The Possibility of Wax Formation in Gas Fields: a Case Study

Natural gas production from a gas reservoir (Reservoir A) located in the south of Iran, presents solids deposition during processing because the condensate contains suspended and dissolved solids. Solids deposition occurs not only in the transportation lines from the wells to the separators but also in the various operating units of gas streams and condensate stream. In this study, the multisolid-phase model has been used to predict the wax precipitation from gas and gas condensate fluids. The properties of gas and liquid phases are described using the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equation of state. The model is then used to predict the possibility of the wax formation in Reservoir A gas facilities, located at the south of Iran. Solid deposition which occurred in the various streams of that facility confirmed the calculated results. Finally, the wax appearance temperature (WAT), the weight percent of wax formation and the effects of pressure and temperature on the wax formation were also predicted.