Productivity Decline of Vertical and Horizontal Wells by Asphaltene Deposition in Petroleum Reservoirs

Abstract

Abstract Asphaltene precipitation and deposition models were established and verified by typical experimental data. These models, the porosity and permeability reduction models, and the asphaltene mass balance equation were incorporated into a three-dimensional, three-phase black-oil simulator. Two typical cases involving asphaltene deposition in petroleum reservoirs associated with vertical and horizontal wells were investigated using the simulator. During the three-year period of production, the productivity index declined more than 50 % for both the vertical and horizontal wells. The pattern of asphaltene deposition in the reservoir with a horizontal well was found to be different from that in the reservoir with a vertical well.