A new model for permeability impairment due to asphaltene deposition

We observed that surface deposition is the dominant mechanism in the limestone samples studied here owing to large pore throat size compared to the particle size. In the sandstone samples, both the surface deposition and pore throat plugging mechanisms contribute fairly the same in the observed permeability reduction. For the carbonate (dolomite) samples, the pore blockage is the dominant mechanism, which results in rapid sharp decrease of the permeability. It is expected that the outcome of this work improves prediction of the asphaltene deposition in the near wellbore region.