Study of Asphaltene Deposition in Porous Media due to Carbon Dioxide Injection

Asphaltene deposition is common problem in petroleum industy during oil production, transportation and refining processes. The deposition of asphaltene in petroleum reservoir during production can cause formation damage and productivity decline. In this study, the kinetics of deposition of asphaltene from oil during CO2 flooding has been studied experimentally and theoretically. An experimental setup designed for studying the asphaltene deposition in porous media and its effect on petrophysical properties of media due to carbon dioxide injection.The set-up is designed to work under representative reservoir conditions up to 15000 psi and 120 ºC. This setup is a high-pressure, high-temperature coreflood with the main part of high-pressure cylinder that can be placed by the core or sandpack.The results showed that asphaltene deposition in porous media increases the pressure drop and decreases the permeability of the medium. Injection rate, temperature and concentration of CO2 and asphaltene have the main effect on the asphaltene deposition process. The asphaltene deposition increases as temperature and concentration increase.