Letters

Comments on: Wax here is completely different from the thermal conductivities of the pipe (metal)
deposition of Bombay high correlative method adopted by Agrawal and the deposited solids, respectively;
et al., who provided a polynominal for &, and 4, are the log-mean diameters
crude oil under flowing the mass of solids in terms of the crude of the pipe and the deposited solid layer,
conditions oil flow rate and the oil and coolant respectively; and hi is the crude oil heat
(Received 23 July 1990) temperatures as three independent transfer coefficient based on the solid
variables. The present analysis is based layer inside diameter Dwi.
on a heat transfer analogy, which involves Of the four individual resistances in
Dear Sir equating the rate of heat flow from crude Equation (2) the first resistance - on the
Recently, experimental results were oil (by conduction-convection) to that external surface of the pipe - could be
presented for the deposition of solids through the solid layer (by conduction) significant in a buried and/or insulated
(waxes) from a waxy crude oil under under steady state conditions. A commercial pipeline situation but may
flowing conditions. The amounts of dimensionless parameter @x/k), relating be neglected for the concentric-tubes
deposited solids were expressed as the the oil-side heat transfer coefficient (h) to arrangement used in the laboratory
mass of solids (in grams) collected on the the ratio of thermal conductivity (k) of experiments (with forced convection in
tube surface. Such experimental results the deposited solid layer and its thickness the coolant stream). Also, the second
can be useful for estimating the extent of (x), is proposed as a scale-up factor. The resistance due to the metal wall is usually
solids deposition in a pipeline for results of calculations with the data for negligibly small. By neglecting these two
transporting waxy crude oils. Bombay high crude oil suggest that the resistances, Equation (2) in a simplified
Waxy crude oils display complex parameter (hx/k) is independent of both form is
rheology, and at least eight parameters the temperature differential and the crude
oil flow rate. l/U = xD/&k + D/D,& (3)
affecting their flow behaviour have been
identified. Of these, the more important where x and k are the thickness and
variables are the thermal history (e.g. the thermal conductivity of the deposited
MODEL DEVELOPMENT
initial temperature and the cooling rate) solid layer, & is the log-mean diameter
and the shear rate. The experiments had The rate of heat loss from waxy crude oil of the solid layer, D, (I D-2x) is the
been made at different crude oil flowing through a pipe is governed by the interface diameter, and h is the crude oil
temperatures, but no details concerning sum of four individual resistances in series heat transfer coefficient. Next, the
the thermal history of crude oil samples following expression is obtained from the
l/U = DJD,h, + x,,,D/&,k, equality of heat flux (dq/d&) for the
used in those tests were provided.
Another limitation of the results is + x,DldLwkw + DIDwihi (2) overall and individual resistances:
attributed to the design of experimental
where U is the overall heat transfer dq/d&= U(T,- T,)=(k/x)(T,- T,)
apparatus, which included a short
coefftcient based on the pipe i.d. (D); D,
(6 mm x 25 cm) piece of tubing for the = W,l&)K - 7;) (4)
and h, are the outside diameter and heat
deposition of solids. The hydrodynamic
transfer coefftcient, respectively; x,, k, where T,, T, and T, are the temperatures
entry length (0 in a circular pipe for
and xw, k, are the thicknesses and of crude oil, the solid-liquid interface and
attaining fully developed flow of
Newtonian fluids under laminar con-
ditions (i.e. at Re<2000) is3
< = L/ReD = 0.05 (1) Table 1 Results for wax deposition of Bombay high crude oil under different conditions
_--
where Re is the Reynolds number, and L
Temperature
and D are the length and inside diameter Flow Oil Coolant differential, Solid layer
(i.d.) of the pipe. Even for the rate temperature, T, temperature, T, K---T, thickness, x Parameter
non-Newtonian mildly power-law fluids, (1 h-) (C) (C) (C) (mm) VW)
Equation (1) is found to apply fairly we114.
It is evident from Equation (1) that the 180 30.0 20.0 0.739 0.061
length of pipe necessary for accomplishing 60 30.0 20.0 0.817 0.062
fully developed flow increases with 180 30.0 5.0 0.093 0.254
60 35.0 30.0 5.0 0.097 0.254
Reynolds number. Thus at Re > 850, the
180 50.0 25.0 25.0 1.117 0.402
flow in the experiments of Agrawal et al.
60 50.0 25.0 25.0 0.903 0.380
would have been in the developing region 180 35.0 25.0 10.0 0.455 1.631
throughout the tube. In a full-scale 60 35.0 25.0 10.0 I .053 1.876
pipeline, on the other hand, the 193 42.5 27.5 15.0 0.134 0.311
hydrodynamic entry region is negligible 41 42.5 21.5 15.0 0.316 0.322
when compared with the total pipe 120 51.6 21.5 24.1 0.588 0.190
length. Although the precise effect of the 120 33.4 27.5 5.9 0.354 1.554
entrance region flow disturbances on the 120 42.5 30.5 12.0 0.923 0.053
120 42.5 24.5 18.0 1.566 0.836
deposition of solids (waxes) is not known,
120 42.5 27.5 15.0 0.619 0.342
the laboratory results with a short tube
137 55.4 28.0 27.4 0.817 0.145
may not be completely valid for the fully 50 50.0 25.0 25.0 0.815 0.372
developed conditions in a pipeline. 193 50.0 25.0 25.0 0.927 0.382
The solid deposition data reported by 193 50.0 25.5 24.5 0.683 0.330
Agrawal et al. are analysed in this
communication. The approach presented Data from Ref. 1

