Recebido em 13/4/12; aceito em 2/7/12; publicado na web em 21/9/12The structure of the various asphaltenic subfractions found in crude oil was evaluated. For this purpose, C5 asphaltenes were extracted from an asphaltic residue using n-pentane as the flocculant solvent. The different subfractions were isolated from the C5 asphaltenes by the difference in solubility in different solvents. These were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray fluorescence, elementary analysis and mass spectrometry. The results confirmed that the subfractions extracted with higher alkanes had greater aromaticity and molar mass. However, small solubility variations between the subfractions were attributed mainly to the variation in the concentrations of cyclical hydrocarbon compounds and metals.

O petróleo é produzido na forma de emulsão água em óleo e os asfaltenos são considerados os principais responsáveis pela estabilização dessas emulsões. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de diferentes frações asfaltênicas sobre a estabilidade de emulsões modelo de petróleo (salmoura em asfaltenos/tolueno) e sobre a eficiência de desemulsificantes. A estabilidade das emulsões foi acompanhada pelo ensaio de garrafa, com e sem a adição de desemulsificante. Os resultados mostram que a amostra de asfaltenos com larga distribuição de polaridade promove maior estabilidade da emulsão do que a amostra com distribuição mais estreita e polaridade intermediária. Além disso, a eficiência do desemulsificante na separação das emulsões está diretamente relacionada à estabilidade original da emulsão. Resultados de tensão interfacial evidenciaram a eficiência de deslocamento dos asfaltenos pelos tensoativos desemulsificantes, o que ocorreu com maior eficiência para as emulsões contendo frações de asfaltenos com distribuição estreita e polaridade intermediária.Crude oil is produced as water-in-oil emulsion, and asphaltenes have been considered the main responsible by their stabilization. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the asphaltenes subfractions on the stability of petroleum model emulsions and on the efficiency of demulsifiers. Model water-in-oil emulsions were prepared: aqueous phase of brine and oil phase of asphaltenes in toluene. Different asphaltenes fractions were used. The emulsions' stability was assessed by the bottle test, with and without adding demulsifier. The results show that a sample of asphaltenes with broad polarity distribution promotes greater emulsion stability than a sample with narrow distribution and intermediate polarity. Besides this, the efficiency of demulsifiers in separating the emulsions is directly related to the original stability of the emulsion. Measurements of the interfacial tension revealed the efficiency of displacement of the asphaltenes by the demulsifiers, which occurred more efficiently for the emulsions containing asphaltenes fractions with narrow distribution and intermediate polarity.