Study on Asphaltene Precipitation Using Thin Film Micro-reactor

Asphaltenes are present in most petroleum materials and in all heavy oils and bitumen from oil sands. Asphaltenes are the heaviest and most complex molecules in crude oil and are defined by its solubility class as the constituents of oil which are soluble in toluene but insoluble in n-heptane. Asphaltene precipitation in the petroleum industry is detrimental to production operations since oil flow rate is impaired due to asphaltene precipitation or deposition. To study the effect of temperatures on asphaltene precipitation, a thin film micro-reactor is used to carry out the experiment. The effect of bulk temperature on asphaltene precipitation on heat transfer surface is studied and the result is observed and recorded. In this paper, four types of crude oils were tested to see the asphaltene precipitation.