00162361/90/121575~2
,( 1990 Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. FUEL, 1990, Vol 69, December 1575
Letters

Oil Flow Rate, L h-l scatter, the layer thickness (x) is seen to Oil Flow Rate, L h-l
,.,;1 5,o 100 ~ 150 7 increase somewhat with the temperature 50 100 150 200
2.0
0
differential (T,- T,) but an effect of oil
flow rate is not evident in Figure 1.
0
(a)
I
0
1.5.

Estimation of solid-liquid interface tem- _ 1.0.

Y 0
I
perature (T,)
As mentioned previously, temperature
T, is at the interface between the flowing
(liquid) crude oil and the deposited solid
layer. In a situation involving solidifi-
cation or melting of pure substances, for
example, this temperature will be the
0.5
freezing or melting point. However, the 0 I LP

0.0 D
0
J interface temperature for waxy crude oils 0.0 n
0 0

0 30 may not be one single temperature but a 0 TemperotuE Differentia12(Yo-T,), 30

TemperdeD DifferentioI2(?,-T,), OC OC
range of temperatures, due to the variety
of hydrocarbons present. To simplify the Figure 2 Calculation results for the
Figure 1 Variation of solid layer thickness
with: a, crude oil flow rate; b, temperature calculations for waxy crude oils, T, parameter (hx/k) with: a, crude oil flow rate;
differential. Data from Ref. 1 could be approximated as the lowest b, temperature differential
temperature at which the crude oil would
still be fluid, i.e. a temperature slightly
higher than the pour point of 30C for the Additional experimental measurements
the surroundings (coolant), respectively; on other waxy crude oil samples,
and q is the rate of heat loss from the oil Bombay high crude oil. For the
calculation results presented here, T, was performed with a longer tube to avoid
to the surroundings (the coolant). With entry region effects, will be useful for
D,_= 2x[ln(D/(D - 2x))] _ i, Equation (4) assumed to be 31C.
obtaining a more reliable estimate for
is rearranged into the following dimen- (hx/k). Nonetheless, it is shown that an
sionless form Prediction of parameter (hx/k) for
Bombay high crude oil estimate of solid deposition for waxy
crude oils could be obtained from (hx/k)
The values of the dimensionless
and a knowledge of k and h (both of which
parameter (hx/k) were calculated from
can be measured or predicted). The
Equation (5) and are listed in Table 1.
calculation approach presented here may
The results are plotted in Figure 2 against
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS find applications in the design and/or
the oil flow rate (in 1h-) and
operation of pipelines for waxy crude oils.
Calculations with the Bombay high crude temperature differential (T, - T,). Except
oil data were made using the above for three high values corresponding to Anil K. Mehrotra
model, and the results are summarized in some of the experiments with low crude Department of Chemical
Table 1. oil temperatures, the results do not show and Petroleum Engineering,
any noticeable or consistent trend for The University of Calgary,
Determination of deposited solid layer (hx/k) in either case. That is, the
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
thickness (x) parameter (hx/k) is observed to be
T2N IN4
independent of both the oil flow rate and
The data for the mass of deposited
the temperature differential. This is an
solids were used to calculate the REFERENCES
equivalent solid layer thickness (x) using important observation that should be
the following material balance equation useful for estimating the solid layer Agrawal, K. M., Khan, H. U., Surianara-
thickness in a pipeline. yanan, M. and Joshi, G. C. Fuel 1990,69,
794
x=O.S(D-/~~) (6) Cawkwell, M. G. and Charles, M. E.
CONCLUSIONS Journal of Pipelines 1989, I, 251
where m is the mass of solid deposited, By ignoring the three high results at low Kays, W. M. and Crawford, M. E. in
Convective Heat and Mass Transfer, 2nd
D and L are the id. (0.006 m) and length crude oil temperatures, the average value
edition, McGraw-Hill, 1980, p. 68
(0.25 m) of the tube, and p is the average of the parameter (hx/k) from 16 data
Mehrotra, A. K. and Patience, G. S. Can.
density of deposited solids (assumed5 to points was calculated as 0.29+0.19. It is J. Chem. Eng. 1990, 68(4), 529
be 850 kg mm3). The calculated solid emphasized that this average numerical Agarwal, K. M., Purohit, R. C.,
layer thicknesses for the 19 experiments result is for a specific set of experimental Surianarayanan, M. et al. Fuel 1989, 68,
are plotted in Figure 1. Despite the measurements on one waxy crude oil. 937

1576 FUEL, 1990, Vol 69, December