Examining Asphaltene Solubility on Deposition in Model Porous Media

Lin, Yu-Jiun; He, Peng; Tavakkoli, Mohammad; Mathew, Nevin Thunduvila; Yap, Yit Fatt; Chai, John C.; Goharzadeh, Afshin; Vargas, Francisco M.; Biswal, Sibani Lisa

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b02376

Cited by 69 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The most common mathematical models used to model asphaltene behavior will be mentioned in this research, along with some of their limitations. Flow of bitumen in nanofluidic tubes Asphaltene aggregates can limit oil flow and create air pockets Mozaffari et al (2016) Heavy crude oil rheology and flow Solvent-to-bitumen ratio played a strong role in pore plugging Lin et al (2016) Effect of asphaltene solubility on deposition in microchannels…”

Section: Micro-and Nanofluidicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical review of asphaltene properties and factors impacting its stability in crude oil

Fakher

Ahdaya

Elturki

et al. 2019

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

160

111

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Asphaltene is a component of crude oil that has been reported to cause severe problems during production and transportation of the oil from the reservoir. It is a solid component of the oil that has different structures and molecular makeup which makes it one of the most complex components of the oil. This research provides a detailed review of asphaltene properties, characteristics, and previous studies to construct a guideline to asphaltene and its impact on oil recovery. The research begins with an explanation of the main components of crude oil and their relation to asphaltene. The method by which asphaltene is quantified in the crude oil is then explained. Due to its different structures, asphaltene has been modeled using different models all of which are then discussed. All chemical analysis methods that have been used to characterize and study asphaltene are then mentioned and the most commonly used method is shown. Asphaltene will pass through several phases in the reservoir beginning from its stability phase up to its deposition in the pores, wellbore, and facilities. All these phases are explained, and the reason they may occur is mentioned. Following this, the methods by which asphaltene can damage oil recovery are presented. Asphaltene rheology and flow mechanism in the reservoir are then explained in detail including asphaltene onset pressure determination and significance and the use of micro-and nanofluidics to model asphaltene. Finally, the mathematical models, previous laboratory, and oilfield studies conducted to evaluate asphaltene are discussed. This research will help increase the understanding of asphaltene and provide a guideline to properly study and model asphaltene in future studies.

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Section: Micro-and Nanofluidicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical review of asphaltene properties and factors impacting its stability in crude oil

Fakher

Ahdaya

Elturki

et al. 2019

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

160

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Visual observation and image processing methods enable researchers to investigate the asphaltene deposition profile in porous media. The flow pattern around deposited asphaltene can also be studied using microfluidic systems …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental approach to investigating permeability reduction caused by solvent‐induced asphaltene deposition in porous media

Kordestany

Abedi

2018

Can J Chem Eng

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Permeability reduction resulting from asphaltene deposition in porous media needs to be accounted for by reservoir simulators. Two questions have to be answered in order to quantify the reduction in permeability. The first question is how much asphaltene is deposited in porous media and the second one is how much permeability reduction is associated with a certain amount of asphaltene deposition. This article focuses on answering the latter by conducting laboratory experiments. Sand packs with known porosity, permeability, and sand grain size distribution were saturated with oil. Heptane was used to flood the oil‐saturated sand packs. After flooding with heptane, each sand pack was divided into ten smaller sand packs and the permeability of each small sand pack as well as the amount of deposited asphaltene in each one of them were measured. A method was developed to quantify the amount of deposited asphaltene within different cross sections of the sand packs. Results have been reported in terms of the mass of asphaltene in milligrams deposited on one gram of sand grain. The formation damage factor for each sand pack segment has been reported as the ratio between the permeability of the segment before extracting asphaltene to its permeability after extracting asphaltene. This ratio varied between 0.4–0.9. Asphaltene deposition varied between 1–20 mg/1 g of sand grain. Comparing the experimental results with the result predicted by one of the current correlations showed that the correlation does not accurately predict permeability reduction.

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“…Using micromodels to mimic these complex porestructures, unique insights are gained by visualizing pore-level dynamic events between the different fluid phases and the media 6,7,8,9,10,11 . The fabrication of traditional silica-based micromodels is expensive, time consuming, and challenging, yet constructing micromodels from optical adhesive offers a relatively inexpensive, fast, and easy alternative 12,13,14,15 . Compared with other polymer-based micromodels, optical adhesive exhibits more stable surface wetting properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications

Vavra

Zeng

Xiao

et al. 2018

JoVE

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Microfluidic devices are versatile tools for studying transport processes at a microscopic scale. A demand exists for microfluidic devices that are resistant to low molecular-weight oil components, unlike traditional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices. Here, we demonstrate a facile method for making a device with this property, and we use the product of this protocol for examining the pore-scale mechanisms by which foam recovers crude oil. A pattern is first designed using computer-aided design (CAD) software and printed on a transparency with a high-resolution printer. This pattern is then transferred to a photoresist via a lithography procedure. PDMS is cast on the pattern, cured in an oven, and removed to obtain a mold. A thiol-ene crosslinking polymer, commonly used as an optical adhesive (OA), is then poured onto the mold and cured under UV light. The PDMS mold is peeled away from the optical adhesive cast. A glass substrate is then prepared, and the two halves of the device are bonded together. Optical adhesive-based devices are more robust than traditional PDMS microfluidic devices. The epoxy structure is resistant to swelling by many organic solvents, which opens new possibilities for experiments involving light organic liquids. Additionally, the surface wettability behavior of these devices is more stable than that of PDMS. The construction of optical adhesive microfluidic devices is simple, yet requires incrementally more effort than the making of PDMS-based devices. Also, though optical adhesive devices are stable in organic liquids, they may exhibit reduced bond-strength after a long time. Optical adhesive microfluidic devices can be made in geometries that act as 2-D micromodels for porous media. These devices are applied in the study of oil displacement to improve our understanding of the pore-scale mechanisms involved in enhanced oil recovery and aquifer remediation.

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Examining Asphaltene Solubility on Deposition in Model Porous Media

Cited by 69 publications

References 44 publications

Critical review of asphaltene properties and factors impacting its stability in crude oil

Critical review of asphaltene properties and factors impacting its stability in crude oil

An experimental approach to investigating permeability reduction caused by solvent‐induced asphaltene deposition in porous media

Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications

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