Header menu link for other important links
X
Modeling and Simulation of Wax Deposition in Crude Oil Pipeline
Published in
2017
Volume: 10
   
Issue: 1
Pages: 297 - 300
Abstract
As a fluid flows through a subsea pipeline, a cooling process occurs due to heat loss to the surrounding seawater. Wax may precipitate as a solid phase when the bulk temperature drops below the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT) and wax can deposit on the pipe wall. Untreated wax deposition leads to reduced flow area and to prevent blockage of the pipe a wax deposition model is used to predict the amount of wax to expect. Turbulent flow, single-phase experiments were performed with a waxy gas-condensate. The Hydro model, which takes into account asymptotic growth, seemed invalid for these experiments. The RRR and the Matzain model are available in the transient thermo hydraulic simulation software. Simulation studies have been carried out in order to find out the pressure and temperature drops in the pipeline under various operating scenarios and different ambient temperatures. Scenarios such as steady state flow (CTF Line / SRJ GGS), wax deposition and pigging, Skin Heat Tracing system (SHTS), alternate pumping of oil and water, higher dispatch temperature and additional line from field RRJ to field SRJ are developed. Results of wax deposition and pigging are discussed in this paper.
About the journal
JournalInternational Journal of Engineering Research and Technology