Simulation study of sulphur deposition in high‐sour natural gas reservoirs based on the lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract In the development of high‐sour gas reservoirs, sulphur deposition is a major cause of reservoir damage and gas well productivity decline. This study adopts the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to construct a multi‐physics coupled model incorporating flow, temperature and sulphur transport fields. Mesoscopic simulations are carried out to explore seepage, sulphur precipitation and deposition characteristics in porous media. The results reveal that low pressure difference lowers local flow velocity below the critical value and promotes in‐situ sulphur deposition, leading to significant losses in porosity and permeability. The permeability damage reaches 98.4% at a pressure difference of 2 MPa. Larger temperature difference further decreases sulphur solubility and accelerates deposition, with permeability dropping to 0.14 mD and a damage rate of 98.6% at 15 K temperature difference. Sulphur tends to accumulate near pore walls, narrow throats, and outlet zones, presenting obvious spatial selectivity.