Model for Permeability Reduction Due to Asphaltene Formation Damage with an Approach to Filtration Theories

Although there have been several models for predicting the asphaltene-induced permeability reduction, the present study investigates the hydrodynamic effects of asphaltene deposition in the porous media with a novel and partially analytical approach. In order to find the amount of permeability reduction, we have modeled the variations of hydraulic radius. The main idea for modeling the permeability reduction is the fact that by deposition of the particles, the available void space is reduced. Also, the drag force between the particles and the fluid reduces the flow potential. In this paper, using the size variation of the asphaltene particles during flocculation, with assuming that the size distribution is equal inside and outside the porous medium, permeability reduction is obtained and matches with the existing experimental results. Modeling is done using MATLAB and a code is written for calculating the permeability reduction due to formation damage. This model is partially analytical and do not use numerical estimations, thus it is flexible to be applied for other formation damage problems. In addition, this modeling can predict the deposition process if the changes of the particle size distribution is known as a function of time.