OREANDA-NEWS. GE (NYSE: GE) today introduced a new range of wax inhibitors designed to help oil and gas producers ensure uninterrupted flow of crude oil. GE made its announcement at the Offshore Technology Conference taking place May 4-7, 2015, in Houston.

The GE ProSolv* Wax Inhibitor provides a consistent flow of hydrocarbon streams from the reservoir to the point of sale. GE’s new chemistry for wax blockages is a cost-effective alternative to currently available technologies. It is based on characterization of the production fluids and environment and works in a variety of waxy crudes. It also significantly reduces the precipitation and deposition of wax at temperatures below the untreated wax appearance temperature.

In the oil and gas industry, deep water fields with long step outs and surface pipelines in exposed locations have been experiencing operational issues related to the deposition of wax, which increases pressure drop, reduces production rate, increases pumping costs and results in downtime for pigging and cleaning operations. Currently available technologies for wax inhibition include hot oil, direct electrical heating and pipe-in-pipe dry insulation, all of which add to the complexity and cost of the subsea system. However, GE’s new wax inhibitor is a cost-effective alternative that reduces capital and installation costs and improves return on investment.

GE’s new ProSolv Wax Inhibitor chemistry is pertinent in any oil field experiencing operational issues due to the formation of waxes or viscous gels. It is especially useful in Brazil, West Africa, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and onshore pipelines carrying challenging fluids in harsh environments such as Vaca Muerta, Argentina.

GE is a leader in the oil and gas, refining and hydrocarbon processing industries, helping to minimize corrosion, reduce fouling, save energy, reuse water and minimize downtime.

“GE is committed to developing oilfield production chemicals that will optimize production and flow assurance. Our latest ProSolv Wax Inhibitor range was designed to protect crude oil and gas pipelines while ultimately decreasing overall operating and capital expenses and increasing production,” said Kevin Cassidy, chemical and monitoring solutions general manager—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

GE's new wax inhibitors will be available for trial applications and pilot testing in June 2015. The chemistry will work with GE's Insight* Knowledge Management platform for remote monitoring to further optimize flow control.