Investigation on wax deposition reduction using natural plant-based additives for sustainable energy production from Penara oilfield Malaysia basin

Abstract

In empowering the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal, the oil industry is inclined toward organic wax inhibitor applications when combatting the wax deposition issue during crude oil production. This is because synthetic chemical inhibitors are costly and have the potential to create environmental problems when oil spillage or seepage occurs during transportation or operation. This study evaluates the impact of low-cost, natural plant-based inhibitors such as Jatropha seed oil (JSO), crude palm oil, and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) on paraffin inhibition efficiency (PIE, %) and rheological properties of Malaysian waxy crude oil. By using cold finger equipment and a Fann viscometer, the amount of solid wax deposits, apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity, yield value, and gel strength were determined. Commercialized ethylene-co-vinyl acetate and triethanolamine compounds were used for a comparative study. For the wax deposition test, the results revealed that the highest average PIE obtained was 86.30% when 5% JSO was blended with Penara crude oil. Meanwhile, the rheological test proved that 5% JSO and 1% CPKO were acting as highest viscosity-reducing agents at 60 °C below the wax appearance temperature (WAT). The discovery of palm-based and Jatropha-based inhibitors from Malaysia's palm oil plantation and Malaysian JSO as a wax inhibitor was found to be beneficial for the application of wax deposition and rheological studies in crude oil production with a less harmful environment for sustainable energy production.