Effect of n-alkanes on asphaltene structuring in petroleum oils

The interactions between asphaltenes and short- to medium-chain n-alkanes were studied using titration microcalorimetry and inverse chromatography. The exothermic heat effects observed upon mixing of asphaltenes and n-alkanes were interpreted in terms of assembling of the two types of compounds into mixed structures. We show that the energy of the interactions between n-alkanes and the asphaltene hydrocarbon chains is close to the energy of the interactions between the asphaltene chains. We propose that the latter interactions are responsible for the formation of the asphaltene aggregates and are the driving force of the aggregate assembly into higher structures.