CRUDE OIL BLENDING EFFECTS ON ASPHALTENE STABILITY IN REFINERY FOULING

摘要

It has been known for some time that blending of incompatible crude oils may lead to asphaltene destabilization. The link between such asphaltene destabilization and their subsequent precipitation in refinery operations was established in this study. Several refinery crude blends known to cause problems ranging from desalter upsets to fouling in pre-heat train were studied. Stability analysis of the crudes and their blends using a solvent titration method with a laser-based solids detection system showed that destabilization of the asphaltenes is caused, in the main, by blending of incompatible crudes. The stability data showed that the individual crudes were either stable or marginally unstable. The blends of those that are incompatible however showed increased instability and may be the cause of the fouling problems encountered in the pre-heat train heat exchangers during their processing. Deposit characterization data showed that the predominant precursors to fouling are the destabilized asphaltenes.