Deasphalted oil: A natural asphaltene solvent

Asphaltene deposition in the near-wellbore region can block pore throats, change wettability characteristics and relative-permeability relationships, and therefore, reduce oil production. Conventional aromatic solvents (e.g., toluene and xylene) alone or in combination with various dispersants are used to remove asphaltene damage from the near-wellbore region. However, these aromatic solvents are expensive and are not environmentally friendly. The objective of this work was to systematically evaluate the asphaltene-solvating power of various nonconventional solvents, including deasphalted oil, using a light-scattering technique. Experimental results suggest that deasphalted oil is a strong asphaltene solvent presumably because of its native resin and aromatic contents. Addition of asphaltene dispersants also increases the solubilizing power of the deasphalted oil. Furthermore, various refinery and heavy oil upgrader streams show strong ability to solubilize asphaltenes.