Deposition of asphaltene from destabilized dispersions in heptane-toluene
Author(s)
Campen, Sophie
Smith, Benjamin
Wong, J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Deposition of carbonaceous materials, such as asphaltene, is a major problem in petroleum production. During production, changing environmental conditions destabilize asphaltene, resulting in dispersions that are out of equilibrium, where asphaltene is aggregating or flocculating. Key to developing the most effective strategies for tackling this problem is a fundamental understanding of asphaltene deposition behavior. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) is used to study asphaltene deposition from destabilized dispersions generated by in-line mixing of asphaltene in toluene (a solvent) with n-heptane (a precipitant). The effects of heptane:toluene ratio and destabilization time are investigated. At high heptane:toluene ratio, the rate of asphaltene aggregation is faster, and large flocs form by the time the flowing liquid reaches the QCM cell. In this case, the rate of deposition decreases with deposition time. At low heptane:toluene ratio, the rate of asphaltene aggregation is slower; hence large flocs do not form before the flowing liquid reaches the QCM cell, and deposition of smaller aggregates occurs. Here, the deposition rate is constant with time. The deposited mass is greatest before the formation of large flocs and at short destabilization times, where the particle distribution is furthest from equilibrium. Destabilized small particles existing immediately after a destabilization event pose a greater deposition problem than the flocs that subsequently form. This may be a contributing factor in the existence of deposition “hotspots” at certain locations in the production pipeline. Pushing destabilized dispersions to their new equilibrium distributions as quickly as possible may be a preventative strategy to combat deposition. The dissipation–frequency relationship monitored by QCM-D is sensitive to the nature of deposited asphaltene films and may be used as a diagnostic tool.
Date Issued
2018-09-20
Date Acceptance
2018-08-20
Citation
Energy and Fuels, 2018, 32 (9), pp.9159-9171
ISSN
0887-0624
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
9159
End Page
9171
Journal / Book Title
Energy and Fuels
Volume
32
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2018 American Chemical Society. This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Energy and Fuels, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.8b01887
Sponsor
BP International Limited
Identifier
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.8b01887
Grant Number
75195/ICAM15 (All)
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Energy & Fuels
Engineering, Chemical
Engineering
QUARTZ-CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE
REFRACTIVE-INDEX MEASUREMENTS
CRUDE OILS
CAPILLARY-FLOW
SHEAR-FLOW
LIVE OILS
QCM-D
AGGREGATION
ADSORPTION
MODEL
0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
0904 Chemical Engineering
0914 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy
Energy
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-08-20