Influence of aggregation of asphaltenes on the rheological properties of oil

Photon correlation spectroscopy was used to determine the threshold concentrations of n-heptane for phase transitions of asphaltenes in model systems for two types of oil. The rheological properties exhibited by high-paraffin oil in the asphaltene aggregation process were analyzed. It was shown that the presence of resin and paraffi n fractions in oil prevents phase transition of asphaltenes at the threshold concentration of n-heptane for the model system, so that a higher precipitant concentrations is required for aggregation of asphaltenes and formation of oil sludge.     

Phase composition of asphaltenes

The phase composition of asphaltenes taken from oils of Romashskino field (Russia) was studied with calorimetry. It was found that in asphaltenes there are ordered amorphous phases which break in the temperature ranges 70–130 and 130–170 °C. Polarization microscopy data show that the liquid crystal phase appears at temperatures from 180 to 190 °C. Moreover, it is shown that in asphaltenes the crystal phases of co-precipitated paraffinic hydrocarbons and salts can be present.     

Model molecules mimicking asphaltenes

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.     

Solution properties of polyoxymethylene

Light scattering and viscosity have been measured at 25°C. for dilute solutions of six unfractionated polyoxymethylene samples in the mixed solvent hexafluoroacetone–water (mole ratio 1/1.7) slightly buffered with triethylamine. Dialysis equilibrium through porous Vycor glass thimbles indicates that the polymer is strongly solvated by the hydrate (CF₃)₂C(OH)₂, and this must be taken into account in evaluating weight-average molecular weights from the light-scattering data. Over the molecular weight range 23,000–185,000, the intrinsic viscosities (in deciliter per gram) follow the relation The corresponding unperturbed dimensions are σ = 2.3 ± 0.2 or r₀²/nl² = 10.5 ± 1.5.     

Solution properties of copolyamides

Mark-Houwink-Sakurada relations for random copolymers from para-aminobenzoic acid and 6-aminohexanoic acid were determined in N,N-dimethylacetamide, dichloroacetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid. Unperturbed chain dimensions, solvent-polymer interaction parameters and conformational parameter, δ, were obtained by using the Stockmayer-Fixman equation. The unperturbed dimensions were also calculated by using a semi-empirical relation of Krigbaum; they compare favourably with values calculated through the use of (S-F) equation. The results show that the unperturbed dimensions are dependent on the solvent nature.     

Solution properties of polyurethane

Polyurethane was fractionated and the fractions were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and viscometry. The intrinsic viscosities of polyurethane in ten solvents varying in their polarity were determined and are in the order of mineral spirit < acetone < cyclohexane < cyclohexanone < xylene < ethyl benzene < toluene < benzene < methyl ethyl ketone < tetrahydrofuran. The Mark-Houwink relations suggested that solvent blend MEK: n-heptane (1:3) is a poor solvent with an a value of 0·52 and tetrahydrofuran is a good solvent with an a value of 0·78. The weight average molecular weight has been estimated by an extrapolation technique based on a linear relationship between the viscosity average molecular weight _v and the Mark-Houwink constant. The weight average molecular weights obtained from viscosity studies were used to evaluate the unpertureb dimension of the chain.     

Two-step laser mass spectrometry of asphaltenes

Defined by their solubility in toluene and insolubility in n-heptane, asphaltenes are a highly aromatic, polydisperse mixture consisting of the heaviest and most polar fraction of crude oil. Although asphaltenes are critically important to the exploitation of conventional oil and are poised to rise in significance along with the exploitation of heavy oil, even as fundamental a quantity as their molecular weight distribution is unknown to within an order of magnitude. Laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectra vary greatly with experimental parameters so are difficult to interpret: some groups favor high laser pulse energy measurements (yielding heavy molecular weights), arguing that high pulse energy is required to detect the heaviest components of this mixture; other groups favor low pulse energy measurements (yielding light molecular weights), arguing that low pulse energy is required to avoid aggregation in the plasma plume. Here we report asphaltene mass spectra recorded with two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS), in which desorption and ionization are decoupled and no plasma is produced. L2MS mass spectra of asphaltenes are insensitive to laser pulse energy and other parameters, demonstrating that the asphaltene molecular weight distribution can be measured without limitation from insufficient laser pulse energy or plasma-phase aggregation. These data resolve the controversy from LDI, showing that the asphaltene molecular weight distribution peaks near 600 Da and previous measurements reporting much heavier species suffered from aggregation effects.     

