Performance evaluation of asphaltene inhibitors using integrated method—ADT coupled with spot test

Asphaltene deposition problem is considered as one of the major issues in the petroleum industry. Over the years, several methods were proposed to cure the asphaltene deposition problem. Among these treatment techniques, the chemical treatment method is regarded as the most common, flexible, and reliable method. For the selection of chemical additives to be implemented in field conditions, the additives required are rigorously tested in a laboratory environment for their efficiency evaluation. Owing to the requirement of reliable testing techniques, several methods were proposed and applied in the past but most of them were expensive, needed complex instrumentation, were not continuous, and showed a lack of flexibility and reliability. In this study, an integrated method, i.e., asphaltene deposit level test (ADT) coupled with spot test, is applied to understand both deposition and dispersion mechanisms. Two inhibitors, namely inhibitor 1 and inhibitor 2, were tested on crude oil sample G. The tests were performed at different dosage levels of chemical additives at different times for 1 day. Inhibitor 1 was proved to be the more efficient as compared to inhibitor 2. Inhibitor 1 was able to completely control asphaltene deposition while inhibitor 2 reduced asphaltene deposition. Furthermore, inhibitor 1 showed better dispersion ability relative to inhibitor 2 at all tested times.