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Waxes |
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| Waxes are
complex mixtures of solid hydrocarbons that freeze out of crude oils if the
temperature is low enough. Under the conditions of interest to the oil
industry, waxes consist mainly of normal paraffins. The Infochem thermodynamic wax module includes two approaches to modelling wax formation. The Coutinho model represents wax as a solid solution. It requires that the normal paraffins are explicitly present in the fluid model, although the n-paraffin content can be estimated if necessary. The model gives good predictions of waxing behaviour, both wax appearance temperature and the amount of wax precipitated at different temperatures. The alternative multisolid model approximates waxing behaviour by representing the wax as a mixture of separate phases, each one of which corresponds to a pure pseudocomponent. Again the model may be used to predict both wax appearance temperature and the amount of wax deposited. Both models can be applied to live or dead oils. Modelling wax deposition, the formation of a wax layer on the inner surface of pipeline walls, requires models for heat and mass transfer, fluid flow and shear removal in addition to the thermodynamic wax model. This is incorporated in our FloWax package. For more information on wax thermodynamics please see our Wax leaflet, case study or publications. For information on wax deposition please see our Wax deposition leaflet. |
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| For further information please contact: Dr Beryl Edmonds, Infochem Computer Services Ltd, 13 Swan Court, 9 Tanner Street, London SE1 3LE, UK Tel: +44 20 7357 0800 Fax: +44 20 7407 3927 Email: marketing@infochemuk.com Please send comments and suggestions about our website to info@infochemuk.com This page was last revised in May 2006. |