The heavy crude oils usually contain considrable amounts of
asphaltenes. The high asphaltene contents in the crude oils would
decrese the efficiency of the refining processes. Moreever, the high
distribution of hetero-atoms (e.g. sulfur and nitrogen) in the asphaltene
causes some problems such as pollution, corrosion and catalyst
poisining. The main object of this contribution is to investigate the effect
of the deasphalting process of crude oils in the sake of improving its
properties and consequently increasing the efficiency of the refining
processes.
Solvent extraction experiments using n-heptane as a solvent were
conducted on three types of Egyptian heavy crude oils (Asran, Land
Balayim and Geisum), these tests were also performed on three blends
from these three crudes with different proportions.
The experimental results illustrate that deasphalting process leads to
improve some key properties of crudes such as API gravity, viscosity,
pour point, total sulfur content, and carbon residue.