Any latest development in the world of asphaltene inhibitor and asphaltene in general?
Scott Lamb
Corrosion Inhibitor Chemical Manufacturer
Since we're blowing horns, I'll offer a subjective note: Lonza produces a chemical that when added to an asphaltene dispersant packages may significantly improve performance. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any interest: scott.lamb@lonza.com.Now, to be completely objective:Asphaltenes, as Manfred recognised, vary a lot in composition. Thus there is no One Magic Bullet, and there is no single, "excellent dispersant product," although I am sure that successful case studies can be offered for any one product. Because there are such varied physical and chemical characteristics among different sources of asphaltenes, the effective dispersent often must be chosen by trial and error. Even then, the test method may not quite match the application, and what will work in the lab may not be effective in the field. Much of the research into asphaltenes is not designed to create a perfect dispersant, but rather simply to determine how to analyze the particular asphaltene, how to test dispersants under more applicable conditions, and how to measure test results. For these reasons, the "dedicated effort" from the chemical industry is unlikely to arise until someone can actually identify the quantity and quality of the chemicals that are needed in asphaltene dispersants.
