51315-5803-Study and Analysis of Cold Finger Tests for Effective Selection of Paraffin Inhibitors

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Product Number: 51315-5803-SG

ISBN: 5803 2015 CP

Author: Abhishek Golchha

Publication Date: 2015

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Paraffin deposition issues are frequently experienced in subsea offshore production environments when the reservoir fluids start cooling down as they progress through the subsea production system. Cold finger tests conducted in the laboratory are widely used in the oil and gas industry for assessment of the paraffin deposition risk in subsea flowlines and risers and for identifying suitable paraffin inhibitors for deposition mitigation. However a better understanding of the paraffin waxes in the deposits can be achieved if a distribution of the carbon groups contributing to the deposits can be obtained. Such a distribution can be obtained by analyzing the crude oil and/or wax deposit using high-temperature gas chromatography (HTGC). This study reviews the nature of the paraffin deposits obtained from uninhibited waxy crude oils on a cold finger and that of the inhibited paraffin deposits obtained from these crude oils in the presence of a paraffin inhibitor and compares these to some actual field deposits. It is possible that the untreated deposits obtained in laboratory cold finger tests did not represent actual field deposits. In addition the carbon chains that constitute an appreciable fraction of field deposits might not be satisfactorily inhibited by the paraffin inhibitors that exhibit good performance in laboratory cold finger testing. This study could help with the evaluation of the suitability of cold finger testing for assessing paraffin deposition risk in different systems and the subsequent selection of inhibitors based on these tests. It could also elucidate the performance of paraffin inhibitor chemistries on specific carbon groups rather than on the wax present in the oil as a whole and potentially lead to the selection of an inhibitor chemistry that could better mitigate the paraffin deposition risk.