The Effect of Magnetic Field on the Deposition of Paraffin Wax on the Oil Pipe

To prevent the deposition of paraffin wax during pipeline transportation, a huge amount of energy was consumed to heat the crude oil every year. So, magnetic paraffin control (MPC) technology was developed as an energy-saving method. In this study, magnetic effects on oil viscosity and wax deposition rate were examined experimentally. Results demonstrate that a decrease of 50% in oil viscosity and a decrease of 87.5% in deposition rate were achieved after magnetic treatment. In addition, the strong dependence of MPC performance on the distance of pipeline transportation as well as oil flow rate is also presented in detail. The present observations shed light on the mechanism of MPC method, and instruct its application on oil pipelines.