Effect of asphaltene and resin oils on the viscosity of bituminous petroleum materials to be used as asphalt primers

Abstract:

The bituminous crude from the Machete, Venezuela, area, which has such a fluid consistency that it falls outside the normal scope of the ASTM D-5 (1) penetration test, exceeding the 30-mm ceiling specified in that standard, and can be used as an asphalt primer. Like other asphalt products, these materials are - chemically speaking - a mix of numerous naphthenic, paraffinic and aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds containing sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen and so on. They have a dense and a malthene oil phase which, along with the natural hydrocarbons additives used in these products, acts as a volatile fluidizer. The former is described as a mix of asphaltenes: complex, high molecular weight substances that are insoluble in paraffinic hydrocarbons and soluble in aromatic compounds such as benzene. The malthene oil phase, in turn, consists in a mix of resins and hydrocarbons and together the two constitute a colloidal system. The experiments discussed in the present paper were conducted to determine the effect of the proportion of asphaltenes and resin oils on the viscosity of such bituminous crude emulsions, with a view to their use as primers. These experiments were run in a Parr batch reactor in a nitrogen atmosphere using n-heptane as a solvent. The resins were separated after the asphaltenes precipitated from the samples and subsequently from the malthene fraction obtained. The results showed that the asphaltenes account for the structural characteristics and consistency of the medium and the resin oils for its cohesive properties; the malthene oils act as solvents. asphalt primers, bituminous crude oil, asphaltenes, resins, viscosity.

Año de publicación:

2006

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus