Effect of Aging on the Removal of Asphaltene Deposits with Aromatic Solvent.

Surface deposition of destabilized colloidal particles of asphaltenes poses a serious and costly problem during petroleum production. Remediation of asphaltene-fouled well bore and surface facilities is often undertaken by flowing aromatic solvent to remove deposited films. However, little is known about the properties of deposited asphaltene films during their removal by solvent rinsing.