Paraffin–the pesky waxy substance found in crude oil–is a leading cause of flow assurance issues in the oil and gas industry. With paraffin present in 85% of global hydrocarbon deposits, managing its buildup and blockages has become a constant source of frustration and expense for operators. This challenge is particularly pronounced in producing wells where access to equipment is limited, and temperature fluctuations between the reservoir and surface exacerbate paraffin accumulation.
From wellbores to pipelines and storage tanks, paraffin buildup can cause reduced flow, pressure spikes, and even complete blockages. But now, there’s hope for a safer and more effective solution. Green chemistry and oilfield innovation have converged to produce new, non-hazardous, and environmentally friendly chemical additives that can eliminate paraffin blockages and prevent wax deposits from reforming. Unlike traditional chemical methods, these innovative products pose no danger to personnel or equipment and offer continuous protection to optimize production.
The Problem with Paraffin
The gradual build up of paraffin causes spikes in pressure and reduced flow, resulting in lower production volume. Over time, it causes complete blockages and total shutdown of lines, and sometimes production must completely halt until remediation can occur. Traditional remediation solutions require specialized equipment and harsh chemicals to control and remove paraffin and other asphaltene deposits.
While conventional methods are successful, they also have disadvantages. Newer, safer, and more efficient paraffin management products bring new ways to address paraffin issues with the added benefit of enhancing and increasing production.
Controlling Paraffin Buildup
Conventional paraffin management programs include chemical, thermal, and mechanical methods. All methods have been widely used over the years resulting in much data to consider. The most important part of successfully controlling paraffin deposits is knowing the specific paraffin characteristics from well to well. Properties like Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), Cloud Point Temperature, viscosity, and API gravity indicate when paraffin deposits will occur, which helps determine which technique to apply at the optimal point in production. Let’s take a closer look at the traditional methods commonly used.
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Traditional Chemical Methods
Chemical methods of controlling paraffin involve injecting a chemical into the pipeline or wellbore to prevent or break apart the paraffin deposits. While these methods have proven successful, they are all costly to include in production.
The three common types of chemical additives are:
- Solvents - solubilize and disperse wax, so the particles remain small and can flow with the crude instead of sticking to equipment.
- Dispersants - break up the solids allowing them to flow in the oil.
- Inhibitors - help prevent the precipitation of the solids.
Many of the traditional chemicals used are caustic, create personnel hazards, and can damage equipment. The hazardous chemicals are costly, and mitigating the damage they cause to people and equipment results in added expenses for operators. Using dangerous chemicals involves even more oversight and caution, creating an even costlier solution in the long run.
Mechanical or Physical Methods
Mechanical solutions for paraffin physically remove the wax through scraping, cutting, and then pushing the deposits through the equipment to eventually remove the buildup or blockage.
Types of mechanical paraffin removal:
- Scrapers - scrape and remove wax deposits from the tubing without interfering with production.
- Cutters - cut the deposits from the tubing, allowing them to flow with the producing oil, for removal at the surface.
- Pigging - cylindrical “pigs” sent down the line to break up deposits with blades and scrapers and then push the wax through the line.
- Coiled Tubing - contains a tool at the front of the tube that cleans the pipe of wax deposits and sends them to the surface with fluid. Effective on shorter pipelines as its length limits its use.
The mechanical processes of removing paraffin create metal-to-metal contact between the device and the pipe wall, roughing up the pipe wall surface. Paraffin tends to adhere to rough surfaces, so mechanical removal often worsens paraffin issues. Also, dislodging paraffin deposits could lead to accumulation further down the line causing a complete blockage.
Thermal Treatments
So much of the formation of paraffin deposits is related to temperature changes, so it is only natural that using heat would help solve the problem. Thermal solutions include insulated tubing inside the wellbore and injecting hot oil, water, or steam into the system.
- Hot oil - pumped into the casing and up the tubular melts the wax allowing it to flow with the oil. Hot oiling can cause permeability damage when the waxy fluid enters the formation.
- Hot water - works like hot oil to melt the wax but requires surfactants (chemicals) to disperse the wax and move it through the system.
- Steam - works like water to melt the wax. Pressure in the formation must be lower than steam pressure. Success depends upon well conditions, and production delays may cause reaccumulation of settled wax.
Many issues with thermal methods of managing paraffin make them expensive and unreliable. First, a continuous and reliable electricity supply is needed, and many remote operations cannot guarantee consistency. Also, maintaining the optimum temperature required for consistent results proves challenging as the crude travels through production equipment. These methods are not long-term solutions for preventing wax solids or blockages from forming.
Production Boosting Alternatives
Green chemistry and oilfield innovation combined to discover new non-hazardous, environmentally friendly chemical additives that remove paraffin blockages and prevent wax deposits from reforming. After all, the most successful paraffin remediation involves chemicals, so a safe and effective alternative was needed. These chemicals successfully remove paraffin blockages and buildups and, when continuously pumped during production, eliminate paraffin deposits from reforming, allowing producers to maximize production.
Flow Assurance with Green Chemistry
Ideal Energy Solutions, LLC offers a suite of flow assurance products that are non-hazardous and environmentally responsible. Our remediation solutions achieved Green Seal® certification, and our flow assurance formulas are biodegradable and BTEX-free.
- WellRenew® - a wellbore remediation solution that removes paraffin wax and asphaltene blockages in downhole tubulars, and stimulates formations to eliminate skin damage and enhance production.
- PipeRenew® - a remediation solution that removes paraffin wax and asphaltene blockages in any flowline or pipeline.
- PigRenew™ - a non-stickable chemical pigging solution for remediating paraffin wax and asphaltene blockages in pipelines.
- LamFlo® - a preventative treatment inhibitor and dispersant solution that breaks apart and suspends paraffin wax and asphaltenes.
- LamKleen® - a specially formulated detergent solution that penetrates organic deposits and removes hydrocarbon residuals.
These products prevent and remediate the deposition of undesired solids like paraffin wax and asphaltenes, help operators optimize production efficiency, and ensure the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the refinery. Contact us today to learn more about our environmentally friendly flow assurance solutions.
