Characterization and multiphase flow of Oil/CO2 systems in porous media focusing on asphaltene precipitation: A systematic review
Simin Tazikeh, Omid Mohammadzadeh, Sohrab Zendehboudi
Abstract
CO 2 injection is a well-known and highly efficient enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique. In this method, undesirable asphaltene precipitation and deposition may occur at upstream and downstream facilities. Inhibition, controlling, and mitigating the asphaltene precipitation phenomenon are important steps to optimize the design and operation of this recovery process. Therefore, studying various physicochemical and thermodynamic properties as well as characterization methods of Oil/CO 2 /Asphaltene mixtures in porous and pipeline systems are of great interest to petroleum industry . Predicting and controlling the rheology and phase behavior of a multiphase system can be achieved by experimental and modeling studies. Various asphaltene precipitation and deposition experiments have been implemented for wide ranges of pressure, temperature, and composition in different media to evaluate asphaltene precipitation envelope, asphaltene precipitation amount, the effect of thermodynamic and textural properties on asphaltene precipitation/deposition phenomena, and associated formation damage. In addition to the experimental studies, a large number of modeling studies have been focused on transport phenomena through porous media while experiencing asphaltene precipitation/deposition problems. This review paper aims to comprehensively study the properties and characterization methods of Oil/CO 2 /Asphaltene systems. Moreover, a brief review of the previous experimental and modeling studies of Oil/CO 2 /Asphaltene systems is provided, focusing on various asphaltene precipitation and deposition models and mechanisms. Future research should focus on developing novel multi-scale experimental techniques that better simulate realistic reservoir conditions, along with advanced hybrid predictive models that combine effective approaches such as machine learning and molecular dynamics to more accurately capture asphaltene behavior in complex systems. The outcomes of the present study confirm that CO 2 injection can be an efficient technique for inhibiting asphaltene precipitation and deposition during EOR methods.