2.+Paraffin+Wax

=**Definitions **=

Paraffins
Paraffins, more commonly referred to as alkanes, are the chemical family of saturated hydrocarbons that result from combining CH 2 ﻿ groups in succession. The simplest member of the paraffin series is methane (CH 4 ), which is the starting point for this type of chain growth. One carbon and two hydrogens are then added to the existing molecule to form a larger molecule. Most commonly, the additional CH 2 groups are added to form straight chain paraffins.

//Figure 1 : //Chemical Structure of Paraffin Waxes ( IGC c2010 )

Wax
The term "wax" simply refers to saturated hydrocarbons that contain more than 16 carbon atoms in the paraffin series (C 16 -C 40 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">) and are in solid state at room temperature ( Schmidt 2010 ) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. Chemically, natural waxes are defined as long chain esters, monohydric (one hydroxyl group), or alcohols with long chain fatty acids. The majority of the waxes present in crude oil are considered synthetic paraffin waxes with non-oxidized saturated alkanes ( Wikipedia: Paraffin Wax ... [update 2010]).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paraffins can exist in crude oil in all three states. At standard room temperature, C <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; vertical-align: sub;">﻿16+ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">n-paraffins generally exists in a solid form and solidify to form deposits. Wax is the product of paraffin deposition, so in the industrial context, "wax" and "paraffin" are often used interchangeably.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Therefore, "paraffin wax deposition" refers to the solid form of paraffins that solidify to cause deposition.

|| Introduction || Paraffin Wax Definition || Chemical and Physical Properties || The Problem || Asphaltene || Causes || Solutions || || Annotated Bibliography || Glossary || References || || Home ||