Multivariate Screening Analysis of Water-in-Oil Emulsions in High External Electric Fields as Studied by Means of Dielectric Time Domain Spectroscopy

The effect of crude oil resins with various polar characters on the stability of w/o model emulsions containing asphaltenes is investigated using a mixture design. The resins were extracted using an adsorption-desorption technique. One asphaltene fraction and four different resin fractions from one European crude oil were used. The stabilities are measured using time-domain dielectric spectroscopy in high external electric field. It is found that resins with different polar character have different effects on the emulsion stability. At asphaltene/resin ratios of 1 and 5 : 3 the resins in some cases lead to an emulsion stability higher than that of a similar emulsion stabilized by asphaltenes only, while at low asphaltene/resin ratios ( approximately 1 : 3) the emulsion stability is reduced by the resins. The effect on emulsion stability of combining two different resin fractions depended on the resin types combined as well as the relative amount of resins and asphaltenes. Also, an increase in the stability of some of the emulsions containing resins and asphaltenes for a period of 50-300 min after the emulsification was observed. This time-dependence of emulsion stability is attributed to the mobility of resins at the oil-water interface and the slow buildup of a stabilizing interfacial film consisting of resins and asphaltenes. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Effects of petroleum resins on asphaltene aggregation and water-in-oil emulsion formation

Asphaltenes from four crude oils were fractionated by precipitation in mixtures of heptane and toluene. Solubility profiles generated in the presence of resins (1:1 mass ratio) indicated the onset of asphaltene precipitation occurred at lower toluene volume fractions (0.1–0.2) than without resins. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was performed on solutions of asphaltene fractions in mixtures of heptane and toluene with added resins to determine aggregate sizes. Water-in-oil emulsions of asphaltene–resin solutions were prepared and separated by a centrifuge method to determine the vol.% water resolved. In general, the addition of resins to asphaltenes reduced the aggregate size by disrupting the π–π and polar bonding interactions between asphaltene monomers. Interaction of resins with asphaltenic aggregates rendered the aggregates less interfacially active and thus reduced emulsion stability. The smallest aggregate sizes observed and the weakest emulsion stability at high resin to asphaltene (R/A) ratios presumably corresponded to asphaltenic monomers or small oligomers strongly interacting with resin molecules. It was often observed that, in the absence of resins, the more polar or higher molecular weight asphaltenes were insoluble in solutions of heptane and toluene. The addition of resins dissolved these insolubles and aggregate size by SANS increased until the solubility limit was reached. This corresponded approximately to the point of maximum emulsion stability. Asphaltene chemistry plays a vital role in dictating emulsion stability. The most polar species typically required significantly higher resin concentrations to disrupt asphaltene interactions and completely destabilize emulsions. Aggregation and film formation are likely driven by polar heteroatom interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, which allow asphaltenes to absorb, consolidate, and form cohesive films at the oil–water interface.     

Stability and demulsification of emulsions stabilized by asphaltenes or resins

Experimental data are presented to show the influence of asphaltenes and resins on the stability and demulsification of emulsions. It was found that emulsion stability was related to the concentrations of the asphaltene and resin in the crude oil, and the state of dispersion of the asphaltenes and resins (molecular vs colloidal) was critical to the strength or rigidity of interfacial films and hence to the stability of the emulsions. Based on this research, a possible emulsion minimization approach in refineries, which can be implemented utilizing microwave radiation, is also suggested. Comparing with conventional heating, microwave radiation can enhance the demulsification rate by an order of magnitude. The demulsification efficiency reaches 100% in a very short time under microwave radiation.     

Asphaltene aggregation in organic solvents

Asphaltenic solids formed in the Rangely field in the course of a carbon dioxide flood and heptane insolubles in the oil from the same field were used in this study. Four different solvents were used to dissolve the asphaltenes. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used to determine the onset of asphaltene precipitation by heptane titration. When the onset values were plotted versus asphaltene concentrations, distinct break points (called critical aggregation concentrations (CAC) in this paper) were observed. CACs for the field asphaltenes dissolved in toluene, trichloroethylene, tetrahydrofuran, and pyridine occurred at concentrations of 3.0, 3.7, 5.0, and 8.2 g/l, respectively. CACs are observed at similar concentrations as critical micelle concentrations (CMC) for the asphaltenes in the solvents employed and can be interpreted to be the points at which rates of asphaltene aggregations change. CMC values of asphaltenes determined from surface tension measurements (in pyridine and TCE) were slightly higher than the CAC values measured by NIR onset measurements. The CAC for heptane-insoluble asphaltenes in toluene was 3.1 g/l. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and elemental compositions of the two asphaltenes showed that the H/C ratio of the heptane-insoluble asphaltenes was higher and molecular weight (measured by vapor pressure osmometry) was lower.     

