An Investigation of Two-Phase Oil/Water Paraffin Deposition

Abstract

Summary Paraffin deposition is a very complex phenomenon. Whenever paraffinic oil comes in contact with a cold pipe wall that is below the wax appearance temperature (WAT) of the oil, solid paraffin crystals can precipitate and deposit on the pipe surface. This may significantly reduce or even block the area open to flow. Most oil fields produce water along with the oil, and the deposition process is not well understood for oil/water flow conditions. Very few studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of water on the deposition process. The objective of this study is to investigate paraffin deposition under different oil/water conditions. The tests were conducted using a cold-finger device and a crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico. Emulsions were created with both fresh water and brine. A simple oil/water wax-deposition model was developed by modifying the current University of Tulsa single-phase deposition model for solubility and physical properties of the mixture as a function of water content.