Energy & Fuels, Vol.18, No.3, 667-673, 2004
Solubility parameters of crude oils and asphaltenes
Results obtained with flocculation threshold experiments and with inverse gas chromatography were used to validate the use of the solubility parameter approach to asphaltene flocculation phenomena. It was found that values of solubility parameters obtained with both methods are in good agreement. The global solubility parameter of the crude oils was factorized in terms of Linear Solvation Energy Relationship (LSER) coefficients corresponding to a given fluid. Results confirm the validity of the three-dimensional solubility parameter proposed by Hansen to deal with petroleum fluids.