• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.151-158
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• 2014

Asphaltenes are generally defined by their solubility when a light alkane, such as n-heptane or n-pentane, is mixed with crude oils or oil sand bitumen. However, this definition is nowadays not enough to understand their behaviors during oil recovery, transport, storage, and even refinery operation. Interestingly, the researches regarding asphaltenes have been vastly presented within last decade. This is because the production of heavy oils is becoming larger and asphaltenes are known to play an important role in the property changes of heavy oils. In this paper, the researches regarding molecular weight, aggregation behavior of asphaltenes are introduced and discussed. It is expected that analytical studies will be appeared continuously in the form of global collaboration in order to describe asphaltene molecules as close as possible based on their origin.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.864-872
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• 2020

In accordance with the sulfur regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) shows various production-dependent physico-chemical properties. This study aims to use as basic data for oil spill response according to study of physico-chemical characteristics of VLSFO and mixed fuel oil of VLSFO-HSFO. The mixed fuel oil was prepared by mixing 25, 50, 75 mass% of HSFO with VLSFO containing 0.46 and 0.36 mass% of sulfur. The physico-chemical properties such as the kinematic viscosity, pour point and distribution of Saturates, Aromatics, Resins, and Asphaltenes (SARA) were studied in the laboratory. As mixed of 75 mass% of HSFO with high the kinematic viscosity and low pour point in VLSFO, the kinematic viscosity of the mixed fuel oil increased to 350.2 %, and VLSFO with pour point of 23℃ and -11℃ lowered or raised to -3℃ and -6℃ respectively. As HSFO was mixed in VLSFO with a small Asphaltenes distribution, the Saturates distribution decreased to 68.8% and Asphaltenes distribution increased to 1,417 % dramatically.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 1976

The air oxidations of asphalt at temperatures ranging from 190$\circ$C to 270$\circ$C were studied for changes in physical properties, proportions and chemical characteristics of asphalt compositions, weak acid and very weak acid contents. The following results were obtained: 1) Oils and resins of asphalt components are oxidized to asphaltenes by blowing(Air oxidation) 2) At 270$\circ$C, asphaltenes begin to undergo a change into benzene insoluble after approximately 12 hours of air oxidation. 3) Weak acid increases at the oxidation temperature below 200$\circ$C. While very weak acid, presumably phenols, generally increases without regard to the blowing(Air oxidation) temperature.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2008

In this work, we investigated the variation of physical and chemical characteristics of solvent-insolubles and solvent-solubles in Canada's Athabasca oil sands by solvent-insolubles experiments. N-Heptane, n-Hexane, and n-Pentane were tested for solvents and asphaltenes were separated from maltenes by using a modified ASTM D 3279 method. Elemental analysis, boiling point distribution (SIMDIS), molecular weight distribution, heavy metal contents, API gravity, viscosity and SARA fractions were measured for thorough samples. The asphaltenes-removed maltenes contained less sulfur and heavy metal amounts and had lower molecular weight than the original bitumen. N-Pentane solvent could lower sulfur and heavy metal amounts, molecular weight, and viscosity of maltenes compared to the other solvents. Eventually, we confirmed that the obtained experimental data could be used as basic informations of bitumen upgrading processes for the production of SCO (synthetic crude oil).

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.3 no.1 s.7
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• pp.177-184
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• 2001

A recycling agent has been manufactured on the basis of the chemical composition of reclaimed asphalt binders and virgin asphalt binders. The chemical compositions of reclaimed asphalt binders extracted from reclaimed asphalt pavements have been analyzed according to the ASTM method and the results were compared to those of virgin asphalt binder AP-3. Reclaimed asphalt binders have shown that asphaltenes was increased whereas saturates, naphthene aromatics, and polar aromatics fractions were decreased. A recycling agent made of aromatic compounds, in which its chemical composition is similar to the aromatics fraction in asphalt binders, has been produced to reduce the amount of asphaltenes in reclaimed asphalt hinders. The evaluation of the recycling agent produced was performed by testing ductility, rolling and ball softening point, penetration at $25^{\circ}C$ and viscosity at $60^{\circ}C$. It was found that, by adding the recycling agent 20% by weight to the reclaimed asphalt binders, the physical properties of reclaimed asphalt binders was recovered to the level of virgin asphalt binder AP-3.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2011