Further Investigation into the Stability of Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsions Formed in Burgan Oilfield: Effect of Toluene,Resins to Asphaltenes Ratio,and Surfactant

Factors controlling the formation and stabilization of water-in-crude oil (w/o) emulsions in oil fields are of great concern to the petroleum industry for the economic development of underground oil reservoirs. Controlling and minimizing the formation of w/o emulsions and demulsification of water from emulsions are also important for environmental development. Because of its importance, the mechanisms, formation, and stability of w/o emulsions have received considerable attention. This article deals with some of the factors responsible for the formation and stabilization of w/o emulsions formed in Burgan oil field in Kuwait. Some of the factors investigated in this study are the naturally occurred surface active components of crude oils such as asphaltenes and resins. Stability of emulsion samples with resins to asphaltenes ratio (R/A) contents of 3, 5, 9, 12, and 20 has been studied. It was found that Emulsion tightness is correlated with resins to asphaltene content of the sample. As the R/content increases the emulsion becomes unstable. The effect of additives such as toluene and dodecyle benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) on the stability of various emulsion samples collected from oil field are also reported. A 2 wt% of DBSA was found to resolve all the water from emulsion samples collected from Burgan oilfield.     

An atomic force microscopy study of asphaltenes on mica surfaces. Influence of added resins and demulsifiers

 Monolayers of asphaltene and resins on the water surface have been transferred at a surface pressure of 10 mN/m onto mica substrates using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to examine the topography of these layers. Monolayers consisting of pure asphaltene fractions provide a rigid film with a close-packed structure, while the resins build up a continuous open network. Mixed films of these two fractions show that a gradual increase in resin concentration leads to an opening of the rigid asphaltene structure towards a more resin like configuration. Increased aggregation when the two heavy functions are present in one film is seen as larger individual units in the AFM pictures. Addition of high-molecular-weight demulsifiers/inhibitors results in the same kind of influence on the asphaltene film as seen with the resins. Received: 30 April 1999 Accepted: 29 November 1999     

压力对塔里木原油四组分热解性能的影响

压力对深层油藏原油热化学过程的影响尚存在较大争议,为研究其在油藏原油热解成气过程中的作用机理,我们在450℃、5~40 MPa压力下对塔里木原油四组分(饱和分、芳香分、胶质和沥青质)进行了封闭体系的热解实验,通过气相色谱(GC)和气相色谱/质谱(GC/MS)分别对原油四组分热解反应的气体产物及饱和分热解过程的液态产物进行了分析。结果表明,在450℃、24 h及不同压力下,沥青质热解产气率高于胶质、芳香分和饱和分;四组分的气相热解产物中,C1的产率明显高于C2~C5组分。增大压力抑制沥青质、胶质及芳香分的热解产气过程而促进饱和分的热解产气过程。随压力的增大,饱和分热解的液态产物的主峰组分碳数先减小,再增大。压力低于20 MPa时,饱和分热解过程中以裂解反应为主;高于30 MPa时,增大压力有利于缩合反应。研究结果可为认识深层油藏原油的稳定程度及天然气的成因提供一定的理论参考。     

Stability of water/crude oil emulsions based on interfacial dilatational rheology

The dilatational viscoelasticity behaviors of water/oil interfaces formed with a crude oil and its distilled fractions diluted in cyclohexane were investigated by means of an oscillating drop tensiometer. The rheological study of the w/o interfaces at different frequencies has shown that the stable w/o emulsions systematically correspond to interfaces which present the rheological characteristics of a 2D gel near its gelation point. The stability of emulsions was found to increase with both the gel strength and the glass transition temperature of the gel. As expected, the indigenous natural surfactants responsible for the formation of the interfacial critical gel have been identified as the heaviest amphiphilic components present in the crude oil; i.e., asphaltenes and resins. Nevertheless, we have shown that such a gel can also form in the absence of asphaltene in the oil phase.     

Properties of Langmuir Surface and Interfacial Films Built up by Asphaltenes and Resins: Influence of Chemical Demulsifiers

The influence of chemical additives on asphaltene films on water surface and at oil/water interface is studied by means of the Langmuir technique. It was found that some demulsifiers of high molecular weight alter the asphaltene film on water surface in the same way as the resin fraction, i.e., increasing the compressibility of the film which results in a reduced film rigidity. The films that build up at the oil/water interface in model oil systems, containing naturally occurring surfactants, are studied during compression. In this system chemical additives of high molecular weight totally prevent formation of a rigid film at the interface. Adding resins to the bulk phase together with asphaltenes hamper the adsorption of the heavy fraction.     

