GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

Reservoir hydrocarbon fluids usually contain heavy paraffin that may form solid wax phases at low temperatures. Problems associated with wax formation and depositions are a major concern in production and transportation of hydrocarbon fluids. The problem of wax deposition is even more pronounced in offshore production platforms and in very cold regions of the world such as the Alaska North Slope (ANS). Due to the rising world energy demand and depletion of conventional onshore fields, much of the world’s recent hydrocarbon discoveries is found offshore. However, the ambient temperature in these locations is considerably lower than the wax appearance temperature [WAT]. Therefore, wax is more readily deposited, resulting in reduced productivity, increased pressure drop in flow lines, and general loss in production. Over the years, considerable effort has been directed by the industry and the academia towards generating reliable experimental data and developing thermodynamic models for estimating wax phase boundaries. Moreover, different techniques of solving the problem of wax deposition have been devised, but most of these methods are reactive, instead of proactive. One of the new methods of solving the problem of wax deposition is the method of electrical heat tracing. This method has been found to be very effective and efficient as it solves, not just the problem of wax deposition, but also other flow assurance problems such as hydrate formation. However, its greatest shortcomings are its high prohibitive cost and long distance viability. Hence, this work looks at how wax prediction models can be utilized in proactively solving the problem of wax deposition, using a modified electrical heat tracing technology, in the most economical way possible.