Revisiting the flocculation kinetics of destabilized asphaltenes

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Geochemistry
• Colloid and Surface Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Asphaltenes are complex organic molecules found in crude oil.
• Asphaltene destabilization and flocculation are critical issues affecting oil production and processing.
• Understanding the kinetics of asphaltene aggregation is essential for mitigating operational challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a comprehensive review of recent research on asphaltene destabilization and flocculation kinetics.
• To develop and validate a unified model for asphaltene aggregation.
• To investigate the relationship between aggregation efficiency and solubility parameters.

Main Methods:

• Utilized four experimental techniques to study asphaltene flocculation in crude and model oils.
• Employed n-alkanes to destabilize asphaltenes.
• Applied a geometric population balance model with the Smoluchowski collision kernel.
• Developed a unified aggregation model incorporating solubility parameters.

Main Results:

• Experimental data from various crude and model oils were analyzed.
• The developed aggregation model demonstrated successful prediction of asphaltene aggregation kinetics.
• Detection time curves collapsed onto a universal single line when the model was applied.

Conclusions:

• The unified asphaltene aggregation model effectively captures the underlying physics of the flocculation process.
• The model's success in collapsing diverse experimental data highlights its robustness.
• This work provides valuable insights for predicting and managing asphaltene-related issues in the oil industry.