Interactions between Mica Surfaces across Crude Oil and Asphaltene Solutions

The behavior of adsorbed surface active molecules at mica surfaces from crude oil and from their extracted asphaltenes dissolved in different solvents was investigated. The interactions between mica surfaces across a crude oil and across asphaltene solutions using different solvents and humidity conditions were measured using the surface forces apparatus.

The nature of the interactions between the adsorbed layers strongly depends on their composition and on the presence of dissolved water. The results clearly indicate that the adsorbed layer/oil interface for a crude oil is significantly different from that for an asphaltene/toluene interface.