The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines

Transporting crude oil using pipelines is a widely adopted method globally. In one segment owned by PT. XYZ, especially in swampy areas, the fluid temperature tends to drop below the wax appearance temperature (WAT) during oil transportation. This is due to the relatively low temperature in swamp ar...

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Main Authors: Samuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso, Andy Noorsaman Sommeng, Cindy Dianita
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universitas Syiah Kuala, Chemical Engineering Department 2024-06-01
Series:Jurnal Rekayasa Kimia & Lingkungan
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Online Access:https://jurnal.usk.ac.id/RKL/article/view/37754
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author Samuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso
Andy Noorsaman Sommeng
Cindy Dianita
author_facet Samuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso
Andy Noorsaman Sommeng
Cindy Dianita
author_sort Samuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso
collection DOAJ
description Transporting crude oil using pipelines is a widely adopted method globally. In one segment owned by PT. XYZ, especially in swampy areas, the fluid temperature tends to drop below the wax appearance temperature (WAT) during oil transportation. This is due to the relatively low temperature in swamp areas caused by heat loss to the environment. The solubility of paraffin in crude oil drastically decreases as fluid temperature drops, causing wax molecules to precipitate and deposit on the cold pipe walls. PT. XYZ employs chemical treatment by adding a pour point depressant (PPD) to lower the pour point temperature (PPT). However, PPD is effective only at certain temperatures, necessitating a study for alternative treatments. Another method involves installing heaters on the pipeline to reduce the viscosity of transported crude oil and enhance its flowability, either through direct heating or heat tracing using insulation with low thermal conductivity. Therefore, in PT. XYZ's case, an analysis is required to identify locations where fluid temperature decreases occur to ensure precise heater installation. Various software tools, including OLGA, have been developed to predict and describe wax deposition phenomena and temperature decreases along the pipeline. OLGA software can simulate locations of fluid temperature decreases in the pipeline, estimate heat loss along the pipeline, and simulate heat tracing technologies to prevent wax deposition. Simulation results indicate that wax deposition can be prevented by installing skin effect heat tracing with a heating power of 15 W/m and insulated with 2-inch aerogel, maintaining the oil temperature downstream at 157.34°F, well above the desired 115°F threshold.
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spelling doaj-art-cb249e54c5d04e71b8d7e15bd089fda12025-08-20T03:11:40ZengUniversitas Syiah Kuala, Chemical Engineering DepartmentJurnal Rekayasa Kimia & Lingkungan1412-50642356-16612024-06-01191819410.23955/rkl.v19i1.3775418250The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy PipelinesSamuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso0Andy Noorsaman Sommeng1Cindy Dianita2Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of IndonesiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of IndonesiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of IndonesiaTransporting crude oil using pipelines is a widely adopted method globally. In one segment owned by PT. XYZ, especially in swampy areas, the fluid temperature tends to drop below the wax appearance temperature (WAT) during oil transportation. This is due to the relatively low temperature in swamp areas caused by heat loss to the environment. The solubility of paraffin in crude oil drastically decreases as fluid temperature drops, causing wax molecules to precipitate and deposit on the cold pipe walls. PT. XYZ employs chemical treatment by adding a pour point depressant (PPD) to lower the pour point temperature (PPT). However, PPD is effective only at certain temperatures, necessitating a study for alternative treatments. Another method involves installing heaters on the pipeline to reduce the viscosity of transported crude oil and enhance its flowability, either through direct heating or heat tracing using insulation with low thermal conductivity. Therefore, in PT. XYZ's case, an analysis is required to identify locations where fluid temperature decreases occur to ensure precise heater installation. Various software tools, including OLGA, have been developed to predict and describe wax deposition phenomena and temperature decreases along the pipeline. OLGA software can simulate locations of fluid temperature decreases in the pipeline, estimate heat loss along the pipeline, and simulate heat tracing technologies to prevent wax deposition. Simulation results indicate that wax deposition can be prevented by installing skin effect heat tracing with a heating power of 15 W/m and insulated with 2-inch aerogel, maintaining the oil temperature downstream at 157.34°F, well above the desired 115°F threshold.https://jurnal.usk.ac.id/RKL/article/view/37754flow assurance, heat tracing, insulation, olga simulation, wax deposition
spellingShingle Samuel Bagas Wahyu Santoso
Andy Noorsaman Sommeng
Cindy Dianita
The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
Jurnal Rekayasa Kimia & Lingkungan
flow assurance, heat tracing, insulation, olga simulation, wax deposition
title The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
title_full The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
title_fullStr The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
title_full_unstemmed The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
title_short The Effect of Heat Tracing Installation for Wax Prevention on Onshore Buried Swampy Pipelines
title_sort effect of heat tracing installation for wax prevention on onshore buried swampy pipelines
topic flow assurance, heat tracing, insulation, olga simulation, wax deposition
url https://jurnal.usk.ac.id/RKL/article/view/37754
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