A study of paraffin deposition and removal characteristics of Jacksonburg-Stringtown Oil, West Virginia

Laboratory experiments were carried out in order to validate the critical model of wax deposition. Results are presented in the form of time evolution of axial distribution of temperature and layer thickness. It is shown that the simple laboratory model of cold spot test is capable of predicting the order of magnitude of deposition. Experimental results also detail the effectiveness of chemical additives, which acts as inhibitors to wax deposition. Dissipation by these organic solvents is studied for effectiveness at various additive to crude ratios and binary mixtures of additives at various mole fractions. The screening tests of chemical additives on a unit weight of sample crude is recorded in terms of deposits at 32°Fahrenheit in grams of paraffin deposited from crude also given in grams. The inhibition efficiency of the additives is used to predict its effectiveness against deposition. A cost analysis is assessed for amounts of additives required per barrel of crude oil to determine the economics of the treatment plan for paraffin inhibition.