Looking for a Model Solvent to Disperse Asphaltenes
Petroleum could be seen as a system of asphaltenes dispersed in other petroleum components. The petroleum components excluding the asphaltenes are referred to in this paper as Petroleum Medium that Disperses the Asphaltenes – PMDA). This paper proposes a methodology to determine solubility parameter of the PMDA by identifying a model solvent which, when added to the petroleum, does not affect the asphaltenes phase behavior.