Laboratory evaluation experimental techniques of asphaltene precipitation and deposition controlling chemical additives

Asphaltene precipitation and its subsequent deposition is one of the major flow assurance problems of oil industry. This issue could arise in upstream and downstream sectors. There are various ways being proposed over the years by different researchers and oil companies for its prevention and treatment. Among these methods, chemical treatment is one of the most common techniques applied in troublesome zones. Chemical treatment is the most used and preferred method because of its flexibility in terms of injecting wide variety of chemical recipes, applicability in locations where other techniques could not operate and yield high efficiency. In order to make a chemical treatment method a success, it is extremely important that chemicals to be selected for field applications must be screened properly through various Laboratory experimental techniques. In this research work, review of existing experimental techniques, along with their advantages and drawbacks, applied to evaluate the performance of chemical additives is carried out. Different functions of chemical additives and the experimental method through which each chemical role can be studied are also discussed. The governing factors which could impact the performance of chemical additives are also mentioned. Finally, the technical limitations and challenges associated with chemical treatment are discussed in detail. The study will help operating companies and their associated service providers to prepare effective chemical treatment plan, based on the reliable selection of chemical additives through various laboratory techniques, for controlling asphaltene precipitation and deposition problems.