Fouling of Nearly Incompatible Oils

• Published in: Energy & fuels Vol. 15; no. 5; pp. 1057 - 1058
• Main Authors: Wiehe, Irwin A, Kennedy, Raymond J, Dickakian, G
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.09.2001
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); Processing of crude oil and oils from shales and tar sands. Processes. Equipment. Refinery and treatment units; Asphaltene; Incompatibility; Oil industry; Fouling; Crude oil; Heat exchanger; Deposit formation; Refinery
• ISSN: 0887-0624; 1520-5029
• DOI: 10.1021/ef010063i

The fouling of heat exchangers by asphaltenes in petroleum crude oils is found to be caused not only by incompatible crude oil mixtures but also by mixtures that are nearly incompatible. It is reasoned that the tendency for asphaltenes to adsorb on heated metal surfaces increases as the oil mixture approaches compositions at which asphaltenes precipitate. Based upon data for mixtures of Forties and Souedie crude oils, this region of near-incompatibility occurs for ratios of the solubility blending number to the insolubility number that are between 1.0 and 1.4. These numbers can be measured on individual oils using the oil compatibility model and tests and calculated for mixtures.