Tin and Silicon Phthalocyanines Molecularly Engineered as Traceable Stabilizers of Asphaltenes

Abstract

Petroleum asphaltenes represent the most polar and heavy molecular fraction of crude oil; hence, it comprises a very complex and problematic mixture of molecules that tend to assemble in particles of micrometric size. These particles are difficult to be maintained as flocculations by the interaction with normal dispersants at low concentration values. Additionally, once these flocculations are formed, they can be destabilized, leading to deposition onto metallic and mineral surfaces. In this line, two phthalocyanines, tin (SnPc) and silicon (SiPc), were molecularly engineered, prepared, characterized, and assessed as stabilizers for petroleum asphaltenes. The stabilizing behavior of SnPc and SiPc was experimentally and theoretically determined through two contributions: (i) the inhibitive effect, related to the stabilization of already formed asphaltenes flocculations under the application of an electric field, and (ii) the dispersive effect, directly related to the ability of the molecules to prevent further growing of small asphaltenes flocculations (clustering). Results have shown that, because of stereochemical differences, SnPc is a better inhibitor and dispersant than SiPc. Also, these two surfactants have shown ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) traceability above 100 parts per billion in crude oil media, an important characteristic to track transportation and general handling of petroleum and its derivatives, to secure the final products.

Development of oxazolidines derived from polyisobutylene succinimides as multifunctional stabilizers of asphaltenes in oil industry

“…In electro-deposition experiment, the non-additivated sample presented a mass of deposits of 225 mg over the positive electrode, and this later fact is in good agreement with previous reports [23,[28][29][30][31][32]. Only DBSA resulted a bad inhibitor with an IDIF value of 0.3.…”

“…The DE of P1-3 chemical products was measured by a UV-vis Asph dispersion test according to experimental procedure reported elsewhere [23]. The experiment is based on the fact that Asph are insoluble in n-heptane, thus their UV-vis absorbance is low in these conditions as determined in the literature [23].…”

“…The experiment is based on the fact that Asph are insoluble in n-heptane, thus their UV-vis absorbance is low in these conditions as determined in the literature [23]. The reference consisted in a mixture of n-heptane with crude oil in a volumetric ratio of 100:1 respectively.…”

“…Results from this test are important since it is expected that novel prototypes could adequately behave as inhibitors of Asph deposition under flow conditions in production or transportation steel pipelines. This efficiency was evaluated through an electro-deposition experiment adapted from the one described by Lichaa and Herrera [25] and reported elsewhere [23].…”

Avaliação De Asfaltenos Precipitados Em Diferentes Condições De Composição, Temperatura E Pressão

“…8,11,14,15,21,23 Tais problemas têm levado ao desenvolvimento de aditivos, compostos cuja função é minimizar ou evitar a precipitação dos asfaltenos, sobretudo sem que seja necessária a interrupção da produção. [24][25][26] Para tanto, é de fundamental importância conhecer as propriedades dessa fração e seu comportamento no petróleo.…”