Asphaltene laboratory assessment of a heavy onshore reservoir during pressure, temperature and composition variations to predict asphaltene onset pressure

Peyman Bahrami; Riyaz Kharrat; Sedigheh Mahdavi; Yaser Ahmadi; Lesley James

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.32, No.2, 316-322, February, 2015

DOI10.1007/s11814-014-0245-6 Export Citation

Asphaltene laboratory assessment of a heavy onshore reservoir during pressure, temperature and composition variations to predict asphaltene onset pressure

Peyman Bahrami^†, Riyaz Kharrat¹, Sedigheh Mahdavi², Yaser Ahmadi, and Lesley James²

Department of Oil and Gas Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
¹Petroleum University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
²Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

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An Iranian heavy oil reservoir recently encountered challenges in oil production rate, and further investigation has proven that asphaltene precipitation was the root cause of this problem. In addition, CO2 gas injection could be an appropriate remedy to enhance the production of heavy crudes. In this study, high pressure-high temperature asphaltene precipitation experiments were performed at different temperatures and pressures to investigate the asphaltene phase behavior during the natural depletion process and CO2 gas injection. Compositional modeling of experimental data predicted onset points at different temperatures which determine the zone of maximum probability of asphaltene precipitation for the studied heavy oil reservoir. Also, the effect of CO2 gas injection was investigated as a function of CO2 concentration and pressure. It was found that a CO2-oil ratio of 40% is the optimum for limiting precipitation to have the least formation damage and surface instrument contamination.

Keywords:Asphaltene Precipitation;Solubility;CO2 Gas Injection;Onset Pressure;Heavy Oil

[References]

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Rashid SH, Al-Maamari, Buckley JS, Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, SPE 59292 (2000)
Goual L, Firoozabadi A, AIChE J., 48(11), 2646 (2002)
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Srivastava RK, Huang SS, Dyer SB, Mourits FM, JCPT, 34, 31 (1995)
Wang JX, Predicting Asphaltene Flocculation in Crude Oils, PhD Thesis, NMIMT, Socorro (2000)
Zekri AY, Shedid SA, Alkashef H, SPE Permion Basis Oil and Gas Recovery Conference, Midland, TX, SPE 70050 (2001)
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Alizadeh A, Nakhli H, Kharrat R, Ghazanfari MH, JPST, 29, 1054 (2011)
Emadi A, Sohrabi M, Jamiolahmady M, Ireland S, Robertson G, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 89(9A), 1783 (2011)
Holt T, Lindeberg E, Wessel-Berg D, Energy Procedia, 1, 4159 (2009)
Hirschberg A, deJong LNJ, Schipper BA, Meijer JG, SPE J., 24, 283 (1984)
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Kawanaka S, Park SJ, Mansoori GA, SPE Res. Eng., 6, 185 (1991)
Cimino R, Correra S, Sacomani PA, Carniani C, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, San Antonio, Texas, USA, SPE 28993 (1995)
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Leontaritis KJ, Mansoori GA, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, San Antonio, Texas, USA, SPE 16258 (1987)
Du JL, Zhang D, JPST, 22, 1023 (2004)
de Boer RB, Leerlooyer K, Eigner MRP, Van Bergen ARD, SPE Prod. Facilities J., 10, 55 (1995)
Standard Test Method for Separation of Asphalt into Four Fractions, ASTM D4124-09 (2009)
Stankiewicz AB, Flannery MD, Fuex NA, Broze G, Couch JL, Dubey ST, Iyer SD, Ratulowski J, Westerich JT, AIChE Spring National Meeting, New Orleans, 47, 410 (2002)
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[Referenced By]

[1] Akbarzadeh K, Hammami A, Kharrat A, Zhang A, Oilfield Review, 19, 22 (2007)

[2] Rashid SH, Al-Maamari, Buckley JS, Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, SPE 59292 (2000)

[3] Goual L, Firoozabadi A, AIChE J., 48(11), 2646 (2002)

[4] Wu JZ, Prausnitz JM, Firoozabadi A, AIChE J., 44(5), 1188 (1998)

[5] Srivastava RK, Huang SS, Dyer SB, Mourits FM, JCPT, 34, 31 (1995)

[6] Wang JX, Predicting Asphaltene Flocculation in Crude Oils, PhD Thesis, NMIMT, Socorro (2000)

[7] Zekri AY, Shedid SA, Alkashef H, SPE Permion Basis Oil and Gas Recovery Conference, Midland, TX, SPE 70050 (2001)

[8] Nakhli H, Alizadeh A, Moqadam MS, Afshari S, Kharrat R, Ghazanfari MH, JPSE, 78, 384 (2011)

[9] Soulgani BS, Rashtchian D, Iran. J. Chem. Eng., 29, 131 (2010)

[10] Wiehe IA, Preprints of AIChE international conference on petroleum phase behavior and fouling, Third International Symposium on the Thermodynamics of Asphaltenes and Heavy Oils (1999)

[11] Hassanvand M, Shahsavani B, Anooshe A, J. Petroleum Tech. and Alternative Fuels, 3, 8 (2012)

[12] Alizadeh A, Nakhli H, Kharrat R, Ghazanfari MH, JPST, 29, 1054 (2011)

[13] Emadi A, Sohrabi M, Jamiolahmady M, Ireland S, Robertson G, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 89(9A), 1783 (2011)

[14] Holt T, Lindeberg E, Wessel-Berg D, Energy Procedia, 1, 4159 (2009)

[15] Hirschberg A, deJong LNJ, Schipper BA, Meijer JG, SPE J., 24, 283 (1984)

[16] Soave G, Chem. Eng. Sci., 27, 1197 (1972)

[17] Kawanaka S, Park SJ, Mansoori GA, SPE Res. Eng., 6, 185 (1991)

[18] Cimino R, Correra S, Sacomani PA, Carniani C, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, San Antonio, Texas, USA, SPE 28993 (1995)

[19] Thomas FB, Bennion DB, Bennion DW, Hunter BE, JCPT, 31, 22 (1992)

[20] Nghiem LX, Hassam MS, Nutakki R, George AED, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, USA, SPE 26642 (1993)

[21] Nghiem LX, Coombe DA, SPE J., 2, 170 (1997)

[22] Nghiem LX, Coombe DA, Farouq Ali SM, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, USA, SPE 48996 (1998)

[23] Leontaritis KJ, Mansoori GA, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, San Antonio, Texas, USA, SPE 16258 (1987)

[24] Du JL, Zhang D, JPST, 22, 1023 (2004)

[25] de Boer RB, Leerlooyer K, Eigner MRP, Van Bergen ARD, SPE Prod. Facilities J., 10, 55 (1995)

[26] Standard Test Method for Separation of Asphalt into Four Fractions, ASTM D4124-09 (2009)

[27] Stankiewicz AB, Flannery MD, Fuex NA, Broze G, Couch JL, Dubey ST, Iyer SD, Ratulowski J, Westerich JT, AIChE Spring National Meeting, New Orleans, 47, 410 (2002)

[28] Jamaluddin AKM, Creek J, Kabir CS, SPE Asia Pacific Improved Oil Recovery Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, SPE 72154 (2001)

[29] Standard Test Method for Determination of Asphaltenes (Heptane Insolubles) in Crude Petroleum and Petroleum Products, ASTM D6560-00, 143.1 (2000)

[30] Peramanu S, Clarke PF, Pruden B, JPSE, 23, 133 (1999)