Asphaltene Deposition during CO2 Injection and Pressure Depletion: A Visual Study

Carbon dioxide miscible flooding has become a popular method for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) because it not only efficiently enhances oil recovery but also considerably reduces green house gas emissions. However, it can significantly cause asphaltene deposition, which leads to serious production problems such as wettability alteration, plugging of the reservoir formation, blocking the transportation pipelines, etc. It is crucial to investigate the effects of different factors on asphaltene deposition. A novel experimental setup was prepared to employ a high-pressure visual cell for investigation of asphaltene deposition on a model rock under typical reservoir conditions. The evolution of asphaltene deposition was monitored via a high-resolution microscope. Image processing software was utilized to check the amount of deposited asphaltene and its size distribution under different conditions. Crudes from two Iranian oil fields were used in the experiments. The amount of asphaltene deposition was measured du...

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