OPTIMIZATION OF PRODUCTION IN RESERVOIRS WITH ASPHALTENE PRECIPITATION AND IRREVERSIBLE FLOCCULATION

Abstract

Asphaltene deposition has a detrimental effect on various oil and gas operations, including oil extraction, transportation, and petroleum processing. Due to the considerable costs associated with processing asphaltene deposition in crude oil production, several techniques have been developed to assess asphaltene stability. The current study aims to develop a diagnostic approach to asphaltene deposits in the zone 1 of Hassi Messaoud oil field. Laboratory tests were conducted such as SARA analysis to study the properties of the reservoir fluids. The colloidal instability index (CII), the ratio of asphalt to resin, and the modified colloidal instability index (MCII) were employed to predict the stability of asphaltene in crude oil. For this research, samples of crude oil from the bottom of the MDZ547 and utilized to develop a thermodynamic model using the PIPSIM program to simulate reservoir behavior and predict the onset of asphaltene deposition using the asphaltene deposit envelope (ADE) and it was determined that the well was in the asphaltene precipitation phase. The SAPHIR program was employed to predict its sedimentation behavior and to evaluate the well performancethe skin had increased, indicating that the formation was damaged by sediment inside the pores. All findings obtained from the different techniques confirm the presence of an asphaltene (unstable asphalt) deposition issue. The results of this study will contribute to improve the production processes and ensure a smooth and continuous flow of oil in the Hassi Messaoud field.