Relationship Between the Stability of Changqing Water in Oil Emulsions and Asphaltene Content

With respect to Changqing emulsified light crude oil, the impacts of oil components on the emulsion stability were studied. It is confirmed that asphaltene is the major factor for stabilizing light crude oil emulsions through two approaches, which use kerosene to extract light components and xylene to dissolve asphaltene. Besides, the interfacial film strength, oil phase viscosity and emulsions size were measured by rheometer, Brookfield viscometer and optical microscope. Results show that the interfacial film strength and oil viscosity, which are dependent on asphaltene, are the main factor affecting crude oil emulsion stability. With the increase of asphaltene content, the interfacial film becomes stronger, the oil gets more viscous. As a result, the emulsion becomes stabler. © 2018, Editorial Office of Acta Petrolei Sinica(Petroleum Processing Section). All right reserved.