(81d) Flocculation Test for Oils without Asphaltenes

The Oil Compatibility Model and Tests enable refiners and upgraders to predict and to mitigate the asphaltene fouling of heat exchangers and furnace tubes by crude oils and bitumens. This includes self-incompatible oils, blends of oils that are incompatible, and oils that are nearly incompatible. Typically, the flocculation tests involve blending the oil with mixtures of toluene and n-heptane and determining the proportions for incipient asphaltene precipitation. However, about 30% of crude oils and many refinery oils, like vacuum gas oils, have no asphaltenes. Therefore, a new test, using a reference oil containing asphaltenes, has been developed for oils without asphaltenes to measure accurately their ability to dissolve asphaltenes of other oils.