ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Structure of Petroleum Asphaltenes in Solution

Abstract: Asphaltenes are the heaviest end of crude oil and are responsible for a multitude of engineering challenges. They can precipitate from the oil, depositing, blocking pipelines and fouling refinery equipment. They can also alter the wettability of an oil reservoir, reducing its productivity and can stabilise unwanted oil-in-water emulsions. Asphaltene molecules in crude oil aggregate together, forming loose, fractal aggregates. It is hypothesised that these aggregates are themselves built from denser “nanoaggregates” formed from stacking of the disk shaped molecules. In this experiment we will use combined small and wide angle neutron scattering to help understand the structure of the asphaltene molecules within the aggregate. The results will be compared directly with computer modelling approaches which can provide a more complete understanding of asphaltene aggregation.

Principal Investigator: Dr Tom Headen
Experimenter: Ms Yuan Yang
Experimenter: Mr Jason Chan
Experimenter: Professor Erich Muller
Experimenter: Dr Michael Hoepfner

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1610495

ISIS Experiment Number: RB1610495

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Tom Headen et al; (2016): Structure of Petroleum Asphaltenes in Solution, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1610495

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.