Exploration of Novel Sacrificial Fluids for Asphaltene Adsorption Remediation

Abstract

One of the most extensively studied flow assurance issues in the petroleum industry is the precipitation and deposition of asphaltene. This is in part because of the molecular structure's intricacy and the interconnected elements that influence and regulate its activity. The injection of inhibitors and dispersants, which affect the economics of crude oil production, is now the most successful tactic used. Anywhere throughout the crude oil supply chain, from the reservoir through the tubing and refinery systems, there is an asphaltene concern. However, the area closest to the wellbore, where the greatest pressure decrease is seen, is the most prone to asphaltene adsorption and deposition. Thus, the goal of this study is to investigate how new sacrificial fluids might be used to reduce asphaltene adsorption and deposition around the wellbore. To prevent asphaltene from interacting with the rock surface and shifting the asphaltene problem into the tubing where its impact on wettability is low, the sacrificial fluid/rock ion-specific interactions are investigated. This is a groundbreaking attempt to relocate the asphaltene issue from the wellbore into the tubing, where it does not affect the reservoir's wettability. The performance test (adsorption inhibitive capacity), binding energy analysis, adsorption experiments (adsorption affinity, configuration, and mechanism), and fluid characterization (salinity tolerance, surface energy, interfacial tension) of the chosen novel fluids for asphaltene adsorption mitigation are presented. The investigation of ion-specific rock-fluid interactions offers great potential in the search for an effective answer to the asphaltene problem, according to the results. This is proven by the fluids’ levels of binding energy to carbonate rock samples and their capacity to prevent interactions between asphaltene molecules and the rock surface. These studies’ findings open a fresh perspective into the creation of an economical strategy to deal with asphaltene issues and their effects. This study is the first to investigate a long-term fix for wettability changes brought on by asphaltene adsorption on the mineral rock. This entails looking for a fluid that, when used as a remediation fluid in cases of asphaltene deposition, has a stronger affinity for the rock than asphaltene and has the potential to remove asphaltene. Additionally, for the first time in the state of the art of remediation fluid design, realistic environmental conditions are considered in the search for this fluid.