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Phase Behavior of Heavy Oils

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Asphaltenes, Heavy Oils, and Petroleomics

Abstract

The phase behavior and physical properties of heavy oil are complex and present significant experimental and modeling challenges. Only through coordinated use of diverse experimental techniques from X-ray transmission videography to small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to calorimetry can the behaviors of these materials be elucidated at the diverse length scales required for their characterization and processing. Available data sets tend to be fragmentary and interpretation can be ambiguous. However, heavy crudes and crude fractions, such as Maya crude and Athabasca vacuum bottoms, appear to comprise a minimum of two phases over a broad range of conditions, and when combined with light hydrocarbons as many as four fluid phases are observed. The behavior of asphaltenes within these phases remains a subject of ongoing inquiry as does hydrocarbon speciation more generally, and as a consequence, phase behavior and physical property models remain correlative in nature.

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Authors
  1. John M. Shaw
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  2. Xiangyang Zou
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Schlumberger-Doll Research, 36 Old Quarry Road Ridgefield, Connecticut, 06877, United States

    Oliver C. Mullins

  2. Vanton Research Laboratory, Inc., 7 Olde Creek Place, Lafayette, California, 94549, United States

    Eric Y. Sheu

  3. Schlumberger Oilfield Services, Edmonton, Alberta, T6N 1M9, Canada

    Ahmed Hammami

  4. Chemistry and Biochemistry, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-4005, United States

    Alan G. Marshall

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Shaw, J.M., Zou, X. (2007). Phase Behavior of Heavy Oils. In: Mullins, O.C., Sheu, E.Y., Hammami, A., Marshall, A.G. (eds) Asphaltenes, Heavy Oils, and Petroleomics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-68903-6_19

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