Wax Deposition ─ Experimental Characterizations, Theoretical Modeling, and Field Practices

This book provides an in-depth understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of wax deposition, explaining the cause of the phenomena as well as its impact on petroleum production. The text supplies a detailed comparison of multiple existing deposition models, offering a systematic view of wax deposition from transport fundamentals. It clarifies several misunderstandings about wax deposition theories and describes best practices for experimental wax deposition studies, analyzing observations obtained during a series of recent studies focused on the effect of operating conditions on wax deposition.

Zhenyu Huang (Jason) earned his bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and his Ph.D from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Dr. Huang’s expertise includes production chemistry and multiphase flows. As a subject matter expert on wax-related issues, he has been involved with multiple major offshore developments that present wax deposition/gelation concerns. He is currently a senior flow assurance specialist at Assured Flow Solutions LLC, Sugar Land, Texas, USA, and serves as the vice president of the Upstream Engineering and Flow Assurance Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Sheng Zheng (Mark) graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and minors in chemistry and mathematics. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Dr. Fogler’s research group, specializing in experimental characterizations and theoretical modeling for wax deposition research. He has multiple publications on compositional wax deposition modeling and wax transport in multiphase flow conditions. As flow assurance intern at Wood Group Kenny, Houston, Texas, USA, he carried out a joint-industrial project to assess industrial wax management and control strategies for 11 international oil companies.

H. Scott Fogler earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and his master’s and Ph.D degrees from the University of Colorado. He is currently the Ame and Catherine Vennema professor of chemical engineering and the Arthur F. Thurnau professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Dr. Fogler and his students have published more than 200 research articles in areas such as wax deposition/gelation kinetics in subsea pipelines, asphaltene flocculation/deposition kinetics, scale deposition, and acidization of petroleum wells. In 1996, Dr. Fogler was a recipient of the Warren K. Lewis award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AlChE). He is also a recipient of 11 named lectureships, the author of a textbook titledElements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, and the past president of the AlChE.