Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP

"What causes heavy oil if they don't have asphaltene or paraffin problems?"

Basically, there is no direct positive correlation between the "heaviness" of the oil and the
extent of paraffin and/or asphaltene problems associated with the production operation.
There are plenty of production operations that experience rather severe paraffin or
asphaltene problems even though they are not producing heavy oil. Conversely, there are
many producers of heavy oil that do not experience severe paraffin or asphaltene
problems.

Heavy oils typically have relatively low proportions of volatile compounds with low
molecular weights and quite high proportions of high molecular weight compounds. The
high molecular weight fraction of heavy oils are comprised of a mixed bag of compounds
(not necessarily just paraffins or asphaltenes) with high melting points and high pour
points that greatly contribute to the poor fluid properties of heavy oils and hence poor
mobility. It is typically this poor mobility of the crude, as opposed to accumulations of
paraffins or asphaltenes in formation rock pore throats or production strings, that is
usually at the heart of the production problems.

Our experience has shown us that heavy oils typically have quite low levels of paraffins
(straight-chain alkanes). Paraffins, which are very easy to identify using gas
chromatography (GC), actually tend to act as solvent molecules for the mixed bag of high
molecular weight compounds and tend to improve the overall flow characteristics of the
oil. So, generally speaking, the majority of heavy oils that we have investigated have not
had much paraffin and the production operations producing these oils have generally not
had major paraffin problems.

Some but not all, heavy oils do contain moderate-to-high levels of asphaltenes. However,
these asphaltenes are not necessarily the primary cause for the "heaviness" of the oil. In
addition, production operations producing heavy oils that do contain relatively high levels
of asphaltenes do not always have severe asphaltene problems because the asphaltenes
can stay in solution in many cases. The asphaltenes do not become a problem unless they
drop out of solution (precipitate) and build up in the formation or production string.

So, in summary, there is really no direct positive correlation between heavy oil and
paraffin or asphaltene problems. The "heaviness" of heavy oil is primarily the result of a
relatively high proportion of a mixed bag of complex, high molecular weight, non-
paraffinic compounds and a low proportion of volatile, low molecular weight
compounds. Heavy oils typically contain very little paraffin and may or may not contain
high levels of asphaltenes. And the problems associated with producing heavy oils are
typically a result of the poor fluid properties and mobility of the oil as opposed to paraffin
or asphaltene accumulations.

Fortunately, we can typically help improve the mobility of heavy oils with our products.
The solvents and dispersants produced and secreted by our microbes in the formation act
as solvents for the mixed bag of high molecular weight compounds in heavy oils. This
action improves the fluid properties and mobility of the oil and allows it to flow more
readily through the formation to the wellbore. So, we can still help greatly even though
we're not dealing with paraffin or asphaltene problems.

Biological Technical Services Group

P.O. Box 4910
The Woodlands, TX 77387-4910

http://www.cpchem.com/drillingspecialties/biologicals