A key to mitigating paraffin precipitation and its associated challenges is the proper selection of wax crystal modifying inhibitors.
The behaviour of precipitating paraffin and problems caused in the production, processing and transport of crude oil are complex.
An essential factor in reducing these issues involves selecting the appropiate inhibitors for modifying wax crystals.
Our expertise lies in untangling these complexities, and we stand ready to provide effective quality solutions for addressing this challenge.
The current technology available within Intertek for evaluating these inhibitors includes:
- Wax inhibitor performance evaluation by coaxial shearing rig
- Hydrocarbon composition (C1 to C50+)
- Wax content by UOP46
- Wax appearance temperature by differential scanning calorimetry or cross polar microscopy
- Wax deposition by FloWax™ software model.
The Intertek CAPCIS co-axial shearing deposition cell can be used to evaluate the performance of wax inhibitors under system conditions of shear and differential temperature.
The co-axial shearing deposition rig is designed to replicate the factors described above, including temperature differential between the bulk crude oil and the cooler pipeline wall and the application of shear.
Conditions for testing are selected based on the modelling conducted or details specified by the client.
Wax is deposited on the bobbin as a function of shear and temperature differential between the bulk oil and the bobbin. Deposition tests are typically run for 2 - 3 hours and can be used to evaluate the efficacy of wax inhibitors, the effect of shear and differential temperature between the pipeline wall and the bulk oil.
The wax deposited is quantified to give a calculated deposition rate and evaluated for relative hardness and oil inclusion.
