Asphaltenes of crude oils and bitumens: The similarities and differences

A comparative analysis of asphaltenes of the produced and residual oils of the multiplay Bavly oil field (Russia), as well as asphaltenes of bitumens extracted from Domanic formation of the same field is carried out by the data of elemental analysis, IR and EPR spectroscopy. It is shown that the popular opinion about the increased oxygen content in bitumen asphaltenes in comparison with oil ones is only valid for asphaltenes of produced oils; asphaltenes of residual oils are similar to bitumen asphaltenes not only in element composition but also in structural ordering. Asphaltenes from deeper oil bed of the multiplay Bavly oil field have an increased value of the oil identity parameter and greater structural ordering.