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Abstract:
Wax deposition in crude oil pipelines critically undermines flow efficiency and increases operational costs, yet the aging behavior of wax deposits in polyethylene pipelines under water-containing conditions remains underexplored. This study presents systematic investigation into the water-containing aging dynamics of wax deposits in polyethylene pipelines, addressing a gap in multiphase flow deposition research. A flow loop with interchangeable polyethylene and steel test sections was employed to conduct wax deposition experiments under water contents (0-50 vol%) and temperature conditions (bulk 25-29 degrees C, wall 19-23 degrees C). Differential scanning calorimetry was used to quantify wax content, while heat transfer and wax precipitation analysis provided insights. Innovatively, polyethylene pipes demonstrated 16.3-68.3% lower aging rates than steel pipes under identical conditions, directly attributed to their 15.6-32.2% lower radial concentration gradients. This reduction is linked to polyethylene's inherently lower thermal conductivity, establishing a novel material-driven correlation in wax deposition dynamics. Notably, when the water content reaches 50 vol%, this causes phase inversion of the emulsion, resulting in negative aging rates of the deposition layer. These findings redefine design parameters for high-water-cut polyethylene pipelines, enabling predictive maintenance to minimize pigging frequency.
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PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ISSN: 1091-6466
Year: 2025
1 . 3 0 0
JCR@2023
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ESI Highly Cited Papers on the List: 0 Unfold All
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