Application of continuous tubular cable electric heating technology in wellbore wax prevention and plugging removal in offshore oilfields

Some cold production wells in Bohai Oilfield face challenges such as high crude oil viscosity, poor fluidity, and paraffin deposition during production, which lead to wellbore blockage, difficulty in lifting operations, and significantly affect the well productivity. To address these issues, research on the application of offshore continuous tubular cable electric heating technology has been conducted. The technical design of offshore continuous tubular cable electric heating was developed based on offshore wellhead equipment and pipe string configurations. The installation depth and heating temperature of the heating cable were optimized according to the wax precipitation temperature of crude oil to improve oil mobility, prevent paraffin deposition in the wellbore, and achieve efficient fluid lifting. The application of continuous tubular cable electric heating technology in Well XX-C of Bohai Oilfield demonstrated significant improvements: the wellhead temperature increased from 29 ℃ to 50 ℃, with average daily oil production increasing by approximately 25 m³, while water content decreased below 4%. This technology has effectively mitigated paraffin blockage in the wellbore and demonstrated remarkable improvement in fluid extraction and production efficiency.