Journal
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
Volume 58, Issue 47, Pages 21797-21816Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.9b05250
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- PETRONAS
- Royal Academy of Engineering for Research Chair
- EPSRC [EP/K003976/1] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This work presents a fundamental analysis of the mechanisms governing wax deposition and removal in crude oil transportation pipelines. We utilize a numerical framework where oil and deposit are treated as two immiscible phases, and the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method is adopted to resolve the unsteady dynamics of the free interface. Deposition is modeled locally at the oil-deposit interface via a chemical equilibria model, here adapted to the VOF method. Deposit ageing is included via a thixotropic rheological model. The results emphasize that the deposit pattern may appear as a uniform axisymmetric film covering the pipe wall or be completely stratified. Although different mechanisms of deposit mobilization may occur, the removal rates correlate well with the Reynolds number of the bulk flow and the viscosity of the deposit layer. The simulation data are used to benchmark closure laws for the velocity and temperature within the film, and a prediction method for the steady-state deposit thickness is proposed.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available