Kenneth M. Barker and Justin V. Breitigam, Baker Hughes
The use of hot oil as a paraffin removal technique is still used today in spite of its ineffectiveness in most wells. In 1982, the original paper on hot oiling recommended hot watering with chemical, which did not turn out to be the best alternative. In the past 30 years, we have learned much more about the paraffin problems we are trying to treat. A computer program from a Sandia National Laboratory Study, which was written in the 1990s, shows that you cannot melt most paraffin out of the tubing of wells. We learned that hot oiling and watering down the tubing of wells will reduce production. This paper will discuss other problems caused by hot oiling and cost-effective treatment methods that have been developed to take the place of hot oiling on most rod pumping systems. Case histories will be presented on the replacement of hot oiling with other treatment methods.