Asphaltene and Wax Formation

Analysis in a FPSO and in a

Refinery
Rodolfo Tellez Schmill
Product Champion - Petro-SIM Simulation

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Your presenter

Rodolfo Tellez-Schmill
Product Champion for Process
Simulation

2
 Outline
• Common issues caused by the precipitation of asphaltenes and waxes
• Asphaltene and wax modelling in Multiflash
• Thermodynamic setup in Petro-SIM
• Case studies:
• Asphaltenes and waxes in a FPSO facility
• Asphaltenes tracking and removal in a refinery
• Conclusions

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 Common issues caused by the
presence of asphaltenes
• Asphaltenes:
• Substantial amounts of resins and
asphaltenes will form a colloidal suspension
that may remain suspended indefinitely or
may flocculate forming larger particles which
settle and drop out.
• When asphaltenes precipitate they may form
a sticky accumulation.
• It has been reported that an infinitesimal
amount of asphaltene causes a noticeable
declining in the performance of refinery and
petrochemical units.

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 Common issues caused by the
presence of waxes
• Paraffin waxes:
• When temperature conditions are favorable,
waxes will form a solid phase that precipitates in
the form of crystals.
• Wax deposition increases pipeline roughness,
causing increase in pressure drop.
• Wax deposition occurring during crude oil
production causes serious problems, plugging
pipelines, well tubings, and process equipment.

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 Multiflash setup

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 Asphaltene and wax modelling in Multiflash
• Recommended data for asphaltene modelling by Multiflash:
• Compositional analysis of the oil.
• Amount of asphaltenes expressed in weight percent of these components precipitated
by n-heptane in the stock tank oil will suffice.

• Recommended data for wax modelling by Multiflash:

• Compositional analysis of the oil.
• Total amount of C20+ n-paraffins expressed in weight percent relative to stock tank oil
determined using the industrial standard UOP Method 46.

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 Required lab report
Reservoir fluid summary report

Stock tank oil properties Method

Paraffin content 6.6 wt% UOP 46-85

Wax appearance temperature 124 oF CPM

Asphaltene content 11.1 wt% ASTM D 4055-01

Methods:
• UOP 46-85: Paraffin Wax Content of Petroleum Oils and Asphalts.
• CPM: Cross Polarization Microscopy.
• ASTM D 4055-01: Standard Test Method for Pentane Insolubles by Membrane Filtration.

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 Multiflash setup for asphaltenes and wax based on lab report

Taken to be precipitated by n-heptane. If lab

report is based on precipitation by n-pentane,
assume a factor of 0.5 to correct for n-heptane
soluble asphaltenes.

This box requires to be checked off to model

wax in the oil.

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 Multiflash generates hypo-components to model asphaltenes and wax

Non-praffins hypo-components

Resins hypo-components

Paraffins hypo-components

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 Thermodynamic setup in Petro-SIM

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 Basis environment in Petro-SIM
Multiflash file is selected as the property package in the Basis Environment

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 Basis environment in Petro-SIM
Multiflash transfers standard and hypo components to Petro-SIM

MF
analyses
fluid in a
dry basis

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 Hypo-components for asphaltene in Petro-SIM
Hypo-component generated by Multiflash to model asphaltenes:

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 Hypo-components for wax in Petro-SIM
Hypo-components generated by Multiflash to model wax components:

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 Multiflash asphaltene modelling results
Typical asphaltene P-T envelope (generated by Lab Analysis Utility in Petro-SIM)

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 Asphaltene modelling results
Asphaltene deposition P-T envelope

Liquid phase

Liquid + Asphaltene
phases

Liquid + Vapour + Liquid + Vapour

Asphaltene phases phases

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 Wax modelling results
Typical wax P-T envelope (generated by Lab Analysis Utility in Petro-SIM)

Liquid
Liquid + Solid phase
phases
Liquid + Vapour
phases

Liquid +
Vapour +
Solid phases

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 Case studies

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 Typical topside gas-oil-water separation process on a FPSO

V-2305
H-2306 Gas to

dehydration
reinjection wells
K-2304

Gas
V-2401

H-2305 A/B
H-2303

K-2303 V-2303
K-2302
V-2302 H-2302
V-2304

K-2301

H-2304 A/B/C H-2301 V-2301

V-2002

V-2001 A/B
From Subsea
P-2301 A/B
Wells
H-2001
V-2003
Produced
water

P-2002 A/B

Oil to storage

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Topside gas-oil-water separation process in Petro-SIM

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 Asphaltenes extraction with supercritical propane
• Vacuum Residue requires deasphalting before being sent to further processing
• Propane normally is used as solvent in deasphalting processes.
• It is known that asphaltenes and resins are insoluble in supercritical propane at
temperatures between 100oF to 206oF (40oC to 96oC).
• Feed to the deasphalting process will be in contact with four to eight volumes of
propane.

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 Typical deasphalting process using supercritical propane
Recovered Propane

Recovered Propane

DAO
Separator
Extractor
Feed

Propane

Pitch
Stripper

DAO
Stripper

Pitch DAO

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 Deasphalting process with supercritical propane

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 Deasphalting performance with supercritical propane
100

90

80

70
Asphaltene Removal [%]

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0
Solvent/Feed Volume Ratio

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 Conclusions
• Multiflash can be successfully used to accurately model asphaltene and wax in
crude oil based on available lab information.
• When conditions of pressure, temperature and composition are favorable, Petro-
SIM using Multiflash can predict wax and asphaltene multiphases.
• Simulation results allow finding solutions to eliminate adverse effects of the
presence of wax and asphaltene in oil processing facilities.
• Petro-SIM can successfully simulate a deasphalting process of heavy petroleum
cuts with supercritical propane.

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Questions

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