Abstract
An experimental loop apparatus of heat insulated waxy crude oil pipeline was established to study the wax deposition behaviors. The effects of flow rate and ambient temperature on the thickness and wax content of deposition layer were investigated. A kinetic calculation model for the thickness and wax content of deposition layer in heat insulated crude oil pipeline was established based on the principle of molecular diffusion, aging and shear energy. The results calculated by the model are in good agreement with the experimental values. The wax deposition thickness of a heat insulated crude oil pipeline in different seasons and operation time in Northeast China was predicted according to the theoretical model, which was anticipated that can provide a scientific basis for formulating the wax removal cycle of the pipeline. The predicted results showed that the thickness of the wax deposition layer increases first and then decreases along the pipeline.
Highlights
Pipeline transportation is a common method for longdistance blending of crude oil
The wax content increases with the experimental time and the flow rate at a specific time, indicating the aging existed in the wax deposition process
In view of the wax deposition condition of the waxy crude oil heat insulated pipeline, an experimental apparatus for the wax deposition loop of the crude oil heat insulated pipeline was established based on the differential pressure measurement principle
Summary
Pipeline transportation is a common method for longdistance blending of crude oil. The safety operation during the transportation process and reducing energy loss is a frequently mentioned topic in current research [1, 2]. In the process of waxy crude oil pipeline transportation, the formation of wax deposition could reduce the effective conveying area of the pipeline, which decreases the conveying capacity of pipeline, enhances the energy consumption, and even causes huge safety hazards and economic losses by blocking pipeline [3]. Researchers have conducted a lot of study on wax deposition of oil pipelines. Singh et al considered the influence of aging on wax deposition on the basis of molecular diffusion and constructed a wax deposition prediction model for waxy crude oil pipeline [11]. Zheng et al developed an enhanced wax deposition model considering the non-Newtonian characteristics of waxy oil using the law of the wall method [13]. There have been few reports on the study of wax deposition behaviors for heat insulated pipeline transporting waxy crude oil
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