Predicting Asphaltene Deposition Profile by an Integrated Model

The deposition of asphaltene causes major problems with flow assurance and can severely limit production capacity. The integration of asphaltene precipitation and deposition is necessary for an accurate forecast of asphaltene blockage throughout the wellbore due to the complexity of asphaltene deposition, which involves many processes operating simultaneously. By creating an integrated model for asphaltene deposition, this study examines the process of asphaltene deposition in an oil well that produces from a Mishrif reservoir in Iraq. The aim of this research is to create an integrated model that combines a thermal-hydrodynamic mechanistic model with asphaltene thermodynamic precipitation and transportation models. The proposed model predicted the asphaltene deposition profile along the wellbore (asphaltene deposition thickness and depth). A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine factors including wellhead pressure, tubing diameter, reservoir pressure, water cut and GOR that influence how severe the blockage is. The suggested model has a notable degree of sensitivity to wellhead pressure, tubing diameter and reservoir pressure (maximum reduction in asphaltene deposition is 1 mm by reservoir pressure reduction) and a lesser degree of sensitivity to water cut and GOR (minimum reduction in asphaltene deposition is 0.1 mm by GOR increasing). Additionally, sensitivity analysis showed that the deposition thickness of asphaltene reduces with decreasing wellhead pressure, tubing diameter and water cut and the thickness increases with decreasing reservoir pressure and GOR. The simulation method presented in this study offers a thorough comprehension of the problems with wellbore flow assurance brought on by asphaltene deposition, which in turn offers helpful insights for enhancing production performance estimates.