Petroleum asphaltene stability in the blending process of vacuum gas oil and vacuum residue

Abstract

In the blending process of vacuum residue (VR) and vacuum gas oil (VGO), an unstable mixture can be formed, which has a negative impact on the operation of devices and results in poor product distribution. In order to avoid this phenomenon, the stability of blends that forms by different kinds of VR and VGO with different ratios was studied. Based on the experimental results of microscopic observations and the S BN and I N calculation results, a criterion was proposed: when S BNmix≥2 I N, the mixture is stable; when S BNmix is between 2 I N–1.2 I N, the mixture is tend to be unstable; when S BNmix I N, the mixture is unstable. This criterion can be used to guide the selection of VR and VGO as well as the blending ratio to avoid the unstable blending.