Asphaltene precipitation and VAPEX process
In vapor extraction or VAPEX, solvents are used to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil and bitumen as an alternative to thermal processes such as SAGD. VAPEX performance can be significantly impacted by asphaltene precipitation including reduced permeability and plugging of the formation.
The recent publication, SPE 121988, Partial Movement of Asphaltene in Presence of Connate Water in Vapex Process , reviews research where experiments were conducted in sandpacks using 2D visual cells to assess the performance of Vapex process when asphaltene precipitation occurs. There results indicated to me that careful planning and simulation of the VAPEX process in-situ is required to understand where asphaltene precipitation can actually improve recovery vs. accelerate formation plugging. To learn more about VAPEX or asphaltenes, I invite you to review the below related information.
Kambiz.
