Understanding molecular interactions and interfacial behaviors of asphaltenes towards development of an integrated bitumen recovery and upgrading process

沥青质通常被定义为原油中可溶于甲苯而不溶于烷烃（通常是正戊烷或正庚烷）的部分。沥青质的存在对沥青从提取到精炼的整个加工过程产生重大影响。对于使用蒸汽辅助重力排水（SAGD）作业进行沥青的现场提取，沥青质通常被认为会稳定油水乳液，并且会阻碍有效的水回收，并导致设备和管道的污染，从而导致腐蚀和堵塞。为了解决这些具有挑战性的问题，油砂行业正在开发一种改进的、集成的原位沥青回收和升级工艺，旨在将油水矿物固体分离、溶剂脱沥青和分馏（以及可选的热裂解和烯烃转化）结合到一个集成的处理单元中。在这个新工艺中，合适的石蜡溶剂将被用作稀释剂，以加强油和水的分离，并有助于去除不需要的和有问题的沥青质、固体和水，促进沥青质的运输/分离用于其他用途，从而生产出更高质量的油，同时显著降低运营成本和沥青生产对环境的影响。该项目旨在通过结合分子与表面力测量和分子动力学模拟的创新方法，阐明沥青质在复杂流体介质中的稳定性和分子相互作用机制及其在水/油/矿物固体界面上的界面性质，并了解合适的石蜡稀释剂的选择和影响。这对于成功开发上述沥青提取和加拿大油砂行业升级的综合工艺至关重要。

Asphaltenes are normally defined as the part of the crude which is soluble in toluene and insoluble in alkanes, usually n-pentane or n-heptane. The presence of asphaltenes has significant influence on the entire processing of bitumen, from extraction to refinery. For in situ extraction of bitumen using steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations, asphaltenes are generally believed to stabilize oil-water emulsions, and can prohibit efficient water recovery and cause fouling to equipment and pipes thereby resulting in corrosion and clogging. To address these challenging issues, oil sands industry is developing an improved and integrated in situ bitumen recovery and upgrading process, aiming to combine oil-water-mineral solids separation, solvent de-asphalting and fractionation (and optionally, thermal racking and olefin conversion) into one integrated processing unit. In this new process, suitable paraffinic solvents will be used as diluent to enhance the separation of oil and water and facilitate the removal of the undesired and problematic asphaltenes, solids and water, promote the transport/separation of asphaltenes for other uses, and produce oils of much higher quality while significantly reducing operating cost and the environment impact of bitumen production. The proposed project aims to elucidate the stability and molecular interaction mechanisms of asphaltenes in complex fluid media and their interfacial properties at water/oil/mineral solid interfaces, and understand the selection and impact of suitable paraffinic diluent, through an innovative approach of combining molecular & surface force measurements and molecular dynamics simulations, which will be critical for the successful development of the above integrated process for bitumen extraction and upgrading for the Canadian oil sands industry.