Inorganic and organic geochemical characteristics of Devonian bitumen carbonates in Alberta were studied using two drilling cores, Saleski 03-34-88-20w4 and Saleski 08-01-88-20w4, taken from the Core Research Center of Canada. The results of elements analyses showed high Total Inorganic Carbon, low Total Nitrogen and Total Sulfur, and Rock-Eval pyrolysis showed double $CO_2$ peaks in the oxidation part. These mean that the Devonian bitumen carbonates are mainly composed of dolomite formed by diagenesis, and its crystal texture is dominantly subhedral to anhedral but often euhedral. Bitumen contents were 3.6~19.0% in Saleski 3-34-88-20w4 and 5.0~16.4% in Saleski 08-01-88-20w4, respectively. As samples color become dark, bitumen and Total Organic Carbon contents are generally increasing in two cores. The results of biomarker analyses showed that the contents of resins and asphaltenes were 5~28% higher than those of saturated hydrocarbon, interring that the bitumen has been heavily biodegradated. According to the results of carbon isotope analyses in each component of bitumen, asphaltenes had highest values and the others had constant values. However, their values were varied in the range of normal crude oil (-18~-30‰).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.467-472
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• 2017

In this study, the reforming reaction of vacuum residue (VR) was carried out using aquathermolysis reaction. VR showed a prone to decrease the amount of resins and asphaltenes in the constituents, and to increase saturates and aromatics when reacting with steam at 30 bar and above $300^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. This tendency became more evident when the amount of steam used was excessive than the amount of VR. When the aquathermolysis reaction was performed at $300^{\circ}C$ and 30 bar for 48 h, the VR composition was changed from the initial state (S/A/R/A = 7.3%/43.7%/25.6%/23.5%) to final state (S/A/R/A = 6.8%/57%/12.2%/24.0%), and the contents of the resins decreased by 13% and the aromatic compounds increased by 13%. The viscosity decreased from 880,000 cp to 290,000 cp by 68%. When 10% of decalin, which is easy to provide hydrogen, was added, the viscosity decreased by 68% in 24 h. The VR composition showed a reduction in the contents of resins and asphaltenes from 49% to 17% from the initial state (S/A/R/A = 7.3%/43.7%/25.6%/23.5%) to the final state (S/A/R/A = 4.5%/63.5%/12.5%/20.0%), and the content of aromatics was maximized to 63.5%. The gas layer formed by the aquathermolysis reaction in the reactor chamber was collected and analyzed by GC-MS spectroscopy. As a result, various hydrocarbon compounds such as ethylbenzene, octane and dimethylbenzene were detected.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2010

In this study, fluidized-bed pyrolysis has been conducted in order to recover the bitumen contained in the oil sand. Canada Alberta oil sand contains 11.9% of bitumen and the bitumen-derived heavy oil produced in fluidizedbed tends to be upgraded relative to the bitumen. The continuous operation has been performed using $N_2$ as a fluidization gas at 1 atm and $500^{\circ}C$ in a reactor of 170 cm height. The results showed 87.76% of bitumen conversion, where liquid products are 74.45% and gas products are 13.31%. $H_2$, $O_2$, CO, $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and NO and $C_1{\sim}C_4$ hydrocarbons in the gas products were analyzed by on-line gas analyzer and gas chromatography, respectively. The pyrolysis oil was analyzed by using proximate analysis, heavy metal analysis, SIMDIS, asphaltenes, and heating value. By SIMDIS analysis, naphtha was 11.50%, middle distillation was 44.83% and heavy oil was 43.66%. It was obvious that the pyrolysis oil was upgraded compared with bitumens.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 1976

In this study, the oil bearing rock-sequence, U-hand-ri Formation (D.S. Lee et al., 1976), was subdivided into three members; the lower, the intermediate and the upper. The lower consists mainly of reddish purple tuff and sandy calcareous shales, the intermediate of an alternation of tuffs, sandstons, calcareous black shales, cherts and limestone and the upper of coarse grained variegated tuff and agglomerate. Oily matter was found from the black shales of the intermediate. Ten samples of black shales from drilled cores, 8 samples of black shales from different outcrops of the member, and 1 sample of grease-like seeping oil from black shales at U-hang-ri coast were chemically analyized. Among them, 9 samples contain remarkable amount of organic carbon (0.96~1.60%) and E.O.M. extract (0.176~0.718%), and mostly the bituminous material is saturated hydrocarbons as well as shown in infared spectroscopic analyses. The elemental analyses of MAE extracts and asphaltenes of some of thoese samples indicate that the transformation of organic material to crude oil is highly progressed. The authors suggest that the seeping oil and oily tinges in black shale layers are the products of natural cracking related with the igneous activities in the area nearby.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.497-504
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• 2015

Apart from hydrates, asphaltenes, and inorganic minerals, paraffinic waxes are also very important in flow assurance area. Evaluation of wax gel behavior has been important as off-shore oil recovery becomes more popular in oil production. Restart after either planned or emergency shutdown requires pump operation in high pressure since a waxy oil forms troublesome gel. In this paper, vane method is introduced to determine wax gel strength by determining yield stress. Prediction of gel strength are discussed in qualitative and quantitative manners.