Waxy crude shutdown method yields savings

A shutdown may occur either for maintenance or as a response to an emergency such as a pipe rupture. Shutdowns cause oil to cool down and become more viscous, but by determining the maximum shutdown time (MST) of a waxy crude oil pipeline, and using a response reliability index, a significant amount of savings in heating costs can be achieved. A case study is used to present the the suggested methods in the event of a pipeline emergency situation.