Probing asphaltene aggregation in native crude oils with low-field NMR

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
Lukasz ZielinskiYongsheng Liu

Abstract

We show that low-field proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation and diffusion experiments can be used to study asphaltene aggregation directly in crude oils. Relaxation was found to be multiexponential, reflecting the composition of a complex fluid. Remarkably, the relaxation data for samples with different asphaltene concentrations can be collapsed onto each other by a simple rescaling of the time dimension with a concentration-dependent factor xi, whereas the observed diffusion behavior is unaffected by asphaltene concentration. We interpret this finding in terms of a theoretical model that explains the enhanced relaxation by the transitory entanglement of solvent hydrocarbons within asphaltene clusters and their subsequent slowed motion and diffusion within the cluster. We relate the measured scaling parameters xi to cluster sizes, which we find to be on the order of 2.2-4.4 nm for an effective sphere diameter. These sizes are in agreement with the typical values reported in the literature as well as with the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments performed on our samples.

References

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May 3, 2006·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Keith L GawrysPeter K Kilpatrick
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Citations

Dec 24, 2013·Progress in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy·J MitchellE J Fordham
May 3, 2011·Analytical Chemistry·Ryan P Rodgers, Amy M McKenna
Jun 13, 2014·Chemphyschem : a European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry·Joseph J ChenYi-Qiao Song
Aug 3, 2019·Scientific Reports·Yiqiao TangYi-Qiao Song
Mar 9, 2021·Journal of Magnetic Resonance·Rutger R Tromp, Leo Pel
May 28, 2021·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Bulat GizatullinSiegfried Stapf
Aug 20, 2020·Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling·Masoumeh Mousavi, Elham H Fini

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