Small sized Wax flow loop for live oil system and trainers

The Small sized Wax flow loop for live oil system and trainers is a miniature wax deposition flow loop in which live oil is circulated and subjected to a range of heat fluxes and shear rates representative of production flowline conditions. An experiment mainly consists of four stages, namely, live oil introduction in the loop, thermal pre-treatment, cooling and ungelling. It allows the evaluation of the wax appearance temperature Small sized Wax flow loop for live oil system and trainers and wax deposition rate. The Small sized Wax flow loop for live oil system and trainers defines the temperature at which viscosity increases and wax deposition begins; it is associated with a noticeable increase in pressure drop across the test deposition coil. The wax deposition rate corresponds to the wax deposition speed on the wall versus time and is calculated from the time rate of change of pressure drop in the test deposition coil. An optional restart test loop allows the determination of the gel strength (or yield strength) which is derived from the nitrogen pressure required to initiate flow in the loop. The experimental results can also be inputted into a simulation software to generate a thermodynamic model which can be utilized to simulate pipeline petroleum transport.

Wax deposition loop diameter :

• 1/8 inch

Wax deposition loop length :

• 2 meters

Gel strength coil internal diameter :

• 7 mm

Gel strength length :

• 12 meters

Pressure :

• up to 3,000 psi

Temperature range :

• -20°C to 120°C

Sample volume :

• 600 mL

Flow rate :

• up to 175 mL/min

Temperature accuracy :

• 0.1°C

Material :

• Stainless steel

Power supply :

• 220 VAC, 50 Hz

• Fully automated test
• Wax inhibitor assessment
• Generate representative model of oil sample in real pipeline conditions