Novel Nanoparticle-Based Formulation to Mitigate Asphaltene Deposition

Abstract

Asphaltene precipitation and subsequent deposition are challenging problems that hinder continuous crude oil production worldwide. Although this is a long-standing and complex problem and many efforts have been devoted to its mitigation, there is no commercial "one size fits all" type of product to reduce asphaltene deposition to date. In this work, a systematic investigation was conducted to assess the performance of commercial asphaltene inhibitors that are commonly used to disperse asphaltenes upon precipitation. In addition to their dispersion performance, each chemical was also tested by use of a packed bed column apparatus to evaluate its ability to reduce asphaltene deposition on carbon steel at high temperatures and under dynamic conditions. It was observed that the best dispersant performed very poorly on the deposition tests and the worst dispersant was a more effective deposition inhibitor. This observation highlights the limitation of dispersion tests for asphaltene deposition inhibitor screening. As a result, a novel nanoparticle-based formulation was proposed for the first time to reduce asphaltene deposition. The optimal formulation contains titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles and a surfactant dispersed in aromatic naphtha, used as a carrier. After dissolution of this mixture in oil, the final blend contains 2000 ppm active ingredients, which are readily available commodity products. The proposed formulation reduced asphaltene deposition on carbon steel by 90% with respect to the blank experiment with no active ingredients. With this work, we aim to provide valuable knowledge and tools to develop cost-effective strategies to mitigate the long-standing asphaltene deposition problem. It is clear that the qualification process used to screen chemicals must be changed from dispersion analysis to actual asphaltene deposition tests, such as the ones conducted as part of this study.

Asphaltene Precipitation/Deposition Estimation and Inhibition through Nanotechnology: A Comprehensive Review

“…These nanoparticles are designed to have nanometer-sized dimensions and are intended to interact with asphaltenes, inhibiting their aggregation and deposition. They can be synthesized using various techniques, and their performance is based on specific surface and chemical properties [214,215].…”

Inhibiting asphaltenes from agglomeration by controlling the length of aliphatic branches and polarity of anions in imidazolyl ionic liquid polymers

“…In principle, chemical inhibitors can inhibit asphaltene precipitation and reduce the amount of asphaltene deposit at different level. So far, the reported chemical inhibitors can be classified as small molecules, 14–16 nanoparticles, 17–20 and polymers 21–24 . Small molecules mainly include natural fatty acids 14 and synthetic surfactants 25,26 .…”

Investigating the effect of TiO2-based nanofluids in the stability of crude oil flow: parametric analysis and Gaussian process regression modeling

“…the presence of asphaltene in crude can lead to significant operational and production issues (Chala et al 2018). Hence, serious research efforts have been made to investigate its effects and possibilities of mitigating its effects (Khaleel et al 2020;Enayat et al 2021). Asphaltene deposition after CO 2 injection in conventional oil reservoirs has been the subject of several investigations (Enayat et al 2021).…”

“…Hence, serious research efforts have been made to investigate its effects and possibilities of mitigating its effects (Khaleel et al 2020;Enayat et al 2021). Asphaltene deposition after CO 2 injection in conventional oil reservoirs has been the subject of several investigations (Enayat et al 2021). Studies have shown that an increase in pressure below CO 2 minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) causes asphaltene deposition in sandstone to increase, while above CO 2 MMP an increase in pressure causes asphaltene deposition to decrease (Soroush et al 2014).…”