Problems of crude oil residue treatment with respect to asphaltenes

2 PROBLEMS OF CRUDE OIL RESIDUE TREATMENT WITH RESPECT TO ASPHALTENES 

The presence of asphaltene in crude oil causes problems for oil treatment as 

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Generally the mechanism of coke formation can by described be polycondensation reactions of asphaltenes or asphaltenes with aromatic or unsaturated compounds. In the simplest form all these reactions can be represented by the following reactions  

With the hybrid model of petroleum, it can be seen that asphaltenes are held in a delicate balance that can be easily upset by the addition of alkanes or the removal or upgrading of resins or small ring aromatics. It has not generally been known, but the blending of crude oil residues with other compounds can change the delicate balance and precipitate or stabilize asphaltenes. When crude oil residues are thermally processed, the side chains are cracked off asphaltenes and res- 

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