Best Engineering Practices for Asphaltenes Challenges Mitigations at Oil and Gas Production Facilities

Abstract

Abstract Asphaltens presence in the reservoir fluid has great implications on downhole as well as surface facilities. These problems are not only related to production impact, but also significant integrity as well as surface facilities operational challenges are seen to affect the upstream oil and gas production facilities. Handling the asphaltenes rich fluid brings inherent challenges with it starting from well bore to the production facilities. Adequate engineering solutions need to be integrated into the design of production facilities as well as wellhead equipment which would greatly enhance production efficiency while successfully facing asphaltens challenges. The nature of asphaltens as well as their growth rate are not very well understood due to their complex chemistry with different hydrocarbons. Therefore there will not be a 100% success while managing the asphaltens, however these proactive steps would upto great extent would reduce the downtime and other asphaltene related impacts. This paper presents an effective way to address asphaltenes challenges as faced by surface and subsurface facilities in oil and gas production operations. Best industry practices for mitigating asphaltenes related challenges, which not only sustained the production but also enhanced asset integrity performance, have been presented for experience sharing and enhancing the asphaltenes handling capability. The reservoirs with asphaltenes presence are quite difficult to handle and maintain due to complicated nature of asphaltens, which result into various problems with downhole as well as surface facilities. These problems result into scales blockage of well bore and flow lines thus causing blocked flow and in most of the cases complete seizure of wells fluid flow.