204,490 research outputs found
Wax removal using pipeline pigs
No full textThe deposition of paraffin wax solids in pipelines and risers represents a continuing challenge to flow assurance in offshore installations. Wax deposits reduce product throughput, requiring increased energy expenditure to re-establish flow levels. In severe cases, wax deposits can completely block a pipeline. Preventative solutions to the problem such as pipeline insulation, active heating of pipes or chemical dosing with wax inhibitors are not always economically viable, so mechanical removal using a device known as a 'pig' remains an economical solution to the problem of wax removal. A pig is a cylindrical tool that is driven through the pipe by the flow of product, scraping deposits from the pipe wall as it travels. Despite the importance of pipeline pigging to the oil and gas industry, the effectiveness of pigs in removing wax is poorly understood and it is this problem that is addressed by this thesis. One of the first necessities in undertaking this work has been to define the mechanical properties of wax deposits. This has required critical analysis of published material on the subject of wax deposition along with practical experimentation to create representative models of wax deposits that require mechanical removal from pipelines. Previously, studies of wax removal using pigs have assumed the mechanics of the process to be adequately represented by uniaxial compression or simple shear load models. In this work wax removal is analysed using the orthogonal cutting model. This provides a more accurate description of the process as it includes the effect of material after yielding (the chip) on the net wax removal force. Experiments were designed to allow testing of the validity of the orthogonal cutting theory to the pigging process under a variety of conditions. An original contribution from this work is through experimental and theoretical results that are given context through comparison with established metal cutting theory. Through experimentation a specific cutting energy is obtained for wax removal. The results of the wax cutting experiments have identified particular differences between wax cutting and metal cutting regarding the homogeneity of chip formation. These observations have important implications in predicting wax removal forces using mechanical removal tools. Although the affect of removed wax chips on pigging forces has been neglected in theory, it is well known in practice. The fluid used to drive cleaning pigs is often used to produce a jet radiating centrally from the front of the pig intended to blast wax chips away from the pig body, avoiding formation of a 'plug' of wax ahead of the pig. In this study a novel variation of this process in the form of an annular bypass jet is experimentally studied. A semi-empirical model of wax removal using an annular bypass jet has been developed and empirical constants obtained to allow prediction of removal rates for different waxes under various conditions. The new model introduced here allows balancing of pig velocity with wax removal velocity so that a non-contacting wax removal system is obtainable. The bypass-jetting model has been validated using a full-scale trial of the process by industrial sponsors
Helen M. Wax Interview, November 8, 1994
No full textHelen Wax discusses her parents’ experiences in Lewiston, Montana after they moved from Wisconsin, giving details about her father’s work as a farmer. Wax describes living on a homestead, working as a farmhand and teamster, and discusses how the Great Depression and drought years affected her family. She describes attending Cohagan High School and working as a teacher in the Cohagan School District before marrying her husband, William Wax. Wax also discusses the differences between farming in western and eastern Montana.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mtsettlersandhomsteaders_oralhistory/1017/thumbnail.jp
The safety and effectiveness of different methods of ear wax removal: a systematic review and economic evaluation
No full textEar wax (cerumen) is a natural secretion produced to protect the inner ear from dirt and other fragments by moving these particles towards the outer ear. If this process does not happen properly, wax may build up causing blockage in the ear canal and the possibility of impaction. People with a build up of ear wax may suffer from hearing loss, discomfort and, on occasions, infection. It may present problems in assessing hearing, blocking the view of the ear drum during medical examination and interfering with the fitting or function of hearing aids. Although it is thought to affect between 2% and 6% of the population in the England and Wales, some groups may be at a higher risk, such as those using hearing aids or with small ear canals and/or skin conditions. Recurrence is thought to be high among some of these groups. The consequences of the build up of ear wax in the ear canal are thought to be a common reason for consultation and cost in general practice with over 2 million consultations per year in the NHS.Methods of removal of ear wax include drops, flushing with water in general practice, and removal with suction or probes in specialist clinics. The relative safety and benefits of these different methods of removal remains uncertain. This research will systematically review published and unpublished evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of different methods for the removal of ear wax. Where appropriate, it will develop an economic model using data from this systematic review and other relevant sources to estimate the relative costs and benefits of different methods. In addition, the project will provide recommendations for future research to try to help answer any remaining areas of uncertainty
‘The story of an intriguing palaeo-endocrinological case at the “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax Collection in Bologna’
No full textThe “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax Collection in Bologna hosts wax models dating back to the 19th century.
