Lattice Boltzmann Method for Investigation of Thermal Induced Phase Change of Crude Oil Wax

Offshore drilling platforms strive to keep crude oil warm to avoid undesirable wax formation under cold subsea temperatures. This research involves mesoscopic physics (lattice Boltzmann method - LBM) and its application in thermal management as mitigation technique against paraffin wax formation in stored crude oil, a solution which may save billions of dollars yearly to the petroleum industry. Major highlights in this thesis includes development of an in-house double-population LBM algorithm coupled with MRT and VCA techniques, thermal energy storage fins prolong wax formation by 94%, and melting of wax is enhanced by 13% using solely convective flow dynamics reconstruction.