Assessing the Precipitation Kinetics of Asphaltenes in Heptane/Toluene Mixtures

Assessing the Precipitation Kinetics of Asphaltenes in Heptane/Toluene Mixtures

In the present paper, the effects of temperature on agglomeration kinetics of asphaltene in the heptane-toluene solvent mixture have been studied for various values of temperatures. Particle size distributions over 0.3 nm to 10 µm were measured using a Malvern ZEN3600 zetasizer nano particle analyser that uses a dynamic light scattering method with backscatter detection. The results showed that the average asphaltene particle size decreases with an increment of temperature and this is in agreement with refining literature. Furthermore, the increase of temperature results in an increase of the initial rate of asphaltene flocculation.

In the present paper, the effects of temperature on agglomeration kinetics of asphaltene in the heptane-toluene solvent mixture have been studied for various values of temperatures. Particle size distributions over 0.3 nm to 10 µm were measured using a Malvern ZEN3600 zetasizer nano particle analyser that uses a dynamic light scattering method with backscatter detection. The results showed that the average asphaltene particle size decreases with an increment of temperature and this is in agreement with refining literature. Furthermore, the increase of temperature results in an increase of the initial rate of asphaltene flocculation.