Molecular level characterization of interactions between asphaltene and solid surface for forecasting changes in wettability

This research presents a new experimental approach designed to investigate the asphaltene-solid surface molecular interactions, and how these interactions affect changes in wettability. The methodology's impact was assessed by altering the calcite surfaces wettability, evaluated through contact angle measurements. Furthermore, the properties of the asphaltene fractions were analyzed using techniques such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements. Experiments were carried out on four different Iranian oil samples, named A, B, F, and G. Results indicated that the B-Sample significantly increased the oil-wetting properties of the surface compared to other samples. Based on Fractionation studies, Whole asphaltene was separated into four sub-fractions called [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. After a toluene wash, 24.16% of asphaltenes from the B-Sample remained adhered to the calcite surface. Wetting properties are related to the polarity of the asphaltene attached to the surface not the polarity of the Whole asphaltene. This indicates that the surface properties influenced by asphaltenes are not solely due to their inherent polarity but also to their interaction with the surface. Moreover, there appears to be a correlation between wettability and zeta potential, linked to the [Formula: see text] fraction.