Asphaltene induced changes in rheological properties: A review

Asphaltene is a component of crude oil that has been linked to serious production and transportation issues. It is a solid oil component with various shapes and molecular compositions. Deposition\aggregation\precipitation of asphaltene generates substantial flow assurance issues with considerable financial ramifications. Furthermore, emulsion formation is also found to be a serious challenge in the petroleum business. The increased viscosity of the crude oil is due to emulsified water droplets in the system. We will look at the difficulty that the petroleum sector is facing with asphaltene via a rheology lens. In this review study, we provide a brief introduction to asphaltene for the interested reader, followed by a review of the literature on asphaltene flow behavior in diverse mediums including waxy matrix, polymer matrix, oil\water emulsions, and so on. More than 150 references were used to compile this review paper including papers that explore interfacial rheology, bulk rheology, rheological modeling, and simulations.