What Does
Paraffin Inhibitor Mean?
A paraffin inhibitor is a chemical injected into an oil wellbore to prevent or minimize paraffin deposition. The paraffin inhibitor’s effectiveness is dependent on the crude oil’s composition in the wellbore. Paraffin inhibitor should be injected into the well before the crude oil cools to its cloud point.
Corrosionpedia Explains Paraffin Inhibitor
It is important when introducing a paraffin inhibitor into a wellbore that the crude oil is warmer than its cloud point.
The cloud point is the temperature at which wax crystal formation occurs in crude oil inside the wellbore. If this happens, the market price of the crude oil will decrease as its American Petroleum Institute (API) degree also becomes less, and the crude oil will be converted into heavy and sour crude oil.
Another important consideration is the composition of asphaltene, which should be determined before treatment as it can reduce the paraffin inhibitor’s effectiveness.