Crude oil wax: A review on formation, experimentation, prediction, and remediation techniques

Abstract

Wax deposition during crude oil production, transportation, and processing has been a headache since the early days of oil utilization. It may lead to low mobility ratios, blockage of production tubing/pipelines as well as fouling of surface and processing facilities, among others. These snags cause massive financial constraints increasing projects' turnover. Decades of meticulous research have been dedicated to this problem that is worth a review. Thus, this paper reviews the mechanisms, experimentation, thermodynamic and kinetic modeling, prediction, and remediation techniques of wax deposition. An overall assessment suggests that available models are more accurate for single than multi-phase flows while the kind of remediation and deployment depend on the environment and severity level. In severe cases, both chemical and mechanical are synergistically deployed. Moreover, future prospective research areas that require attention are proposed. Generally, this review could be a valuable tool for novice researchers as well as a foundation for further research on this topic.