Investigation of Relationships between Petroleum Properties and Their Impact on Crude Oil Compatibility

Twenty-two crude oils around the world, from which 19 are processed in the LUKOIL Neftohim Burgas (LNB) refinery, were characterized in the LNB research laboratory by measuring 67 properties. These 22 crude oils included light low sulfur, light Sulfur, intermediate low sulfur, intermediate sulfur, intermediate high sulfur, heavy high sulfur, and extra heavy extra high sulfur crudes. A new mathematical approach-the intercriteria analysis-was employed to study the relations between the petroleum properties. It was found that the petroleum properties, density, and sulfur content, along with the crude oil simulated distillation, seem to be capable of providing the same information as that from the full assay of a crude oil. Crude oils containing insoluble asphaltenes (self-incompatible oils) were found to have a high content of low aromaticity naphtha and kerosene. It was found that the asphaltene solubility correlated with the asphaltene:hydrogen content. The oil solubility power was found to correlate with the oil saturate content. The oil colloidal stability seems,to be controlled by the following rule: "like dissolves like". The higher the aromaticity of the asphaltenes, the higher the aromaticity of the 'oil is required to keep the asphaltenes in solution. The processing of blends of oils which are incompatible or nearly incompatible may deteriorate the performance of the dewatering and desalting in the refinery, which consequently may damage the equipment due to accelerated corrosion, entailed by salt deposition. The processing of blends of oils, which are incompatible, not always can be related to an increased fouling.