Integration of asphaltenes flocculation modeling into Athos reservoir simulator

Abstract

To respond to the ever-growing needs of reservoir simulation studies in a large range of applications, it has been considered necessary to integrate an asphaltenes flocculation model into the Athos software. Athos is a multipurpose simulator which provides a lot of different physical options. Operating companies wish to have available predictive tools, allowing them to plan a reservoir production when the asphaltenic crude it contains could induce porosity and permeability reduction. These companies can thus plan pressure maintenance technologies in order to avoid risks related to asphaltenes flocculation out of the reservoir crude. In the case of deep offshore reservoirs, the economic consequences of such strategies can be of primary importance. The work presented here describes procedures which have been implemented in order to compute asphaltene flocculation conditions within the Athos software. It is thus possible to determine the amount of asphaltenes deposit at different stages of a reservoir or of a field development. This would obviously improve the knowledge of porosity and permeability variation as a result of asphaltenes flocculation, and thus lead to a more reliable evaluation of the oil production.