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The asphaltenes.
1Schlumberger-Doll Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. Mullins1@slb.com
Summary
Asphaltenes, heavy crude oil components, significantly impact petroleum utilization. Recent advances in petroleomics enable a predictive science for understanding and managing these complex substances.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Science
- Organic Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Asphaltenes are the heaviest, most aromatic components of crude oil.
- They possess solid characteristics that impart critical, often detrimental, properties to petroleum fluids.
- These properties include high viscosity, emulsion stability, low distillate yields, and undesirable phase separation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address fundamental uncertainties in asphaltene behavior.
- To enable a first-principles approach to asphaltene science.
- To establish a predictive framework for asphaltene science and petroleomics.
Main Methods:
- Recent advances in analytical chemistry, particularly mass spectrometry.
- Identification of thousands of distinct chemical species in crude oils and asphaltenes.
- Codification of molecular and nanocolloidal properties within the modified Yen (Yen-Mullins) model.
Main Results:
- Resolution and codification of basic molecular and nanocolloidal properties of asphaltenes.
- Development of the modified Yen (Yen-Mullins) model.
- Enabling of predictive asphaltene science through new understanding.
Conclusions:
- Fundamental uncertainties in asphaltene science have been significantly reduced.
- The modified Yen model provides a basis for predictive asphaltene science.
- Petroleomics, integrating predictive petroleum science, offers a framework for future advancements in understanding crude oil components.
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