Paraffin Gel Buildup and Rupture

The research to be performed is associated with a joint industrial project co-funded by the Research Council and industry which is titled:"Shut-in and Restart of Gelled Oil Pipelines: Software Module Development". Jamilia Safieva's salary will be funded b y the Yggdrasil program. Operating expenses for the project will be covered by the joint industrial project. The experimental research to be performed by Jamilia Safieva will be utilized to develop gel response correlations for an industrial software m odule under development. The software program will provide predictions for pressure wave propagation in petroleum transportation pipelines during restart processes after flow shut-in for scheduled or emergency outages. Experimental investigations are need ed to develop an understanding of the science related to paraffin wax-oil gel buildup and breakdown. Experimental investigations will be utilized to develop appropriate correlations for a comprehensive stress tensor, which will serve as an input to the co ntinuum model computations, and will provide crucial insight into the pertinent mechanisms and scale-up relationships associated with the pipeline restart process. In this capacity, Jamilia Safieva will use several highly advanced experimental techniques, such as bulk and interfacial rheometry, mechanical spectroscopy, QCM, NMR, and AFM, to investigate the chemistry and physics related to paraffin wax gel networks. Jamilia Safieva's strong background in asphaltene phase behaviour will be a crucial asset t o developing the science of paraffin wax gel formation in complex crude oils with large fractions of heavy polar colloidal components. The final outcome of the resultant pressure wave propagation model and improved understanding of the gel pipeline restar t process will be to provide vital guidance to production engineers in order to be able to mitigate production risks while reducing overdesign of production systems for complex waxy crude oils.