MORPHOLOGY AND KINETICS OF PETROLEUM WAX DISSOLUTION IN HYDROCARBON SYSTEMS

This paper studies the effect of solvent chemical nature on the kinetic parameters of dissolution and the morphology of the petroleum waxes. The kinetics of the petroleum wax dissolution in gas condensate and the hexane-cyclohexane-benzene mixture was examined on the torsion balance within the temperature range from 10 to 40 degrees C. The process was described using the Erofeev-Kolmogorov equation. The following kinetic parameters were calculated: reaction rate, the order of reactions and effective energy for activation the wax dissolution in the studied solvents. It was found that the wax dissolution rate in the ternary composite is an order of magnitude greater and the activation energy is three times less in comparison with the process of wax dissolution in the gas condensate. The morphological features of the wax samples, treated by these solvents, were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. It was found that in the ternary composite, wax has a porous structure and in the gas condensate, it is compressed. Thus, the identified kinetic and morphological behavior of petroleum waxes indicates the influence of the chemical nature of the solvent. The findings of this study can be useful when choosing a solvent for the paraffin deposits removal.