Solution properties of phosphonitrilic fluoroelastomers

A series of phosphonitrilic fluoroelastomers which have excellent solvent resistance and low temperature flexibility, and which perform well under a broad range of service conditions, have been developed. The solution properties of one of these polymers were studied more extensively in order to develop suitable quality control procedures and to gain a better understanding of the polymer structure. Solvents for these procedures were established, fractionation procedures were developed, and intrinsic viscosity, osmotic pressure, and light-scattering measurements were conducted. We found this polymer to have a very broad molecular weight distribution. And, although fractionation by molecular weight was effected, the fractions retained a broad molecular weight distribution. Our data do not indicate significant branching for this polymer. As a result of our studies, we have theorized that a supermolecular structure may be present in this polymer.     

Structure of molecular nanoparticles of petroleum asphaltenes

Ab initio RHF/3-21G** and MM+ molecular mechanics method are employed to calculate the structural chemical parameters of molecular nanoparticles of petroleum asphaltenes. It is found that naphtheno-aromatic rings have a non-planar cup-like character. The values of dihedral angles α ₁ between the planes of aromatic and naphthene rings, which are calculated by the RHF/3-21G** method, are within 156–163°. The values of dihedral angles α₂, which were calculated by the molecular mechanics method, are within 156–164°.     

Interaction of asphaltenes with nonylphenol by microcalorimetry

This paper shows the work performed in the study of the capability of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to characterize the interaction between petroleum asphaltenes with a model molecule, namely, nonylphenol. ITC is widely used in biochemistry to study the interaction of proteins with ligands. The intention is to transfer the knowledge into the asphaltene field, with the aim of getting a better understanding of the mechanism of interaction, as well as the energies involved in this process. Calorimetric experiments show that nonylphenol has a complex mechanism of interaction with asphaltenes in toluene, including more than one process. Several models have been used to fit the experimental data. The enthalpies calculated with a model based on polymerization are in the order of -1 to -7 kJ/mol, which are very close to the hydrogen bond energies. This shows the capability of ITC to provide experimental data to the modeling of asphaltene behavior. The number of sites of interaction has been inferred by means of a model taken from protein-ligand science. The values obtained are in the range two to five sites per molecule, assuming an average Mw of 1000 units.     

Solvent desorption of asphaltenes from solid surfaces

The main goal of this paper is to compare the ability of different organic solvents to desorb asphaltenes from stainless steel surfaces. The asphaltenes were extracted from a North Sea crude oil by precipitation. The organic solvents are characterized based on their Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs). The adsorption of asphaltenes was followed by means of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D). The asphaltene desorption efficiency of the solvents tested varied between 20% and 70%, with pyridine as the most efficient solvent. Carbon disulfide was found to be a poor desorption solvent, indicating the importance of solvent polarity. A simple model based on the HSPs seemed to give a good quantitative explanation of experimental desorption experiments.     

Solution properties of graphite and graphene

Covalent derivatization of the acidic functional groups in oxidized graphite with octadecylamine renders graphite soluble in common organic solvents. Atomic force microscopic characterization of the soluble species supports the idea that the solutions consist of single and few layer graphene sheets, and we report the first solution properties of graphite.     

