Study of wax deposition law by cold finger device

Abstract

Wax deposits in oil pipelines can reduce the effective inner diameter of such pipelines, which may lead to pipeline blockage accidents. In this study, a cold finger experimental device was constructed, and eight groups of experimental scenarios under cold flow conditions were performed in accordance with field conditions. The effects of deposition time and cold and hot bath temperatures on wax deposition were investigated. Results show that when the cold bath temperature remains unchanged, and only the hot bath temperature increases, the deposition quality and rate of mixed waxy crude oil will initially decrease and then increase. During this period, the temperature that corresponds to the maximum deposition mass is the starting point of the wax precipitation peak.