Asphaltenes and waxes can precipitate and deposit in reservoirs, wells and equipment increasing production and operation costs. Previous studies showed the co-precipitation of these heavy organic compounds under field conditions and that the chemical treatment for one fraction can affect the deposition mechanism of the other fraction. These facts led to a key question: Can solvents that are normally used for asphaltenes remediations affect wax deposition? In this paper, we dealt with the impacts of aromatic solvents addition to a waxy crude and studied characteristics of wax deposits obtained from Cold Finger testing at different ratios of solvent/oil. The results showed that depending on solvent concentration the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), composition of paraffins and deposition rate have significantly changed. It was also shown that a biodegradable and low toxicity biosurfactant demonstrated a remarkable efficiency as wax dispersant to control and reduce organics deposition.

Keywords:
hydrate remediation, offshore technology conference, crude oil, asphaltene inhibition, appearance temperature, oilfield chemistry, concentration, wax remediation, remediation of hydrates, wat
Subjects:
Production Chemistry, Metallurgy and Biology, Inhibition and remediation of hydrates, scale, paraffin / wax and asphaltene
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2020. Offshore Technology Conference
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