LAUSR

Precipitation and deposition of asphaltene in reservoir rock can cause formation damage and reduce the fluid mobility, resulting in significant loss of hydrocarbon production. A detailed study on asphaltene deposition behavior in porous media improves the understanding of asphaltene-induced formation damage and provides the possible solutions for preventing and/or controlling formation damage. For advancements in understanding asphaltene deposition in fractured porous media, asphaltene deposition behavior was analyzed with the help of pore level observations during hydrocarbon solvent injection. Three types of hydrocarbon solvents (nC5, nC7, and nC12) were used for solvent injection for extra-heavy oil recovery (30 000 cP at 22 °C). A uniquely designed heterogeneous-fractured micromodel imitating the fractured porous media was used for pore level observation. A high-quality camera along with a microscope was utilized to capture images. SEM analysis was also performed on precipitated asphaltene to visualiz...