Cleanup operation of asphaltene precipitation in light oil wells

During production of the major productive zone-Oil Reservoir A in light oil oilfield close to Iran and Iraq borders, asphaltene precipitation and settling in wellbore is a severe problems and is one of the factors which affect the production time efficiency of oil wells in water-free production period. The Oil Reservoir A has anomalously high pressure and formation crude oil contains large amount of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), so no circulation should be established between the tubing and casing annulus during the operation process. All these factors pose great difficulty for removing the asphaltene precipitation on wellbore. In this job, the pumping unit was firstly used to control the pressure with small displacement, squeeze in fluid in stages and soak in stages and flow back in stages. During squeezing, the wellbore was fully blocked by asphaltene precipitation. Then coiled tubing was used to drift and wash the well in conjunction with controlling the pressure by pumping unit with small displacement and soaking. The job was completed successfully and the oil well resumed normal production. This job lasted 5 days and experienced very difficult and complex times. From the job, it is learned that close combination of efficient asphaltene precipitation solvent, drifting by coiled tubing, squeezing by pumping unit with controlled pressure and displacement, soaking duration and soaking depth is the key to the success of the job.