Deposition from viscous fluids in industrial processes is a major nuisance during production of many useful materials ranging from oil to foodstuffs. In a cold-wall scenario rapid deposition of gel-like material causes restriction, processing delays and potentially reduction in product quality. One well-known example of this phenomenon is paraffin wax deposition, which is one of the greatest challenges in the petroleum industry, where the main implication is the blockage of oil. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of applying oscillation on wax deposition, with the main focuses on the effects of oscillation frequencies and amplitudes, as well as the volume of the wax-oil mixture. Wax deposit formation was measured gravimetrically. The results indicate that baffles and oscillation reduce wax deposition; increasing both oscillation frequency and amplitude result in a decrease in wax deposition; and the degree of reduction is greater with changing oscillation amplitude than with frequency. It was also found that deposition on the column wall rather than the baffles was the main contribution to the total wax deposit. (c) 2006 Society of Chemical Industry