%0 Journal Article %T Relation between Nanoscale Structure of Asphaltene Aggregates and their Macroscopic Solution Properties %+ IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) %+ Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (LLB - UMR 12) %+ Norwegian University of Science and Technology [Trondheim] (NTNU) %A Barré, L. %A Jestin, J. %A Morisset, A. %A Palermo, T. %A Simon, Sunil %< avec comité de lecture %@ 1294-4475 %J Oil & Gas Science and Technology - Revue d'IFP Energies nouvelles %I Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) %V 64 %N 5 %P 617-628 %8 2009-09 %D 2009 %R 10.2516/ogst/2009022 %Z Physics [physics]Journal articles %X Some peculiar macroscopic properties of crude oils are ascribed to their densest, heaviest and most polar fraction: the asphaltenes. The comprehension of the origin of these properties relies on a fine structural description of these fractions. We present a nanometre length scale characterisation of asphaltene solutions based on new or recent scattering experiments (X-rays and neutrons) from which structural parameters of asphaltene aggregates (Mw, Rg and A2) are extracted. The mutual dependence of these parameters is consistent with a mass fractal model. This single model accounts for very different macroscopic solution properties. Solvent trapping in fractal aggregates enables asphaltene solution viscosity to be fully predicted as a function of asphaltene concentration. Asphaltene adsorbs at liquid-liquid and liquid-solid interfaces as a monolayer whose thickness is of the same order of magnitude as the characteristic size of the asphaltene aggregate in bulk. Adsorption isotherm analysis, neutron reflectivity experiments and contrast-matching SANS allow one to highlight a densification of the asphaltene aggregates in the adsorbed layer in comparison with the solvated aggregates in bulk. Finally, the repulsive/attractive interaction balance between aggregates can be related to the relative stability of water in oil emulsions and to the stability of hydro-conversion effluents. This structure/property approach allows one to assess the mass fractal model which is discussed. %G English %2 https://ifp.hal.science/hal-02001566/document %2 https://ifp.hal.science/hal-02001566/file/ogst08123.pdf %L hal-02001566 %U https://ifp.hal.science/hal-02001566 %~ CEA %~ IFP %~ CNRS %~ IRAMIS-LLB %~ OGST %~ IRAMIS %~ GS-PHYSIQUE