ABSTRACT
Crude oil and natural gas predominantly are a mixture of hydrocarbons with few percentages of non-hydrocarbon compounds, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and others, along with some non-hydrocarbon gases. Crude oil primarily contains saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes. Saturates having higher carbon numbers are referred to as waxes, while asphaltenes are high molecular weight complex hydrocarbons. Waxes and asphaltenes tend to deposit in oil and gas production facilities, while natural gas forms hydrate along with formation water and block offshore pipelines. Waxes, asphaltene, and hydrates are major organic deposits observed in onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities. While various reservoir fluids have their peculiar phase behavior, the solid organic deposits also show the phase behavior with changes in pressure and temperature conditions. It is thus essential to understand details of solid organic deposits and their phase behavior for efficient management of flow assurance issues. This chapter provides details on the solid organic deposits, their characterization, and solid phase envelope. Brief information about the inorganic solid deposits such as corrosion and scale has also been covered.
