A new transport model is proposed for paraffin wax deposition onto a
cold finger from flowing wax-containing oils. The model solves transient
energy and mass balances simultaneously for a reversible first-order
kinetic rate for precipitation of pseudo-single-component wax, and the
effects of yield stress using a critical solid wax concentration to
withstand flow-induced stress at the deposit-fluid interface, Cpi. The
model can predict the time evolution of the deposit thickness, and the
spatial and temporal evolution of temperature and wax concentration and
was validated using experiments involving a cylindrical cold finger. We
found that for oils with Cpi close to zero, the deposit thickness growth
is dominated by heat transfer. However, mass transfer cannot be
neglected as diffusion of wax into the deposit continues to take place
even after the deposit has stopped growing. For oils with non-zero Cpi,
the deposit growth is slow and accompanied by occasional sloughing.