Asphaltene Flow Assurance: Modeling Phase Behavior and Deposition in Crude Oil Systems

Simulation of flow assurance issues in the energy industry requires accurate modeling of fluid properties and phase behavior as well as deposition rate.  This requires tuning of an appropriate equation of state and transport model to laboratory data.  Successes in tuning the PC-SAFT equation of state to model asphaltene phase behavior are discussed.  Predictions related to live oil depressurization, gas injection and oil based mud contamination are presented.  Further, an asphaltene deposition tool (ADEPT) to predict deposition flux is described with an example application.