At that time professors of pathological anatomy conducted researches on clinical cases according to a modus operandi characteristic of the Bolognese School whose motto was:
“By describing the morphology of what we see, we can name the pathologies
An In-depth Experimental Study of Wax Deposition in Pipelines
No full textShale oils are highly paraffinic and, consequently, can create wax deposits that foul pipelines during transportation. Several factors must be considered when designing pipelines or treatmentprograms that prevent wax deposition: including chemical species in crude oils, flowrates, pipes diameters and temperature. This paper describes the wax deposition study carried out within the frameworkof YPF Tecnolgía S.A. (Y-TEC) flow assurance projects, as part of the process to achieve a better understanding on wax deposition issues. Laboratory experiments were performed on a medium size, 1 inchdiameter, wax deposition loop of 15 meters long equipped with a solid detector system, online microscope to visualize crystals, temperature, and pressure sensors along the loop pipe. A baseline test wasperformed with diesel with no added paraffin or additive content. Tests were undertaken with different temperatures of circulating and cooling fluid at different flow conditions. Then, a solution formed with aparaffin incorporated to the diesel was considered. Tests varying flowrate and cooling rate were again run. Viscosity, density, WAT (Wax Appearance Temperature) with DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), pour point and cold finger measurements were carried out to determine physical properties of the working fluids. The results obtained in the loop were analyzed through momentum balance and heat transfer models. To determine possible paraffin deposition scenarios temperature and pressure loop output signals were studied. They were compared with WAT static laboratory methods.Fil: Arias, M. L.. YPF - Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: D'adamo, Juan Gastón Leonel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica. Laboratorio de Fluidodinámica; ArgentinaFil: Novosad, M. N.. YPF - Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Raffo, Pablo Alejandro. YPF - Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Burbridge, Horacio. YPF - Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Artana, Guillermo Osvaldo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica. Laboratorio de Fluidodinámica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin
The composition of wax and oil in green coffee beans
No full textMethods for the isolation of wax and oil from green coffee beans were studied and a method for the quantitative extraction of coffee oil from the beans was introduced. Coffee wax, coffee oil and wax-free coffee oil as well as the unsaponifiable matter prepared from each were fractionated by column chromatography. The chemical composition of the fractions was studied by thin-layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, ultraviolet, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The results include qualitative and quantitative data on (1) the total fatty acid composition as well as the composition of the fatty acids in triglycerides and diterpene alcohol esters, (2) the positional distribution of the fatty acids in the triglycerides, (3) the unsaponifiable matter and (4) Nβ -alkanoyl-5-hydroxy-tryptamines (C-5-HT) and other C-5-HT-like phenolic compounds.The unsaponifiable matter (3) was fractionated into diterpene alcohols, sterols and hydrocarbons (including squalene and n -alkanes from C 16 to C 31 ). Moreover the presence of α-tocopherol and (β+ γ)-tocopherol in green coffee beans was described for the first time.In view of the results of this study the removal of coffee wax by industrial processes, which are claimed to have a beneficial effect on the digestibility of coffee, was discussed. The current literature on the lipids of green coffee beans was extensively reviewed
Modelling Ice and Wax Formation in a Pipeline in the Arctic Environment
No full textPresentationIn the Arctic environment, fluid temperature in pipeline can drop below the freezing point of water, which causes wax and ice to form on pipeline surface. Solid formation on pipeline surface can lead to flow assurance and process safety issues, such as blockage of pipeline, pipeline component failure, and the release of hazardous liquid. The blockage of pipeline can cause additional burden or failure to pumping system. Remediating the plugging requires shutdown of pipeline operation, which cause tremendous cost and delay to the entire production system. Ice and wax deposition in pipeline is a slow process. Pigging operation can be used to remove the deposits on pipeline surface. However, if deposition is too thick, pipeline blockage can still occur. In order to prevent pipeline blockage, ice and wax deposition rates are required to be estimated. This paper investigates ice and wax deposition rates in a 90 km pipeline. A fundamental model for both ice and wax deposition is proposed using first principles of heat and mass transfer. The interaction between water and wax is analysed
Modeling the Evolution of the Wax Lake Delta in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana
