Simultaneous removal of asphaltenes and water from water-in-bitumen emulsion: II. Application feasibility

Application feasibility of the accelerated deasphaltening process for simultaneous removal of asphaltenes and water from a water-in-bitumen emulsion has been examined with a pilot plant having capacity of 1.590 m3/day. The solvent (n-pentane) was injected into the emulsion from three locations with progressively increasing temperature from 423 K. The first solvent injection precipitated the asphaltenes in bitumen, the second broke the emulsion and facilitated the phase separation, and the third extracted the oil that remained in heavy asphaltenes/water phase. The effects of operation parameters such as temperature, solvent/bitumen ratio, feed rate and feedstock composition on the quality of DAO (Deasphaltening oil) were investigated. The DAO with the yield of ~ 80 wt.% and asphaltene content of < 0.5 wt.% was produced under optimal operating conditions, and the residual product was a porous solids containing 38% sulfur, 47% nitrogen, 64% MCR, and 85% metals (nickel and vanadium) of the bitumen. For a real application in oil industry, other important aspects including energy efficiency, solvent recovery and water purification have been discussed.