LAUSR

The effect of the blending of crude oils on fouling propensity was investigated to determine the extent to which compatibility of crude oils influences fouling. In this study, fouling testing was performed for a series of crude oil blends with diverse compatibility as measured using a titration method. After testing, fouling deposits were recovered and analyzed. For the studied blends, the results show that compatibility is the driving force for fouling propensity. Asphaltene and inorganic contents also play a significant, but secondary role in the fouling of these samples. Filtration and temperature effects were also evaluated for some of the blends. As expected, temperature decreases fouling propensity, while filtration has a low impact indicating that, for the studied blends, fouling is temperature dependent and not driven by the presence of suspended inorganic particles. A correlation is proposed to describe the fouling propensity based on compatibility measurements of the blends at room temperature. ...