Nelson Rocha

A preliminary study on the magnetic treatment of fluids

ABSTRACT Although the influence of magnetic fields on paraffin deposition is still dimly understood, magnetic devices have been exploited by the petroleum industry to mitigate this problem. In this study, a series of experiments were carried out using a lab-scale magnetic conditioner and two kind of samples: paraffin mixture and crude oil. The investigated parameters were: exposition time, temperature, magnetic field intensity. paraffin type and content in the fluid and the reversibility of the observed alterations. The results indicate that magnetic fields, up to 1 Tesla applied at a temperature close to the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), reduce the apparent viscosity of the samples. This effect has been ascribed to changes in the paraffin crystal morphology promoted by the magnetic field. Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) was fundamental to confirm this hypothesis.

Magnetic field effect on paraffin deposition

In the oil industry, the paraffination phenomenon is a major problem during oil production, displacement and treatment. Paraffin deposition in subsea flowlines, surface equipment, production string or even in the reservoir, can cause significant and increasing oil losses. To minimize paraffin precipitation, the application of magnetic field in the petroleum path has been suggested based on empiric studies. In this study, we assembled a labscale magnetic conditioner to determine the influence of magnetic field on the physical-chemical properties of two fluids : oil and a paraffin mixture. We observed that magnetic field reduce sample aparent viscosity due to crystal morphology alteration.