Asphaltenes as indicators of the geochemical history of oil

Petroleum Hydrocarbons

“…Such information was obtained in the study of the products of pyrolysis of asphaltenes (Arefyev et al 1980b;Rubinstein et al 1979;Kayukova et al 1982). that they contained n-alkanes, but lost their "chemical identity" due to biodegradation.…”

“…In analyzing hydrocarbons belonging to asphaltenes of B-type crude, the latter's initial chemical composition may be established, including such important geochemical indicators as distribution of normal alkanes and isoprenoids, pristane/phytane ratio, C i and relative distribution of steranes and hopanes Arefyev et al 1980b).…”

Interfacial and Thermal Characterization of Asphaltenes Separated from Crude Oils Having Different Geological Origins

“…Asphaltenes contain polar groups in their chemical structures and exhibit colloidal-like particles via self-associations. Several authors considered asphaltenes as the most labile part of the respective kerogen in oil reservoirs (Arefyev et al, 1982;Bondurski, 1982). Pyrolysis techniques followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have provided new insight into asphaltenes structure, especially for side chains on polyaromatic nuclei (Arefyev et al, 1982;Bondurski, 1982;Larter and Douglas, 1982;Behar et al, 1984;di Primio et al, 2000).…”

“…Several authors considered asphaltenes as the most labile part of the respective kerogen in oil reservoirs (Arefyev et al, 1982;Bondurski, 1982). Pyrolysis techniques followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have provided new insight into asphaltenes structure, especially for side chains on polyaromatic nuclei (Arefyev et al, 1982;Bondurski, 1982;Larter and Douglas, 1982;Behar et al, 1984;di Primio et al, 2000). The aim of the present study was to characterize the interfacial and thermal behavior of asphaltenes separated from three different crude oils having different geological origins by utilizing techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, interfacial tension measurement (IFT), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (PYGC-MS).…”

Pyrolysis of petroleum asphaltenes from different geological origins and use of methylnaphthalenes and methylphenanthrenes as maturity indicators for asphaltenes

“…Later it was demonstrated that the elemental composition of asphaltene fractions precipitated by different solvents from various sources of petroleum which varied considerably (Kawanalka et al 1989). Several workers considered them as the most labile part of the respective kerogen in oil reservoirs (Speight and Moschopedis 1981;Arefyev et al 1982). So, the study of asphaltenes brings important clues concerning the chemical reactions taking place during kerogen maturation.…”