Modeling the Effect of Asphaltene on the Development of the Marrat Field

Abstract

This paper describes the study of the effect of asphaltene precipitation and deposition on the development of the Marrat field<br>using a compositional simulation model with asphaltene modeling facilities.The model enables the simulation of asphaltene<br>precipitation, flocculation, and deposition including adsorption, plugging, and entrainment, and the resulting reduction in<br>porosity and permeability and changes in oil viscosity and rock wettability. A workflow was established in the study to i)<br>characterize the equation of state (EOS) by analyzing the fluid PVT and asphaltene data from the lab; ii) calibrate the<br>asphaltene model input parameters using the core flood experimental data; and iii) incorporate the EOS and the asphaltene<br>parameters into the full field simulation model.