A Study on Asphaltenes Precipitation in Crude Oil Using Different Titrant

Asphaltenes are defined generally in terms of solubility. Its molecular structure in crude oil is said to be indefinite, making it difficult to study on the asphaltenes precipitation, which has been the problems to oil and gas industry for long period of time. Although different studies have been done to understand the precipitation and deposition of asphaltenes, the concrete conclusions are rare and still debatable. Examining through the past studies, the effects of oil composition and titrant type are analyzed to be able to explain further on the subject. SARA composition analysis is applied to represent oil composition where there are saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes. Based on a study on the effect of bulk temperature on asphaltenes precipitation, Automated Flocculation Titrimeter which is referring to Heithaus test method becomes the major equipment and concept to be used to conduct the study in this project. The results from the test method requires determination on the Hildebrand’s solubility parameters which correlates with the relation between asphaltenes solubility and precipitation; high asphaltenes solubility, low possibility of precipitation. However in this report, the applicability of Heithaus Parameters are the only method of analysis discussed