Probing tribological properties of waxy oil in pipeline pigging with fluorescence technique

Tribological behavior of waxy oil (wax-particles-in-oil mixture) under a sliding soft contact in pipeline pigging process has been investigated using fluorescence technique. Results are reported for a soft line contact between an elastomer cylinder and a glass plate, which is lubricated by a model wax–oil system. It was found that, for waxy oil, the wax particles were entrapped at inlet region and pass through the contact region. The study revealed that the pigging efficiency was a function of Young’s module in rubber and the different lubricated soft contacts in pipeline pigging could be in situ observed. Experimental results indicated that the efficiency of pigging process decreased with the increasing degree of wear in sealing disc and was determined by the flow property of waxy oil.