Influence of asphaltene polarity on hydrate behaviors in water-in-oil emulsions

Asphaltene was fractionated into four subfractions with different polarities, and used to conduct the hydrate formation and dissociation experiments. It was observed that the more polar fraction could result in a higher tendency of self-aggregation and fewer asphaltenes adsorbing at the water-oil interface mainly due to the larger C/H ratio, higher aromaticity, and shorter length of the alkyl side chain. The nucleation rate decreased with the presence of asphaltenes, and the induction time increased with a reduction in asphaltene polarity in water-in-oil emulsions. The results showed that the formed amount of hydrates were reduced by the addition of asphaltenes. For the asphaltene containing emulsions, less hydrate was formed with the presence of a more polar asphaltene fraction. The presence of asphaltenes was also found to affect the growth rate of hydrate, which varies with the polarity. Meanwhile, all four asphaltene fractions were found to promote the dissociation of hydrate.

Hydrocracking of C5-Isolated Asphaltene and Its Fractions in Batch and Semi-Batch Reactors

Non-catalytic and catalytic hydrocracking of C5-isolated asphaltene and its subfractions were performed in batch and semi-batch reactors at various temperatures. Catalyst and H2 played an important role in the hydrocracking of asphaltenes. In the batch system, the catalyst enhanced asphaltene conversion to light liquid products and suppressed coke formation. The coke formation was controlled at a low reaction temperature, but the reaction rate was too low. Light liquid products were also formed at the beginning of the reaction even at high temperatures, but the coke formation was predominant as the reaction time went on due to the decrease in H2 amount in the reactor. To solve these problems, H2 was continuously supplied during the reaction using the semi-batch system. Sufficient supply of H2 improved the conversion of asphaltenes to light liquid products while inhibiting the coke formation. The lightest asphaltene fraction was easily cracked into light products by inhibiting the coke formation, while the heaviest fraction tends to form coke. The lightest asphaltene fraction prolonged the coke induction period of the heaviest fraction during the catalytic hydrocracking because the lightest fraction contained a significant amount of heavy resin close to that which could prevent aggregation of the heaviest asphaltenes.

The Asphaltene Fraction – Demystified

The asphaltene constituents of crude oil are the highest molecular weight heaviest and most polar constituents in the oil and the fraction is isolated a dark brown to black friable solids that have no definite melting point and usually foam and swell on heating to leave a carbonaceous residue. The fraction is obtained from crude oil by the addition of a hydrocarbon liquid (such as n-pentane or n-heptane). Any molecular models derived for asphaltene constituents must be in keeping with behavioral characteristics. Efforts have been (and continue to be) made without justification to describe the asphaltene fraction in terms of a single, representative asphaltene molecule or molecules incorporating, in the correct proportions, all of the chemical constituents known to be present in a given asphaltenic matrix. Obviously, the chemistry and structural features of the constituents of crude oil asphaltene fractions will be dictated by the distribution of functional and structural type that occur in the fraction. This makes the representation of the structure and functionality of the constituents by so-called average structures very difficult (if not, impossible) to conceive.

Asphaltene Precipitation During Bitumen Extraction With Expanding-Solvent Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage: Effects on Pore-Scale Displacement

Summary Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a proved enhanced-oil-recovery technique for oil-sand extraction. However, the environmental and the economic challenges associated with steam generation limit the application of this technology. To address these issues, we have investigated the effectiveness of expanding-solvent-SAGD (ES-SAGD) over base SAGD on a bitumen sample (8.8 °API). Experimental studies are conducted with a 2D physical model. Different strategies for solvent injection are tested (coinjection and cyclic injection) to examine the impact of the deposition of the asphaltene fraction of the bitumen on porous media and the behavior of the asphaltene fraction in produced oil. Toluene is used as asphaltene-soluble solvent, and n-hexane is selected as asphaltene-insoluble. Steam-chamber development is monitored with temperature profiles from 47 separate positions. The oil rate, recovery factor, and the produced-oil quality are evaluated together. The effectiveness of SAGD and ES-SAGD is discussed by considering the role of asphaltenes and their interactions with clays in both produced- and residual-oil samples. This study reveals that coinjection of hydrocarbon solvents with steam enhances the steam-chamber development with higher oil-production rate. Moreover, ES-SAGD results in recovery of more-upgraded oil and has a lesser environmental impact. We observe that the selections of solvent type and injection strategy are the most crucial parameters for the design of a hybrid SAGD process, and solvent cost and toxicity can be minimized with the recycling of solvent for continuous injection of solvents. High-energy consumption for steam generation during the SAGD process can be reduced by coinjection of proper solvent type with steam at a proper injection strategy. Our study reveals that the ES-SAGD process has environmental and economic benefits that are preferable to those of the base SAGD. However, some solvents can cause undesirable effects because of asphaltene destabilization and precipitation in production or transportation lines. The results of this work show that not only asphaltenes but also the other fractions of oil, along with the reservoir-clay type and the clay amount, affect the ES-SAGD performance.