Study on wax deposition in crude oils

Abstract

Deposition of complex and heavy organic compounds, which exist in petroleum crude and heavy oil, can cause a number of severe problems. In present study wax deposition was studied at 80°C using cold finger device. Three crude oil samples were tested in original and demetalized composition for wax deposition. FTIR and GC-MS was used for chemical composition and structural analysis of the obtained wax. Significant difference was observed for wax deposition in original and demetalized crude oil samples. The chemical composition analysis of carbon-hydrogen stretching mode showed a strong absorption between 2850 cm•1, 2916 cm•1 and 2950 cm•1. GC-MS analysis confirmed the pattern of n alkanes with presence of other high molecular weight compounds in wax obtained from crude oil samples.