Analysis of wellbore clogging by asphaltene deposition using interaction energies

Abstract

Well columns could be prone to deposition of asphaltene with severe detrimental impacts. The goal of the current work was to determine how asphaltene particles that interact with casing surfaces may clog the well columns. Objectives such as whether asphaltene deposition forms at a certain depth of the wellbore and also the impact of particle size, production rate, and casing material on the probability of wellbore clogging have been considered. To do so, the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XLDVO) interaction theory and surface properties were investigated in relation to the depth of well column based on measurements of the contact angle for interacting asphaltene-crude oil-casing systems. The findings of this investigation revealed that it is possible to determine if asphaltene deposition takes place at a specific depth of the well column. Additionally, the sticking probability of asphaltene particles was used to statistically and qualitatively predict the impact of casing substrate, production rate, and asphaltene particle size on the well column's clogging profile. The results indicate that when production rate and asphaltene particle size increase, a thinner layer of asphaltene deposits would be expected. Accordingly, the clogging risk decreased at least 60% with a three-fold increase in particle size from 500 nm to 1.5 µm.