Adsorption of asphaltenes and resins on organic and inorganic substrates and their correlation with precipitation problems in production well tubing

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 74; no. 4; pp. 595 - 598
• Main Authors: Acevedo, Sócrates, Ranaudo, Maria A., Escobar, Gastón, Gutiérrez, Luis, Ortega, Pedro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: adsorption; Applied sciences; asphaltenes; Completion equipments and methods. Casing. Cementing. Tests and measurements in wells; Constitution and properties of crude oils, shale oils, natural gas and bitumens. Analysis and characteristics; Crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products; deposit formation; Drilling. Casing. Preparing wells for production; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Prospecting and production of crude oil, natural gas, oil shales and tar sands; asphaltenes; deposit formation; adsorption; Asphaltene; Precipitation; Adsorption; Tubing; Deposit formation; Resins; Oil well
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(95)98363-J

The solute-solid adsorption isotherms (SSA) of asphaltenes and resins were measured using the inorganic fraction (97% SiO 2) of the deposit that plugged the tubing of a production well as an inorganic adsorbent. In other experiments, Ceuta asphaltenes and the product (HA) of heating them at 350°C for 11 h were used as organic adsorbents in heptane, toluene and heptane-toluene at 26°C. Ceuta and Furrial asphaltenes on the inorganic substrate resulted in multilayer formation (L-3 type adsorption) whereas a Cerro Negro sample gave simple Langmuir-type adsorption. A possible correlation between these results and the tendency of the asphaltenes to precipitate from the crude oils is suggested. Saturation, multilayer formation and pore penetration were apparent in the SSA experiments for the system resins-heptane-asphaltenes. SSA results for the system resins-heptane/toluene-HA were consistent with the steric stabilization theory of colloidal dispersions. Adsorption of aggregates or micelles of asphaltenes was apparent in both the organic and the inorganic substrates.