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University of Wyoming

UW Technologies Available for Licensing


LICENSED - Technology Disclosure: 03-006 Mitigation Of Paraffin Wax Deposition From Crude Oil By Using Ultrasonic Waves - LICENSED

Background

Wax deposition in crude oil pumping equipment is an enormously expensive problem for nearly all oil producers around the world. In the field, production tubing is often plugged by paraffin wax that deposits on the walls of the tubing and surface flow equipment. The deposition of the paraffin wax leads to a significant fall in the oil production rates from the affected well.
The deposition of paraffin wax occurs when the temperature and pressure in the tubing move below the cloud point of the oil. These cloud point fluctuations cause paraffin wax crystals to form in the oil and collect within the tubing. They also cause oil viscosity to increase, further choking off flow-lines. Compounding this problem, as the oil moves upward through the ground it cools because of the lower temperature closer to the surface and this ultimately results in increased wax precipitation, as well.

Summary

Researchers at the University of Wyoming’s Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department have developed and filed an international patent application on a System and Method for the Mitigation of Paraffin Wax Deposition from Crude Oil Using Ultrasonic Waves. The present invention provides a novel way to mitigate the deposition of wax on production tubing walls. The method comprises positioning at least one ultrasonic frequency generating device adjacent to the production tubing walls and producing at least three ultrasonic frequencies one of which is designed to disintegrate any of the wax that forms. The second frequency is designed to break down the wax forming molecules into smaller molecules and the third frequency is designed to inhibit the wax from attaching to the production tubing walls. The inventor knows how to identify these three optimal frequencies that can be used to prevent precipitation. Additionally, the present invention allows the frequency emitter to be ‘dialed in’ to best prevent wax buildup. The present invention not only prevents precipitates from forming on the pipes, it also breaks wax bonds thereby increasing flow rates and production efficiency. The System and Method for the Mitigation of Paraffin Wax Deposition from Crude Oil Using Ultrasonic Waves is patent pending under application PCT/US03/28834.

If your company would like to learn more about this technology and how your company may apply it in commercial or industrial situations, please contact the director of the University of Wyoming Research Products Center, Davona Douglass.