STABILIZATION OF MODEL CRUDE OIL EMULSION BY ASPHALTENE

  • O. L. Alimi
  • O. F. Oyedeji
Keywords: Asphaltene, Bitumen, Crude oil, Emulsion, Model oil, Stabilization

Abstract

As part of an ongoing research into the stability of oil-field emulsions, model oils have been utilized to probe the effects of asphaltene interactions on crude oil/water emulsion stability. Asphaltenes were precipitated from treated Ondo State oil sand bitumen with n-hexane in a 40:1 solvent to bitumen ratio which was allowed to stand for 24 hours and then filtered. Model oils were prepared from n-hexane and toluene with varying masses of asphaltene dissolved in them (0.05-0.1%). Emulsions were prepared from mixtures of model oil with 5ml of de-ionized water. Results showed that the stability of the prepared emulsions increased with asphaltene concentration of the model oil; with the model oil containing 0.1% of asphaltene forming the most stable emulsion. Therefore, the higher the concentration of asphaltene in the model oil, the more stable the model oil/water emulsions formed. This is similar to literature reports on oil-field emulsion therefore the interaction of asphaltene with the prepared model oils can be used as a model to study crude oil emulsion stabilization processes.                                   

Author Biographies

O. L. Alimi

Department of Chemistry, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Nigeria

O. F. Oyedeji

Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Published
2014-08-06
How to Cite
Alimi, O., & Oyedeji, O. (2014). STABILIZATION OF MODEL CRUDE OIL EMULSION BY ASPHALTENE. LAUTECH Journal of Engineering and Technology, 8(2), 40-44. Retrieved from https://laujet.com/index.php/laujet/article/view/120
Section
Articles