بررسي اثر پليمرهاي سنتزي زيست‌سازگار به عنوان بازدارنده تشكيل رسوب آسفالتين و تشكيل دهنده امولسيون آب در نفت

Asphaltene deposition is one of the most significant challenges in the production, transportation, an‎d processing of crude oil, potentially causing equipment clogging, reduced reservoir permeability, an‎d production decline. This phenomenon primarily occurs due to the disruption of the colloidal stability of asphaltenes under variations in pressure, temperature, an‎d fluid composition. Although conventional chemical inhibitors, such as dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA), are widely used to mitigate asphaltene deposition, their application is limited due to environmental hazards an‎d low stability. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly inhibitors as sustainable alternatives has gained particular importance. In this study, the performance of two biocompatible polymers, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) an‎d carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), was investigated both individually an‎d in combination as asphaltene deposition inhibitors, an‎d compared with the commercial inhibitor DBSA. Asphaltenes were extracted from Maroon crude oil according to the IP_143 stan‎dard (ASTM D6560), an‎d their purity was confirmed using FESEM, EDX, an‎d CHNS analyses. Inhibitor performance was eva‎luated through UV–Vis spectroscopy to assess asphaltene stability, viscosity measurements to analyze rheological behavior, deposition inhibition tests, an‎d water-in-oil emulsion studies. The results of asphaltene dispersion tests by UV–Vis spectroscopy indicated that the proposed polymer blend significantly reduced changes in the effective absorbance of asphaltenes an‎d exhibited performance comparable to the commercial DBSA inhibitor, with less than a 10% difference under similar conditions. Furthermore, viscosity measurements of real crude oil in the presence of normal heptane showed that the addition of the proposed inhibitor shifted the asphaltene onset point from approximately 50% heptane volume (without inhibitor) to around 80%, whereas DBSA shifted this point to about 90% under the same conditions. These findings demonstrate that the proposed non-toxic, biocompatible inhibitor exhibits DBSA-like performance an‎d thus possesses high economic potential. Additionally, water-in-oil emulsion tests revealed that the proposed biocompatible system displayed favorable emulsification behavior an‎d prevented the formation of unwanted stable emulsions. Overall, both PEG400 an‎d CMC effectively reduced the tendency of asphaltenes to aggregate an‎d precipitate, an‎d their combined use further enhanced inhibition performance compared to their individual application. This synergistic behavior is attributed to hydrogen bonding interactions, increased steric hindrance, an‎d reinforced colloidal stability of asphaltene particles.

محسن محمدي

حميدرضا شاه وردي , مرضيه عليدادي