Successful Pipeline Clean Out-Lessons Learned From Cleaning Paraffin Blockage From a Deepwater Pipeline

摘要

This paper presents a case history of inspecting, cleaning and re-establishing communication in a deepwater pipeline that had plugged because of paraffin deposition over an extended period. Early mitigation attempts did not remove the solid mass causing the blockage but, rather, compounded the problem.A chemical capable of dispersing the wax mass was applied to the plugged pipeline through a snubbing unit. Access to the pipeline and the wax plug was gained by disconnecting the line at the subsea site, lifting the pipeline to a work rig, installing the snubbing unit and applying the chemical solution in sea water at a prescribed dilution ratio.