Wall Sticking of High Water-Cut, Highly Viscous and High Gel-Point Crude Oil Transported at Low Temperatures

Some crude oils with high water cut have the capability to flow below the oil gel point, while the oil particles ad- here to the pipe wall in the form of paste, also called "wall sticking". Wall sticking is a serious problem during the pipeline transportation, leading to partial or total blockage of the pipeline and energy wastage. In this paper, a series of laboratory flow loop experiments were conducted to observe the wall sticking characteristics of crude oil with high water cut, high viscosity and high gel point at low transportation temperatures. The effects of shear stress and water cut on the wall sticking rate and occurrence temperature were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the wall sticking rate and occurrence temperature were lower under stronger shear stress and higher water cut conditions. A criterion of wall sticking occurrence temperature (WSOT) and a regression model of wall sticking rate were then established. Finally, the software was developed to calculate the pressure drop along the pipelines of crude oils with high water-cut. It was able to predict the wall sticking thickness of gelled oil and then calculate the pressure drop along the pipelines. A typical case study indicated that the predic-