfer coefficient and initial temperature of waxy crude oil on the formation of voids

Investigation of convective heat transfer coefficient and initial temperature of waxy crude oil on the formation of voids

Influence of heat transfer on two-phase flow behavior in onshore oil pipelines

Online estimation of wax deposition thickness in single-phase sub-sea pipelines based on acoustic chemometrics: A feasibility study

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