Lab-on-a-Chip Systems in Asphaltene Characterization: A Review of Recent Advances

Microfluidics-based lab-on-a-chip systems have shown great promise for characterization of heavy oil and its fractions. Asphaltenes, comprising the heaviest and most complex fraction of heavy oil, are known for their strong tendency for aggregation and causing severe problems in the production and transportation of heavy oil. Asphaltenes are also shown to play a key role in stabilization of water-in-crude oil (W/CO) emulsions and significantly impact the rheological properties of crude oil. Therefore, this Review highlights the recent progress made by micro-/nanofluidic technologies to understand the asphaltenes' phase behavior, including solubility, aggregation/precipitation, and deposition at the micro-/nanoscale. The application of these miniaturized systems in the study of W/CO emulsions and the coalescence kinetics of emulsified water droplets are also reviewed herein. Additionally, recent developments on understanding the heavy oil rheology (in the absence and presence of asphaltenes) in the micro- and nanoconfinement in combination with theoretical predictions are presented in this study. Finally, some ideas and recommendations for future research directions on asphaltene-related problems using micro-/nanofluidic systems are highlighted.

Automated summary

Microfluidic technology has made significant progress in studying the behavior of asphaltenes in heavy oil and water/crude oil emulsions. Furthermore, this technology also contributes to understanding the rheological properties of heavy oil in micro and nano scales.