Cold Finger Test

What is it?

The principle of the Cold Finger instrument is an inverted pipeline. The cooled metal finger replicates the inner wall of a pipeline. The heated and stirred oil flows around it. When the finger’s temperature falls below the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), wax starts to deposit on its surface.

Why do we use it?

We use the cold finger test to calculate the efficiency of wax inhibitors. As the piece of equipment replicates a pipeline environment, the results we obtain are transferable to how our products would work in field conditions.

Our wax inhibitors are crude oil specific. They work via a lock and key mechanism whereby a specific paraffin inhibitor combines with a specific crude oil to prevent wax formation.

How does it work?

The test involves the immersion of a series of tubes in molten crude oil. The temperature of the tubes is set colder than the oil, such that waxes from the oil can deposit on the cool surfaces. The wax deposits are then weighed. With the addition of an effective paraffin inhibitor, the weight of the deposits should decrease and is presented as a percentage of wax inhibition.