The Role of Inhibitors' Molecular Structure on Asphaltene Deposition in Reservoir Conditions

Due to the lack of research on the effects of inhibitors on asphaltene flocculation in reservoir conditions, operational application of inhibitors in the petroleum industry has not been clearly investigated. In previous studies, molecular structures and the effectiveness of prevalent inhibitors were investigated and other parameters such as cost and environmental issues were also considered. The proposed inhibitor was tested over a wide variety of Iranian asphaltenic crude oils and optimized quantities of the inhibitor were studied in detail. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative effects of the proposed inhibitor were tested on crude oils in atmospheric conditions and the effect of the proposed inhibitor on asphaltene flocculation and deposition at reservoir conditions was investigated. The amounts of change in onset pressure point due to injection of the inhibitor were measured at reservoir conditions. The proposed inhibitor is in good agreement with reservoir conditions.