All are welcome to an invited seminar by Jules Magda, Professor in the department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah. The title is: “Restart of Flow in Waxy Crude Oil Pipelines Blocked With Wax Gels – Predictions Using Laboratory Tests.” The seminar will be from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday January 28, 2015 in WEB 2250. There will be light refreshments afterwards
Abstract – Restart of Flow in Waxy Crude Oil Pipelines Blocked With Wax Gels – Predictions Using Laboratory Tests
Waxy crude oils with high paraffin content comprise about 20% of the world’s petroleum reserves, and are increasing in importance due to dwindling supplies of oils with lower pour points. During periods of flow shutdown in long flowlines and pipelines, waxy oils may form wax gels that block the flow. Application of pressure upstream of the plug can be used to unblock the flow, provided that the elevated pressure does not fracture the pipeline. Thus flow assurance engineers designing pipelines need accurate methods for estimating the pressure necessary to restart flow of a given waxy crude oil in a gelled pipeline. At the University of Utah, we are identifying laboratory rheology tests and flow loop measurements that can be correlated to gelled pipeline restart behavior in the field. In my talk, I will summarize our research findings to date, and also give an overview of other flow assurance projects currently underway at the University of Utah Petroleum Research Center.
Biography:
Jules (Jaye) Magda is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Utah. He received his B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University, received his Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and performed postdoctoral research at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. His Ph.D. thesis topic was molecular dynamics simulations of fluids in nanopores. His current areas of research include rheology, synthesis of smart polymer hydrogels for use in sensors, and flow assurance of waxy crude oils