Modeling of heavy organic deposition

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5913482· OSTI ID:5913482

Chung, F T.H.

Organic deposition is often a major problem in petroleum production and processing. This problem is manifested by current activities in gas flooding and heavy oil production. The need for understanding the nature of asphaltenes and asphaltics and developing solutions to the deposition problem is well recognized. Prediction technique is crucial to solution development. In the past 5 years, some progress in modeling organic deposition has been made. A state-of-the-art review of methods for modeling organic deposition is presented in this report. Two new models were developed in this work; one based on a thermodynamic equilibrium principle and the other on the colloidal stability theory. These two models are more general and realistic than others previously reported. Because experimental results on the characteristics of asphaltene are inconclusive, it is still not well known whether the asphaltenes is crude oil exist as a true solution or as a colloidal suspension. Further laboratory work which is designed to study the solubility properties of asphaltenes and to provide additional information for model development is proposed. Some experimental tests have been conducted to study the mechanisms of CO{sub 2}-induced asphaltene precipitation. Coreflooding experiments show that asphaltene precipitation occurs after gas breakthrough. The mechanism of CO{sub 2}-induced asphaltene precipitation is believed to occur by hydrocarbon extraction which causes change in oil composition. Oil swelling due to CO{sub 2} solubilization does not induce asphaltene precipitation.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Petroleum and Energy Research, Bartlesville, OK (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FC22-83FE60149
• OSTI ID: 5913482
• Report Number(s): NIPER-555; ON: DE92001016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
020400 -- Petroleum-- Processing
ASPHALTENES
ASPHALTS
BITUMENS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DEPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TAR
THERMODYNAMICS