Model molecules mimicking asphaltenes |
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Authors: | Johan Sjöblom Sébastien Simon Zhenghe Xu |
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Institution: | 1. Ugelstad Laboratory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway;2. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2V4, Canada |
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Abstract: | Asphalthenes are typically defined as the fraction of petroleum insoluble in n-alkanes (typically heptane, but also hexane or pentane) but soluble in toluene. This fraction causes problems of emulsion formation and deposition/precipitation during crude oil production, processing and transport. From the definition it follows that asphaltenes are not a homogeneous fraction but is composed of molecules polydisperse in molecular weight, structure and functionalities. Their complexity makes the understanding of their properties difficult. Proper model molecules with well-defined structures which can resemble the properties of real asphaltenes can help to improve this understanding. Over the last ten years different research groups have proposed different asphaltene model molecules and studied them to determine how well they can mimic the properties of asphaltenes and determine the mechanisms behind the properties of asphaltenes. |
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Keywords: | Asphaltenes Model compounds Petroleum Crude oil Aggregation Emulsion |
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