Through the course of the last 15 years, our research group has developed the only model that predicts the deposition of wax in pipelines by solving fundamental transport equation. The model predicts the trends of deposition rates with varying operating condition, and contains no tuning parameter for upper and lower limits of deposit thickness. Additionally, our model has been verified with 50+ flow-loop experiments from different facilities around the world.

We continue to improve the model through continuous research. Our current focus is on the “final” deposit thickness, a crucial parameter to consider and that helps one to gauge the severity of wax deposition under a particular operating condition without having to consider any kinetics of deposit formation. The current work is co-directed by A.H. White Distinguished University Professor, Professor Ronald Larson.

The wax deposition model has been made into a software package. We have been collaborating with Assured Flow Solutions, LLC in developing a graphical user interface for the software that meets industry standards. Through this collaboration we hope to contribute towards making the software more accessible to interested parties from the industry.

For more information on the Michigan Wax Predictor, please contact Prof. Ronald Larson (rlarson@umich.edu), Prof. Scott Fogler (sfogler@umich.edu) or Luqman Mahir (luqmanh@umich.edu)