Experimental Studies to Predict the Risks of Asphaltene Precipitation During the Extraction of Hard-To-Recover Oil Reserves

Asphaltene flocculation and precipitation are the cause of a number of complications in oil production, including a decrease in the filtration-capacitive properties of the reservoir and bottomhole zone, the formation of highly viscous emulsions, and the formation of high-molecular organic and complex deposits. When designing physicochemical technologies for oil production, it is necessary to take into account the phase behavior of the oil dispersed system, including predicting the effect of process parameters and reagents on the stability of asphaltenes in oil. In the process of long-term development of a deposit, the heterogeneity of the reservoir system increases and, accordingly, obtaining experimental data on the stability of asphaltenes in oil is an urgent task for preventing technological risks at the stage of designing technologies for long-term developed deposits. Experimental studies on the analysis of asphaltene stability were carried out using oil samples taken from 23 wells of 3 fields. All fields have been developed for a long time and are characterized by heterogeneity of deposits in area and section. The obtained data are summarized in the form of graphs and diagrams reflecting the heterogeneity of the response of the oil dispersed system to external influences. Interpretation of the obtained results revealed the dependence of the colloidal stability of oil on its structural-group composition. The research results can be used in the design of physical and chemical technologies, minimization of technological risks associated with asphaltene precipitation and selection of wells objects for implementation.

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