Thermodynamic characterization of asphaltene-resin interaction by microcalorimetry

This paper collects the work performed by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to characterize the interaction between petroleum asphaltenes and resins. The interaction between these two fractions is of great interest in order to understand the mechanism of stabilization ofasphaltenes in crude oil. To simplify the approach, this preliminary study focuses on toluene solutions of both fractions. This paper reports the experimental determination of the average number of sites in asphaltene molecules and the enthalpy of interaction between asphaltenes and resins. Two models have been used to fit the experimental data. The enthalpies calculated by ITC are in the order of -2 to -4 kJ/mol. These values are in the limit of hydrogen bonding and permanent dipole energies. Similar values have been obtained by using the enthalpy as a fitting parameter in the SAFT equation.