Experimental Investigation of Wax Deposition in Kermanshah Crude Oil through a Monitored Flow Loop Apparatus

The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature difference between the oil and the pipe wall on deposition thickness and wax and asphaltene + resin contents on the pipe wall surface of a single-phase crude oil. All of the tests were performed under laminar flow conditions (Reynolds number is ∼450) with a wax appearance temperature (WAT) of 31 °C and a 13°API crude oil from the Kermanshah oil field (Paydar−East Reservoir). A new experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to simulate the deposition thickness in flow lines. The heat-transfer method was used to measure the deposition thickness during the tests, and the chemical analysis method was additionally used to determine wax and asphaltene + resin contents at the end of the each test. It was found that the deposition thickness increased by increasing the temperature difference between the oil and pipe wall. In addition, the chemical analysis method showed that wax content on the deposit was increased by increasing the deposition thickness and temperature difference.