No full textIn this study, a process-based, depth-averaged Delft3D hydrodynamic and morphologic model of the Wax Lake Delta in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana was developed to simulate a five year period of delta development. The purpose of this modeling effort was to test the ability of process-based modeling tools to successfully simulate typical delta-building processes and the resulting morphologic and stratigraphic characteristics of the delta. Recent developments in conceptual modeling of mouth bar formation and full delta development have confirmed the capability of process-based models to simulate the processes necessary for delta growth and the resulting long-term, geologic scale morphologic and stratigraphic features. In this attempt to model the actual development of a prototype delta using similar techniques to those employed in the conceptual delta models, the applicability of physics-based modeling to delta evolution simulation will be further validated. Morphology qualitatively reproduced typical river-dominant delta growth through the establishment of new depositional lobes while maintaining approximate radial symmetry. More specific stratigraphic features were also reproduced. The successive stacking of coarsening upwards sequences observed in Wax Lake Delta mouth bar deposits was evident in the stratigraphy of modeled incipient jet deposits, a result of the varying discharge regime. Though incipient jet deposits developed in the model at the distal ends of distributary channels, the prograding bars did not aggrade sufficiently to induce flow bifurcation and the development of a mature mouth bar depositional lobe. The overall coarsening-upwards, though sand dominant stratigraphic sequence of typical friction-dominant river mouth deposits is reproduced. Significant mud-dominant prodelta deposition is observed basinward of the original delta front location. In the prototype Wax Lake Delta, deposition of fine sediments in this area is hindered by waves and wind-induced transport, so the modeled mud depositional bodies do not reflect prototype development. Distributary channels are significantly incised and narrowed over the course of the simulation. The narrowing proceeds from significant sand-dominant subaqueous levee deposition on the channel banks. Though distributary channels in the real Wax Lake Delta do frequently incise through the full deltaic sedimentary sequence with channel extension, the modeled incision is persistent throughout the simulation. Upstream accretion of established delta lobes through sand-deposition, similar to the observed primary process of subaerial development in the neighboring Atchafalaya Delta, was also present in the modeled development. The Wax Lake Delta is clearly river-dominant according to traditional classification schemes; however, the deposition of fine sediments is influenced by basin processes that resuspend and export significant quantities from Atchafalaya Bay. The processes contributing to the coarse sediment depositional features that dominate the Wax Lake Delta are qualitatively simulated under purely riverine forcings, but the fine sediment dynamics cannot be accurately simulated in the present, process-limited model. Recommendations for improving morphological simulation include model redevelopment with an alternative, total load transport formulation and the inclusion of limited marine forcings that inhibit fine-sediment deposition.CoMEM - Coastal and Marine Engineering and ManagementSection Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Eco-Wax
No full textabstract: Almost all surfboard wax on the market today is made of paraffin wax, a product made from crude oil. Paraffin wax is not an environmentally friendly product for surfers. I believe that there is a market for and environmentally friendly surfboard wax. My thesis/creative project will be to create this business and prepare it for launch. My main deliverable will be a business plan detailing:
• An Executive Summary
• Description of the Business
• Market Analysis Summary
• Sales and Marketing Strategy
• Company Management Summary
• Funding Plan
• Financial Projections
• Appendix if Necessary
By the time I defend, the ECO-Wax (Working Title) business will be ready to launch
Possibility of wax control techniques in Indonesian oil fields
No full textWax is one of the common problem which can reduce the oil production, especially for the reservoir with high paraffin content case. When the temperature of crude oil is lower than pour point, wax molecules can begin rapidly precipitated. The impacts of this problem are the clogging of production equipment, sealing off the pores in the reservoir, and decreasing production flow rate. In order to solve the wax problem, several methods have been applied in some oil fields in the world. For example, chemical methods in Jiangsu field (China) and Mumbai High field (India), hot water in Mangala field (India), magnetic method in Daqing field (China), water-dispersible in Bakken basin (US), and microbial in Jidong field (China). In general, the various crude oils present in the Indonesia contain wax content between 10%-39% and pour point of 22oC–49oC. Hot water and chemical method are commonly used to solve wax problems in Indonesian oil fields. However, the primary solution is magnetic method, and the secondary solution is water dispersible
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