Experimental study of ultrasonic radiation on growth kinetic of asphaltene aggregation and deposition

Ultrasonic treatment as an economical and green technology has been much attended in petroleum industry, especially for inhibition and removal of asphaltene deposition in the near wellbore region. The performance of ultrasonic waves is affected by different parameters such as time, power, frequency, type of radiation, etc. In this communication, the effects of duration of ultrasonic radiation, power, and stability on asphaltene aggregation were evaluated from a kinetic point of view. In fact, the optimal radiation conditions were determined by comparing the growth kinetics and size distribution of asphaltene particles. The optimal exposure time and power of ultrasonic radiation for the oil sample were obtained at 150s and 40W, respectively. In addition, the negative effect of time duration on the aggregated asphaltene particle diameter was observed. The effect of ultrasonic radiation on prevention and removal of asphaltene deposits was examined by observation of changes in asphaltene particle diameter. The results demonstrated the beneficial effect of ultrasonic waves on inhibition of asphaltene deposition. In order to investigate the effect of ultrasound on asphaltene deposition in porous media, the oil sample was radiated with ultrasound at the most optimal conditions, which were obtained in the previous experiments. Moreover, the trend of asphaltene particle deposition in porous media (micromodel) at optimal conditions was compared to the same oil sample without ultrasonic radiation. Comparison of pressure drop curves showed that the use of ultrasound in determined optimum conditions reduces the amount of asphaltene deposition.