Reservoir impairment by asphaltenes: A critical review

Precipitation and deposition of asphaltenes and other organic substances in formation rock causes formation damage and reduces effective hydrocarbon mobility, which can result in significant production losses. The development of reliable experimental, analytical, and modelling methods improves the understanding of asphaltene‐induced formation damage and provides tools for preventing and/or controlling formation damage due to asphaltenes in oil‐bearing formations. To make further advancements in understanding asphaltene impairment, it is important to analyze the current state of technology and research in this area. In addition to analyses of known experimental data and models of reservoir impairment by asphaltenes, prospective directions of future research in this area are also suggested.