Permeability Impairment Study Due to Asphaltene Deposition: Experimental and Modeling Approach

Abstract

This fact is well known that during any scenario of production, asphaltene deposition in porous media has a substantial effect on oil flow. But a clear understanding of asphaltene deposition mechanisms can help to minimize asphaltenic problem in oil-bearing formations. In this study, the experimental results of three dynamic CO2 miscible injection tests were investigated. Regarding the effects of adsorption, mechanical entrapment, and sweeping mechanisms on permeability behavior, a mathematical mass and permeability variation model were developed. According to the experimental results asphaltene deposition causes a 70% loss of sand stone initial permeability while the loss is significantly low in carbonate cores, about 30%. The model validation shows that the main particulate processes of Asphaltene deposition in sandstone cores are the cake forming and adsorption while in the case of carbonate cores, are the gradual pore blocking and pore sweeping. Obtained results from mass model provide that entrainment and deposition coefficients in square mass model lead to a more flexible trend than the linear variation of general model.