An Experimental Measurement and Modeling of Asphaltene Precipitation in Crude Oil

Abstract

In this study, the amount of asphaltene precipitation produced by adding different ratios of n-alkanes (n-pentane, hexane, n-heptane, n-nonane) into two dead oil samples from Iranian oil fields has been measured. The obtained results were compatible with the results of other researchers. Meanwhile, the reversibility of asphaltene precipitation process has been investigated as an important subject in this phenomenon. Then, by using the experimental data and optimization, the scaling equation's coefficients were calculated and then the amount of asphaltene precipitation and the onset point have been obtained by the scaling approach. Finally, the obtained results have been compared with the experimental data and the model's accuracy was approved.

Keywords:

• asphaltene precipitation
• experimental method
• reversibility
• scaling equation