Asphaltene onset pressure measurement and calculation techniques: A review

Abstract

Asphaltene precipitation can result in several production, operational, and transportation problems during oil recovery. If asphaltene precipitates and deposits, it can reduce reservoir permeability, damage wellbore equipment, and plug the pipelines. It is therefore extremely important to evaluate the conditions at which asphaltene precipitation occurs; this is referred to as the asphaltene onset pressure. Asphaltene onset pressure has been measured using many different experimental techniques. There have also been many attempts along the years to predict asphaltene onset pressure using mathematical correlations and models. This research provides an up-to-date comprehensive review of the methods by which asphaltene onset pressure can be measured using laboratory experiments and mathematical models. The research explains the main mechanisms of all the laboratory experiments to measure asphaltene onset pressure under static conditions and how to conduct them and highlights the advantages and limitations of each method. The research also provides a summary of the commonly used mathematical models to quantify asphaltene onset pressure directly and indirectly.