Asphaltene Precipitation/Deposition Estimation and Inhibition through Nanotechnology: A Comprehensive Review
Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin,
Daniel Montes-Pinzon,
Mariana Meneses Motta da Silva,
Erik Montes-Paez,
Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin,
Raúl Salinas-Silva,
Stefanny Camacho-Galindo,
Elizabete Fernandes Lucas,
Alexandre Szklo
Affiliations
Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin
LOTEP—Laboratório de Operações e Tecnologias Energéticas Aplicadas na Indústria do Petróleo, Faculty of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Pará, Salinópolis 68040-255, Brazil
Daniel Montes-Pinzon
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Mariana Meneses Motta da Silva
Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc, Hungary
Erik Montes-Paez
Petroleum Engineering School, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin
Fundación de Educación Superior San José, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Raúl Salinas-Silva
Fundación de Educación Superior San José, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Stefanny Camacho-Galindo
Fundación de Educación Superior San José, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Elizabete Fernandes Lucas
Programa de Engenharia Metalúrgica e de Materiais/COPPE/LAPOL, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Horácio Macedo, 2030, bloco F, Rio de Janeiro 21941-598, Brazil
Alexandre Szklo
Centre for Energy and Environmental Economics (Cenergia), Energy Planning Program (PPE), COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-917, Brazil
Asphaltene precipitation/deposition is considered a problem of formation damage, which can reduce the oil recovery factor. In addition, asphaltenes can be deposited in pipelines and surface installations, causing serious complications in guaranteeing runoff, decreasing the production of oil wells. The precipitation of asphaltenes can be minimized by reducing the oil production flowrate or by using chemical inhibitors. Analyzing the stability and precipitation trend of asphaltenes in petroleum is vital for the guarantee of flow. For this purpose, several experimental and numerical methods have been proposed. Once the risk of precipitation is established, strategies can be formulated for the prevention and diagnosis of deposition problems in production or production training. The tests can be performed with dead oil, available in the wellhead, and help in understanding the behavior of the asphaltenes. This review aims to present (i) the problem related to the precipitation of asphaltenes; (ii) thermodynamic models of asphaltene precipitation; and (iii) asphaltene inhibition, control, and removal techniques using nanoparticles.
