experimental study of the effects of surfactants on precipitation and deposition of asphaltene in pipelines

Asphaltene deposition in oil reservoirs is one of the most problems in crude oil production. factors that are effective in deposition formation in reservoirs are pressure gradient, temperature and oil compositio.these factors unbalance the chemical equilibrium in the reservoir, which results in the deposition formation. one of the ways to prevent asphaltene deposition is to add asphaltene stabilizer as an inhibitor to crude oil. in this research, the effect of several types of surfactants on pressure gradient caused by asphaltene deposition and the amount of deposition in the pipes is investigated using viscometer method. the results show that the use of three types of surfactants, including coconut di ethanol amide, dodecyl banzene sulfonic acid and bio surfactants, has a significant effect on the prevention of asphaltenes precipitation and deposition in the pipes. the stronger the polar group of surfactants and the lengthier their hydrocarbon chain are, their performance in stabilizing asphaltene masses is better.