Thermodynamic modelling of asphaltene precipitation and related phenomena.

Authors :: Forte E
Taylor SE
Source :: Advances in colloid and interface science [Adv Colloid Interface Sci] 2015 Mar; Vol. 217, pp. 1-12. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Dec 15.
Publication Year :: 2015
Abstract: Asphaltenes are considered to be the heaviest and most polar fractions of crude oils and are frequently implicated in problems encountered during production and refining as a result of phase separation. In recent years, considerable effort has been given to understanding the phase behaviour of these structurally heterogeneous materials from both experimental and computational perspectives. Various experimental studies have confirmed the long-advanced colloidal behaviour of asphaltenes in organic media, and this has inspired a number of modelling strategies. The present review is specifically concerned with advances in modelling asphaltene phase behaviour with emphasis on the use of the statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT), which it attempts to place into the wider context of thermodynamic treatments.<br /> (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)