CO2 and Temperature Effects on the Asphaltene Phase Envelope As Determined by a Quartz Crystal Resonator

Knowledge of the asphaltene phase envelope (APE) is crucial for oil companies, especially when enhanced oil recovery is applied. An innovative quartz crystal resonator (QCR) technique was employed to assess the phase behavior of asphaltene under reservoir conditions. The effect of CO2 injection coupled to temperature changes on the APE of a recombined oil with a very low asphaltene content (0.235% w/w of C7 asphaltene in dead oil) are reported. It has been shown that QCR is an appropriate and highly sensitive nondestructive experimental technique for detecting asphaltene flocculation. Pressure onsets were found to be dependent on the depressurization rate.