Solution properties of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers

High-pressure ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymers of four different chemical compositions(9%, 15%, 45%, and 70% VA) were characterized to determine molecular weight and distribution. The four samples were fractionated by solvent–nonsolvent precipitation methods. Light-scattering, osmometry, and viscosity measurements were made on these fractionated copolymers to determine weight-average molecular weight \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \overline {M_w } $\end{document}, number-average molecular weight \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \overline {M_n } $\end{document}, molecular size in solution, and interaction constants. Dilute solution viscosity was measured on the fractions to determine intrinsic viscosity and Huggins' constant k′. Viscosity–molecular weight equations were established for the four copolymer compositions. The log intrinsic viscosity versus log molecular weight diagrams were analyzed and the average length of branches calculated. The composition of the polymer fractions, determined by C and H combustion analysis, was found not to vary significantly with molecular weight. The uniformly random character of the E/VA copolymers was thereby confirmed. The density of the fractions was determined by density-gradient column method. Chain sequence distribution of monomer units for the four copolymers was calculated by using IBM 704 computations involving the actual monomer reactivity ratios. Long sequences of either ethylene or vinyl acetate are improbable, except at the extremes of copolymer composition.     

Pyrolysis mechanisms of thiophene and methylthiophene in asphaltenes

The pyrolysis mechanisms of thiophene in asphaltenes have been investigated theoretically using density functional and ab initio quantum chemical techniques. All of the possible reaction pathways were explored using B3LYP, MP2, and CBS-QB3 models. A comparison of the calculated heats of reaction with the available experimental values indicates that the CBS-QB3 level of theory is quantitatively reliable for calculating the energetic reaction paths of the title reactions. The pyrolysis process is initiated via four different types of hydrogen migrations. According to the reaction barrier heights, the dominant 1,2-H shift mechanism involves two competitive product channels, namely, C(2)H(2) + CH(2)CS and CS + CH(3)CCH. The minor channels include the formation of CS + CH(2)CCH(2), H(2)S + C(4)H(2), HCS + CH(2)CCH, CS + CH(2)CHCH, H + C(4)H(3)S, and HS + C(4)H(3). The methyl substitution effect was investigated with the pyrolysis of 2-methylthiophene and 3-methylthiophene. The energetics of such systems were very similar to that for unsubstituted thiophene, suggesting that thiophene alkylation may not play a significant role in the pyrolysis of asphaltene compounds.     

Predicting adsorption isotherms of asphaltenes in porous materials

In this paper we present a molecular thermodynamics approach for the modeling of adsorption isotherms of asphaltenes adsorbed on Berea sandstone, Bedford limestone and dolomite rock, using a model for bulk asphaltenes precipitation and a quasi-two-dimensional approach for confined fluids [E. Buenrostro-González, C. Lira-Galeana, A. Gil-Villegas, J. Wu, AIChE J., 50 (2004) 2552–2570; A. Martínez, M. Castro, C. McCabe A. Gil-Villegas, J. Chem. Phys. 126 (2007) 074707, respectively], both based on the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory for Potentials of Variable Range [A. Gil-Villegas, A. Galindo, P.J. Whitehead, S.J. Mills, G. Jackson, A.N. Burgess, J. Chem. Phys. 106 (1997) 4168–4186]. The theory is applied to model adsorption isotherms from experimental data of asphaltenes extracted from a dead sample of heavy crude oil from a Mexican reservoir. The theoretical results give the right Langmuir Type II adsorption isotherms observed experimentally. The model requires the determination of ten molecular parameters related to the size of the particles and the square-well potentials used to describe the particle–surface and particle–particle interactions at the bulk and adsorbed phases. Nine parameters are taken from previous published results about the behavior of asphaltenes in bulk phases and the adsorption of several molecular fluids onto activated carbon and graphite surfaces. The remaining parameter, the energy strength of the particle–surface interaction, is adjusted to reproduce the experimental data, obtaining values that are consistent with Molecular Mechanics calculations for asphaltenes adsorbed on different surfaces and solutions. Although the agreement between theory and experiments shows some deviations at low bulk concentrations, the model reproduces adsorption data at high concentrations where other semi-empirical approaches fail.