有效模拟原油中高分子有机烃类沉降量方法

用大的交互作用系数描述沥青与原油中轻烃不相容性的程度,根据沥青组分特征化方法,导出了气-液-沥青三相相平衡物料平衡方程组。用沥青沉降三相闪蒸数值算法进行有效的量化模拟计算。结合实例分析,给出了沥青参考逸度的计算、饱和压力和沉降量的拟合方法。     

Effect of Asphaltenes and Resins on Asphaltene Aggregation Inhibition,Rheological Behaviour and Waterflood Oil-Recovery

This study presents an investigation about the influence of resins and asphaltenes, extracted from two Mexican crude oils (light and heavy oil samples), on the asphaltene aggregation inhibition, rheological behavior, and waterflood oil-recovery. Resins and asphaltenes were characterized by means of elemental analysis, metals analysis by atomic absorption, ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in order to evaluate the effect of their structural parameters on the phenomena studied. Efficiency of the resins fraction as natural inhibitors of asphaltene aggregation was evaluated trough ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. Results showed better efficiencies of resins on asphaltene aggregation inhibition at resin/asphaltene (R/A) ratios close to unity and at high temperature. In addition, efficiencies were influenced by structural characteristics of the asphaltene–resin system. Rheological behavior of the heavy crude oil sample was significantly influenced by the presence of asphaltenes and resins. Finally, asphaltenes and resins played an important role on wettability and waterflood oil-recovery.     

A small angle neutron scattering study of the adsorbed asphaltene layer in water-in-hydrocarbon emulsions: structural description related to stability

We have developed a specific protocol to study with SANS measurements, the structure of the interfacial film layer in water-in-oil emulsions stabilized by asphaltene. Using the contrast matching technique available for neutron scattering, we have access to both the composition and the quantity of interface. The results obtained give us a view of the asphaltene aggregates in the interfacial film, which are structured as a monolayer and show a direct correlation between the size of asphaltene aggregates in solution and the thickness of the film layer. The organization of the interface has been studied as a function of several parameters such as the quantity of resins, i.e., the size of aggregates, the pH of the aqueous phase, and the aging time of the emulsions and the consequences of these variations on the macroscopic stability of these emulsions. We show that the key parameter for the stability is the inter-asphaltene aggregate interaction inside the film layer. Changing the attractive/repulsive balance between the aggregates in the film at the microscopic scale, by changing the aggregate's size or the aggregate's ionization, has a direct incidence on the quantity of water recovered after centrifugation: the stronger the attraction between aggregates in the film, the more stable the emulsion is.     

Petroleum resins adsorption onto quartz sand: near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy study

In this paper we have tried to evaluate adsorption parameters of petroleum resins. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is applied for resins bulk concentration evaluation during adsorption process. NIR experimental scheme and parameters are provided. NIR spectra range of 9000-13,000 cm(-1) is chosen. Quartz sand (0.2-0.8 mm fraction) is used as adsorbent; benzene is used as solvent. Different approaches of "NIR spectra-resins concentration" calibration model building are discussed. Partial least squares (PLS) regression method is used. Langmuir model is chosen for experimental data fitting. Combined usage of kinetic and isothermic data gives us ability to evaluate the maximal adsorbed mass density, the equilibrium constant of adsorption, and the rate constants of adsorption (and desorption). The rate constants of resins adsorption and desorption are found to be concentration independent.     

Rheology of asphaltene-toluene/water interfaces

The stability of water-in-crude oil emulsions is frequently attributed to a rigid asphaltene film at the water/oil interface. The rheological properties of these films and their relationship to emulsion stability are ill defined. In this study, the interfacial tension, elastic modulus, and viscous modulus were measured using a drop shape analyzer for model oils consisting of asphaltenes dissolved in toluene for concentrations varying from 0.002 to 20 kg/m(3). The effects of oscillation frequency, asphaltene concentration, and interface aging time were examined. The films exhibited viscoelastic behavior. The total modulus increased as the interface aged at all asphaltene concentrations. An attempt was made to model the rheology for the full range of asphaltene concentration. The instantaneous elasticity was modeled with a surface equation of state (SEOS), and the elastic and viscous moduli, with the Lucassen-van den Tempel (LVDT) model. It was found that only the early-time data could be modeled using the SEOS-LVDT approach; that is, the instantaneous, elastic, and viscous moduli of interfaces aged for at most 10 minutes. At longer interface aging times, the SEOS-LVDT approach was invalid, likely because of irreversible adsorption of asphaltenes on the interface and the formation of a network structure.     

