Modeling and Optimization of Asphaltene Deposition in Porous Media Using Genetic Algorithm Technique

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Hematfar ◽  
Riaz kharrat ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Ghazanfari ◽  
Mohammad Bagher Bagheri
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Modeling And Optimization ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Flocculated Asphaltene Deposition From Oil in Porous Media

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Rezaian ◽  
Amin Kordestany ◽  
Mohammad Jamialahmadi ◽  
Jamshid Moghadasi ◽  
Mohammad Yousefi Khoshdaregi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Theoretical Studies ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition ◽  
Experimental And Theoretical Studies

Experimental Investigation of Asphaltene-Induced Formation Damage Caused by Pressure Depletion of Live Reservoir Fluids in Porous Media

SPE Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 01-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Mohammadzadeh ◽  
Shawn David Taylor ◽  
Dmitry Eskin ◽  
John Ratulowski
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Formation Damage ◽  
Bulk Fluid ◽  
Asphaltene Content ◽  
Pressure Depletion ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition ◽  
Permeability Impairment ◽  
Live Oil

Summary One of the complex processes of permeability impairment in porous media, especially in the near-wellbore region, is asphaltene-induced formation damage. During production, asphaltene particles precipitate out of the bulk fluid phase because of pressure drop, which might result in permeability reduction caused by both deposition of asphaltene nanoparticles on porous-medium surfaces and clogging of pore throats by larger asphaltene agglomerates. Experimental data will be used to identify the parameters of an impairment model being developed. As part of a larger effort to identify key mechanisms of asphaltene deposition in porous media and develop a model for asphaltene impairment by pressure depletion, this paper focuses on a systematic design and execution of an experimental study of asphaltene-related permeability damage caused by live-oil depressurization along the length of a flow system. An experiment was performed using a custom-designed 60-ft slimtube-coil assembly packed with silica sands to a permeability of 55 md. The customized design included a number of pressure gauges at regular intervals along the coil length, which enabled real-time measurement of the fluid-pressure profile across the full length of the slimtube coil. The test was performed on a well-characterized recombined live oil from the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) that is a known problematic asphaltenic oil. Under a constant differential pressure, the injection flow rate of the live oil through the slimtube coil decreased over time as the porous medium became impaired. During the impairment stage, samples of the produced oil were collected on a regular basis for asphaltene-content measurement. After more than 1 month, the impairment test was terminated; the live oil was purged from the slimtube coil with helium at a pressure above the asphaltene-onset pressure (AOP); and the entire system was gently depressurized to bring the coil to atmospheric conditions while preserving the asphaltene-damaged zones of the coil. The permeability and porosity of the porous medium changed because of asphaltene impairment that was triggered by pressure depletion. Results indicated that the coil permeability was impaired by approximately 32% because of pressure depletion below the AOP, with most of the damage occurring in the latter section of the tube, which operated entirely below the AOP. Post-analytical studies indicated lower asphaltene content of the produced-oil samples compared with the injecting fluid. The distribution of asphaltene deposits along the length of the coil was determined by cutting the slimtube coil into 2- to 3-ft-long sections and using solvent extraction to collect the asphaltenes in each section. The extraction results confirmed that the observed permeability impairment was indeed caused by asphaltene deposition in the middle and latter sections of the coil, where the pressure was less than the AOP. With the success of this experiment, the same detailed analysis can be extended to a series of experiments to determine the effects of different key parameters on pressure-induced asphaltene impairment, including flow rate, wettability, and permeability.

Investigation of Effective Mechanisms in Permeability Reduction Due to Asphaltene Deposition through Porous Media

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Khederzadeh ◽  
S. Ostadrezaei ◽  
Iran R. Kharrat ◽  
H. Bagherzadeh ◽  
S. Mahdavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Permeability Reduction ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition

An Integrated Simulation Approach to Predict Permeability Impairment under Simultaneous Aggregation and Deposition of Asphaltene Particles

SPE Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Xin Su ◽  
Rouzbeh G. Moghanloo ◽  
Minhui Qi ◽  
Xiang-an Yue
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Particle Aggregation ◽  
Formation Damage ◽  
Permeability Reduction ◽  
Simulation Approach ◽  
Pore Connectivity ◽  
Integrated Simulation ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Permeability Impairment

Summary Formation damage mechanisms in general lower the quality of the near wellbore, often manifested in the form of permeability reduction, and thus reducing the productivity of production wells and injectivity of injection wells. Asphaltene deposition, as one of the important causes, can trigger serious formation damage issues and significantly restrict the production capacity of oil wells. Several mechanisms acting simultaneously contribute to the complexity associated with prediction of permeability impairment owing to asphaltene deposition; thus, integration of modeling efforts for asphaltene aggregation and deposition mechanisms seems inevitable for improved predictability. In this work, an integrated simulation approach is proposed to predict permeability impairment in porous medium. The proposed approach is novel because it integrates various mathematical models to study permeability impairment considering porosity reduction, particle aggregation, and pore connectivity loss caused by asphaltene deposition. To improve the accuracy of simulation results, porous media is considered as a bundle (different size) of capillary tubes with dynamic interconnectivity. The total volume change of interconnected tubes will directly represent permeability reduction realized in porous media. The prediction of asphaltene deposition in porous media is improved in this paper via integration of the particle aggregation model into calculation. The simulation results were verified by comparing with existing experimental data sets. After that, a sensitivity analysis was performed to study parameters that affect permeability impairment. The simulation results show that our permeability impairment model—considering asphaltene deposition, aggregation, and pore connectivity loss—can accurately reproduce the experimental results with fewer fitting or empirical parameters needed. The sensitivity analysis shows that longer aggregation time, higher flow velocity, and bigger precipitation concentration will lead to a faster permeability reduction. The findings of this study can help provide better understanding of the permeability impairment caused by asphaltene deposition and pore blockage, which provides useful insights for prediction of production performance of oil wells.

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