Modified Asphaltene Capillary Deposition Unit: A Novel Approach to Inhibitor Screening

Asphaltene deposition in capillaries is a tool that has been used in an attempt to better understand asphaltene deposition in the field. However, data reproducibility and inhibitor ranking present some challenges with this technique. An improved asphaltene capillary deposition unit and a novel experimental protocol were developed to address these problems and are presented here. Using untreated Gulf of Mexico oil, the current study generated reproducible amounts of asphaltene deposit inside the capillary. It further identified the fact that residual oil inside the capillary tube can be a limitation to inhibitor selection. Evaluating the amount of asphaltene depositing in the capillary as a function of time proved successful in addressing this issue and led to inhibitor performance differentiation.