(650c) Modeling of Asphaltene Deposition In a Vertical Tubing

Asphaltene deposition
phenomena are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. A Couette device, where the inner cylinder rotates and
particles deposit on the outer wall, is used for laboratory studies of the
deposition process. The modeling approach, recently proposed by the authors
(Eskin et al.¹), is improved. The
deposition model is composed of the sub-models describing asphaltene
agglomerate growth and their transport to the wall. The agglomerate growth
model is simplified without reducing its accuracy and the more accurate
model of particle transport to the wall is employed. According to the
deposition model, tuned by the experimental data, only sub-micron asphaltene particles can deposit on the pipe wall and only
a very small fraction of particles touching the wall sticks to its
surface. Those phenomena are explained based on an analogy between the
deposition and water in oil emulsion stabilization by asphaltenes,
and on an analysis of interaction of asphaltene
molecules. The deposition model performance is illustrated by modeling of
oil production, accompanied with asphaltene
deposition, from a cylindrical reservoir through vertical tubing. The
calculations (see figure below), performed for a reservoir depleting over time,
demonstrate an excellent visual agreement with the filed data
reported in literature².  

References

1. Eskin D., Ratulowski J., Akbarzadeh K., Pan S. Modeling Asphaltene Deposition in Turbulent Pipeline Flows. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. 2011
(in Press).

2.
Haskett CE and Tartera M. A
practical solution of the problem to the asphaltene
deposits ? Hassi Messaoud
Field, Algeria. Journal of Petroleum Technology. 1965;
April: 387-391.