Gas hydrates, wax and asphaltenes constitute the main elements of the challenges encountered in flow assurance. Asphaltenes is the heaviest and most polarizable fraction of the oil and is one of the major flow assurance problems that can occur at different stages of production. Asphaltene deposition may occur in the near wellbore region, production tubing, pipelines and processing equipment. The mechanisms by which asphaltenes precipitate and deposit have been subjects of research for several decades and although important progress has been made, many of the solutions that are tried in the field are case specific. Gas hydrates is a growing field of study due to its importance in oil/gas production, gas exploration from permafrost and oceanic environments, energy storage and transportation, and carbon sequestration. In this session authors from industry and academia will present the latest advances on the mechanistic understanding in asphaltenes, wax and hydrates. By combining the fundamental understanding of this problem and the experience in the field we aim to provide the cost effective solutions that the industry requires nowadays.

Topical 9: 5^th International Conference on Upstream Engineering and Flow Assurance