Study the performance of solvents for the traitment of asphaltene deposits in the field of Hassi Messaoud
Despite the fact that Algerian crude oil contains only small quantities of asphaltenes. These are the heaviest and most polar fraction of crude oil. These compounds are responsible for the formation of deposits due to their strong tendency to self-aggregation. The deposit of asphaltenes represents a serious problem for the operation of many wells in the Hassi Messaoud field. This problem severely affects the production operations and generates a significant increase in costs due to the prevention and removal of deposits. Based on the SARA analysis and the analysis of the oil composition, asphaltene deposition envelope is built using PIPESIM software which allowed us to locate the asphaltene deposition area. Finally, the cleaning by several organic aromatic solvents were tested: Reformate, Naphtha, and Xylene. These were moved through the porous medium to evaluate their effectiveness as a suitable solvent to treat these deposits. Based on these studies, reformat was selected as the best dispersant carrier.