Predict of rate of asphaltene deposition in flowing system using fouling models in heat exchangers

Asphaltene deposition is one of the main problems in asphaltenic oil fields.The aim of this work presents a model for predicting the rate of asphaltene deposition in flowing system. The model should be able to predict the effect of velocity, temperature on deposition rate. To study of asphaltene deposition in flowing system, a flow assurance type setup is needed. The models were used for measuring the rate of asphaltene deposition is based on fouling models for heat exchanger.These models have two terms, the deposition and removal terms. The deposition terms are the same in the all of the models but the rate of removal is described either by shear-related or mass-transfer related expressions.The results of data fitting show that there are good agreement between the predicted thickness and the experimental value.