Detecting high-potential conditions of asphaltene precipitation in oil reservoir

ABSTRACT

Crude oil contains a wide range of components with different chemical natures. Complex molecules consisting of associated groups of polyaromatic sheets and alkyl side chains are known as asphaltene. Asphaltenes are insoluble in solvents such as n-heptane and n-pentane and soluble in benzene and toluene. Asphaltene causes serious damages around the wellbore and the reservoir by reducing permeability and plugging the pores. This paper includes a natural depletion test, performed on the bottom-hole sample and on a carbonate-core sample. The main emphasis is to identify high potentially damaged conditions in the reservoir from the asphaltene precipitation point of view. Stability of asphaltene was investigated by Saturates-Asphaltenes-Resins-Aromatics (SARA) analysis; moreover, asphaltene composition, permeability reduction, and porosity reduction were measured using the natural depletion in 4500, 3000, 2500, and 1450 psig via both static and dynamic approaches. At the pressures above the bubble point, asphaltene precipitation decreases as pressure increases, and the solubility model becomes dominant; on the other hand, below the saturation pressure, decrease in the pressure would decreases asphaltene precipitation and let the colloidal model dominate. It can be concluded that the maximum amount of asphaltene precipitation occurs near the saturation pressure. Asphaltene precipitation was then investigated through the core sample, using a novel scaling equation.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Asphaltene precipitation
• dynamic approach
• heavy oil
• natural depletion
• scaling equation
• static approach