Asphaltene Deposition in Production Facilities

Summary Asphaltene deposition in the tubing and production facilities caused operational problems in the Ula reservoir. Laboratory and field studies were carried out to determine the point of asphaltene precipitation. Laboratory observations were made on the regimes of deposition as a function of decreasing pressure down to and below the bubblepoint of "live" crude oil samples. The tubing areas affected by deposition in the field corresponded to those identified in the laboratory and by subsequent pressure and temperature modeling of the wells. Large asphaltene deposits were also found in the production separators.