ABSTRACT
Asphaltenes are the most polar component with the largest average molecular mass in crude oil, and they are important to investigate the effect of the interfacial activity of asphaltene on the efficiency of wax removal. In order to investigate the effect of in-situ asphaltene utilization on the wax removal rate, a dynamic wax removal device is developed. The effects of the asphaltene mass fraction, the water temperature, the cold finger temperature, and the rotation speed of a rotating cylinder on the wax removal rate of the pipeline at a specific mass fraction are investigated. The results show that the wax removal rate increases and then decreases with the increase in asphaltenes mass fraction, and the maximum rate is 3.5%. The wax removal rate considerably increases at 3.5% asphaltenes mass fraction with the increase in the water temperature; the increase in cold finger temperature and the rotation speed of rotating cylinder also contributes to the wax removal increase in rate. The optimal wax removal rate was 5.8 g/min by orthogonal test. In addition, the wax removal rate increased significantly with the increase in water temperature; the increase in cold finger temperature and the increase in rotor speed also contributed to the increase in wax removal rate.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China for the project (No. 52076036) and the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province for the project (No. LH2020E017).
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Xiaoyan Liu
Xiaoyan Liu received her PhD degree in oil and gas storage and Transportation Engineering from Northeast Petroleum University in 2005. Her research interests include safe pipeline transportation technology, thermal insulation technology and building energy-saving technology.
Zhizhuang Wang
Zhizhuang Wang is studying for a master's degree in Energy and power at Northeast Petroleum University, focusing on oilfield energy-saving technology.
Hui Jiang
Hui Jiang is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering and Technology at Northeast Petroleum University, majoring in oilfield chemical energy conservation and technology.
Xinghui She
Xinghui She is studying for a master's degree in power engineering and engineering thermophysics at Northeast Petroleum University, focusing on oilfield energy-saving technology.
Zheng Zhou
Zheng Zhou is studying for a master's degree in Energy and power at Northeast Petroleum University, focusing on oilfield energy-saving technology.
Ying Xu
Ying Xu received her PhD degree in oil and gas storage and Transportation Engineering from Northeast Petroleum University in 2020. Her research interests include safe pipeline transportation technology, thermal insulation technology and oilfield energy-saving technology.
Haiqian Zhao
Haiqian Zhao received his PhD degree in thermal engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2015. His research interests include energy saving technology in energy utilization process.