MECHANISMS OF THE FORMATION OF ASPHALT-RESIN AND PARAFFIN DEPOSITS AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR INTENSITY

The relevance of the paper is caused by the need for more knowledge of the paraffin deposit formation on the inner surface of oilfield equipment. Research experience has shown inconsistent results, which indicates the absence of a generaly accepted theory illustrating the process of wax deposit formation and the influence of different factors on the intensity of its formation. In addition, the properties of paraffin deposits significantly depend on the conditions of their formation. In this way, more accurate understanding of the principles of de-posit formation makes it possible to predict growth of deposits and select effective ways to deal with this complication.The main aim of the research is to consider the primary mechanisms of asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits formation and analyze the results of previous work devoted to studying the intensity factors of their formation.Objects: wax deposit formation on the inner surface of oilfield equipment and the factors of the intensity of its formation.Methods: literature review and study of publications in peer-reviewed journals; analysis and comparison of the results of previous studies.Results. The main mechanisms of asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits formation on the inner surface of oilfield equipment are described as the following: molecular diffusion, shear effect, gravity settling, Brownian motion, and thermal diffusion. A review of previous studies on as-sessing the contribution of these mechanisms and intensity factors (water cut, flow rate, gas/oil ratio, crude oil composition and equipment surface properties) to the formation of paraffin deposits was presented. The analysis made it possible to identify contradicting results and dependencies, confirming the need for further study of the principles of paraffin deposit formation.