Fully automated asphaltene stability of light crude oils

The SV10 is the first fully automated S-value analyser developed by AD Systems under licence from TotalEnergies Research Centre (RC). It provides a reliable and efficient method for determining asphaltene stability in heavy fuels, atmospheric and vacuum residues, visbreaking feeds and other residual petroleum streams."

Among distillates with relatively high asphaltenes content, the industry demands a reliable technique capable of measuring asphaltene stability in crude oils and their blends, particularly those with low or very low asphaltenes content.

AD Systems engineers made this possible by enhancing the SV10's sensitivity, enabling it to detect asphaltene flocculation even at very low concentrations—down to 0.3% by mass. This result was achieved through specially developed new firmware, combined with slightly modified hardware, perfectly suited to the challenges posed by crude oil.

In a recent study involving 12 crude oils of diverse origins with asphaltenes contents ranging from 0.3% to 3.5% (m/m), the SV10 equipped with updated firmware reliably detected asphaltenes flocculation on light crude oils, demonstrating very high sensitivity and repeatability. Contact AD Systems if you are interested in more details.

Beyond the ASTM D7157 standard report (S-value, So, Sa), the SV10 calculates IN (Insolubility Number) and SBN (Solubility Blending Number), as well as the estimation of stability reserve and blending potential. These values give essential information for the assessment of oils compatibility and blend stability while blended at different ratio. The innovative SV10 analyser is a versatile analytical tool to increase the efficiency of refining and blending operations.