'Sloughing Behaviour' of Wax Deposit from Paraffin Mixtures in Pipe Flow
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2016 Investigation of 'Sloughing Behaviour' of Wax Deposit from Paraffin mIxtures in Pipe Flow Sinha, Chandni Sinha, C. (2016). Investigation of 'Sloughing Behaviour' of Wax Deposit from Paraffin mIxtures in Pipe Flow (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26661 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3362 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Investigation of ‘Sloughing Behaviour’ of Wax Deposit from Paraffinic Mixtures in Pipe Flow by Chandni Sinha A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2016 © Chandni Sinha 2016 Abstract Sloughing of wax deposit from ‘waxy’ crude oils has been described in the literature whereby the deposit is postulated to dislodge from the pipe-wall due to changes in flow parameters. A bench scale flow loop apparatus was designed to carry out three sets of experiments wherein the deposit-layer at steady-state was subjected to step changes in the oil flow rate, the oil inlet temperature, and the coolant inlet temperature. Each of these parameters was varied at several levels, while allowing the deposition process to reach thermal steady-state at each level. It was observed that the deposit-layer thickness decreased gradually with an increase in each parameter. However, a complete or sudden dislodging of the deposit-layer was not observed at any point. A steady-state heat-transfer model was used to predict changes in the deposit mass as a function of variation in the selected parameters, and the predictions were found to match the experimental results adequately. ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect towards my supervisor, Dr. Anil K. Mehrotra, for providing an opportunity to work with him on this project. His constant support and guidance, invaluable advice, immense encouragement and support helped me through every stage during the course of my program. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation towards Mr. Jean-Marc Labonté, Ms. Paige Deitsch, Mr. Mike Grigg, Ms. Lucila Molinos and Mr. Andrew Sutton for their assistance in various aspects of the project. I would like to thank Dr. Adebola Kasumu for his tremendous support and helpful suggestions throughout my project. I would also like to acknowledge Ms. Samira Haj-Shafiei and Dr. Hamid Bidmus for their informative discussions and useful advice. The help and assistance offered by all the faculty members and fellow graduate students is also highly appreciated. I am grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Centre for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE), the Responsible Development of Oil Sand Resources Graduate Scholarship and the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering for the financial support. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support, their constant encouragement and their true faith in me throughout the course of this degree. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures and Illustrations ....................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.2 Objectives and Scope of the Study ............................................................................3 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................6 2.1 Paraffin Wax ..............................................................................................................6 2.1.1 Classification .....................................................................................................6 2.1.2 Physical and Thermal Properties .......................................................................7 2.1.2.1 Crystal Structure ......................................................................................8 2.1.2.2 Heat Capacity ...........................................................................................9 2.1.2.3 Thermal Conductivity ............................................................................10 2.1.3 Crystallization ..................................................................................................11 2.1.3.1 Nucleation ..............................................................................................11 2.1.3.2 Crystal Growth .......................................................................................12 2.1.4 Rheology ..........................................................................................................13 2.2 Wax Deposition .......................................................................................................14 2.2.1 Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT) ...........................................................14 2.2.2 WAT Measurement Techniques ......................................................................15 2.2.3 Mechanisms of Wax Deposition .....................................................................18 2.2.3.1 Molecular Diffusion ...............................................................................18 2.2.3.2 Heat Transfer .........................................................................................19 2.2.4 Factors Affecting Wax Deposition ..................................................................20 2.2.4.1 Effect of Composition ............................................................................20 2.2.4.2 Effect of Temperature ............................................................................21 2.2.4.3 Effect of Flow Rate and Shear Rate .......................................................22 2.2.4.4 Effect of Deposition Time and Aging ....................................................22 2.2.4.5 Effect of Surface Properties ...................................................................23 2.2.5 Wax Deposition Experimental Apparatus .......................................................25 2.2.6 Wax Deposition Modeling ..............................................................................27 2.3 Control and Remediation .........................................................................................29 2.3.1 Mechanical Methods .......................................................................................30 2.3.2 Thermal Methods .............................................................................................30 2.3.3 Chemical Methods ...........................................................................................31 2.3.4 Biological Methods .........................................................................................32 2.3.5 Cold Flow of “Waxy” Crude Oils ...................................................................32 2.3.6 Sloughing of Wax Deposition .........................................................................33 CHAPTER THREE: EXPERIMENTAL ...........................................................................35 3.1 Materials ..................................................................................................................35 iv 3.1.1 Paraffin Wax ....................................................................................................35 3.1.2 Solvent .............................................................................................................36 3.2 Sample Preparation ..................................................................................................41 3.3 Experimental Apparatus ..........................................................................................41 3.3.1 Heating Bath and Associated Apparatus .........................................................41 3.3.2 Cooling Bath and Associated Apparatus .........................................................42 3.3.3 Flow Loop .......................................................................................................42 3.3.4 Wax – Solvent Mixture Reservoir ...................................................................47 3.3.5 Wax Mixture Centrifugal Pump ......................................................................47 3.3.6 Wax Deposition Section ..................................................................................49