Fuzzy Assessment of Asphaltene Stability in Crude Oils

Knowledge about stability of asphaltene, determined by difference index, is of significant interest because of the many problems associated with asphaltene precipitation. This study followed two parallel fuzzy strategies for estimating refractive index (RI) of crude oil and refractive index of crude oil at onset of asphaltene precipitation (PRI) from Sara fraction data. Predicted RI and PRI were then utilized for easy and fast diagnosis of asphaltene stability by dint of calculating difference index (or ΔRI = RI – PRI). The experimental data reported in the literature have been used for model developing and checking. An acceptable agreement between fuzzy predicted values and experimental data confirmed the power of fuzzy logic technique in prediction of RI, PRI, and consequent ΔRI. In this study, ΔRI was not predicted directly mainly for two reasons. First, RI and PRI contain invaluable information themselves and predicting them fulfills the need for these information when they are desired. Second, dividing the problem into two simpler parts and solving them separately enhances the terminal accuracy of prediction. Although the regression accuracy for ΔRI was not completely satisfied, the classification accuracy for discriminating between stable and unstable situations was 100%.      

Epoxy resins and epoxy blends studied by near infra-red spectroscopy

The cure and the final network of epoxy resins have been investigated by numerous techniques, nevertheless a clear understanding of this network structure has not yet been achieved. FTIR analysis of polymeric materials provides highly precise measurements that are widely interpretable in terms of chemical structure. Yet the high absorption of fundamental bands requires careful sample preparation to reduce the thickness of the sample or special reflection techniques are needed. Furthermore, the occurrence of overlapping bands for epoxy resin (N-H and O-H vibrations in the 3000 cm⁻¹ region) renders the quantitative analysis in the region mid IR particularly difficult. However, the overtone and combination bands are 10–100 times weaker than the fundamental ones and are observed in near infrared (NIR) region. Longer pathlengths than Mid IR ones can be used allowing transmission analysis of thick samples (1-20 mm) without special preparation. NIR absorption bands have different intensities depending on the anharmonicity of vibrations. The strongest absorption bands are due to protons connected to carbon, nitrogen, oxygen. Hydrogen bonding due to inter- and intramolecular interactions can cause band broadening, peak position shifts and intensity variations. NIR spectroscopy is therefore a useful technique to investigate polymeric materials and was used to study the cure reactions of various epoxy resins cured with amine hardener. Using different NIR techniques (reflectance, transmission and microscopy) we will briefly present some results concerning hydrogen bonding between epoxy and amine hardener before curing, epoxy resins, glass/epoxy composites and epoxy/PES (polyethersulfone) blends.     

Use of NIR spectroscopy in the production of modified industrial resins

Natural resins are scarcely used, but after appropriate modification processes they acquire characteristics of viscosity, point of softening, stability, etc. that facilitate their application in fields such as paintings, varnishes, cosmetic, etc. The complexity of resins makes it very difficult to monitor the reactions involved in their modification, the extent of which is usually determined via more experimentally accessible parameters. However, the methods typically used to determine such parameters are slow and produce environmentally unfriendly waste.In this work, we assessed the potential of NIR spectroscopy, as an alternative to the traditional analytical methods, for monitoring the industrial processes involved in the production of modified resins. To this end, we developed PLS calibration models that were used to quantify physical (viscosity and cloud point) and chemical parameters (acid and hydroxyl numbers), with a view to characterize the evolution of the resins during the reaction that take place throughout the fabrication process.Samples were withdrawn at different times stages of the process for analysis with the proposed quantitation models; the data thus obtained were compared with those provided by reference methods. Based on the results, NIR spectroscopy is an effective choice for the accurate, expeditious monitoring of industrial resin modification processes.     

Film forming properties of asphaltenes and resins. A comparative Langmuir– Blodgett study of crude oils from North Sea, European continent and Venezuela

 Asphaltenes and resins were separated from different crude oils, dissolved in different paraffinic and aromatic solvents and studied by means of Langmuir technique. It was found that the resin films are more compressible and more polar than the corresponding asphaltene films. Intermolecular aggregation between asphaltene molecules was more prominent than between resin molecules, and the size of the final aggregates depended on the nature of the solvent and the bulk concentration of the aggregating species. Even when present in smaller amounts than asphaltenes on the surface, the resins dominate the film properties. Received: 19 January 1998 Accepted: 15 April 1998     

渣油中沥青质分子颗粒尺寸及其胶粒模型研究

分别以苯和硝基苯为溶剂测定了大庆、胜利、孤岛和辽河减压渣油沥青质、胶质和芳香分的分子量；依据球形分子模型计算了这些物质的分子尺寸；构筑了渣油中沥青质胶粒（胶团）模型，并依此计算了渣油中沥青质胶粒尺寸。结果表明，以硝基苯为溶剂所测沥青质分子量更能反应沥青质化学结构的实质；就原始沥青质来说，以苯为溶剂测得的沥青质分子直径为3.8 nm～5.0 nm,以氯代苯为溶剂测得的分子直径为3.2 nm～3.7 nm,以硝基苯为溶剂测得的分子直径为2.8 nm～3.2 nm；辽河、胜利与大庆减压渣油中沥青质的胶粒直径为10.0 nm～11.0 nm，孤岛减压渣油中沥青质的胶粒直径为9.0 nm～10.0 nm。