Application of a Regular Solution-Based Model to Asphaltene Precipitation from Live Oils†

A previously developed regular solution approach was adapted to model asphaltene precipitation caused by compositional changes and depressurization. The model inputs are the mass fraction, molecular weight, density, and solubility parameters for each component. A Gulf of Mexico crude oil was characterized into components, and mass fractions were assigned on the basis of gas chromatographic and saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes (SARA) analysis. Densities for pentane plus and SARA fractions were obtained from published data. For lighter components, effective densities were determined from extrapolated n-alkane data. The density of the live oil from 80 to 120 °C and pressures from 10 to 100 MPa was predicted to within the error of the data assuming ideal mixing. Solubility parameters of each component were determined as a function of the temperature and pressure. The only unknown was the average molar mass of the asphaltene nano-aggregates in the oil, which was used to fit the measured precipitat...