Abstract: A method and apparatus for analyzing solubility of asphaltenes of a hydrocarbon fluid sample involves a sequence of operations including: i) performing microfluidic mixing operations that form a mixture that includes the hydrocarbon fluid sample, a solvent that dissolves asphaltenes and a precipitant that precipitates asphaltenes; ii) using microfluidic processes that result in precipitation of asphaltenes from the mixture resulting from i); iii) performing microfluidic filtering operations that remove precipitated asphaltenes resulting from ii) and passes permeate; and iv) performing optical spectroscopy on the permeate resulting from iii). The operations of i)-iv) can be repeated over iterations that vary the amount of solvent relative to the precipitant in the mixture. These iterations can cause varying fractional precipitation of asphaltenes in each given iteration.

Abstract: A method for measuring saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions of a hydrocarbon fluid includes separating maltenes from the hydrocarbon fluid and separating saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions from the maltenes. The method further includes determining an optical density of each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions at a predetermined wavelength and correlating the optical density of each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions to predetermined data to determine each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions.

Abstract: A system for measuring asphaltene content of crude oil, includes a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip having a crude oil sample inlet port, a solvent port, a mixer and reactor section in fluid communication with the crude oil sample inlet port and the solvent port, and a filter in fluid communication with the mixer and reactor section, the filter having an inlet side and an outlet side, a waste port in fluid communication with the inlet side of the filter, and a product port in fluid communication with the outlet side of the filter. The system further includes an optical cell in fluid communication with the product port.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for analyzing solubility of asphaltenes of a hydrocarbon fluid sample involves a sequence of operations including: i) performing microfluidic mixing operations that form a mixture that includes the hydrocarbon fluid sample, a solvent that dissolves asphaltenes and a precipitant that precipitates asphaltenes; ii) using microfluidic processes that result in precipitation of asphaltenes from the mixture resulting from i); iii) performing microfluidic filtering operations that remove precipitated asphaltenes resulting from ii) and passes permeate; and iv) performing optical spectroscopy on the permeate resulting from iii). The operations of i)-iv) can be repeated over iterations that vary the amount of solvent relative to the precipitant in the mixture. These iterations can cause varying fractional precipitation of asphaltenes in each given iteration.

Abstract: A system for measuring asphaltene content of crude oil, includes a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip having a crude oil sample inlet port, a solvent port, a mixer and reactor section in fluid communication with the crude oil sample inlet port and the solvent port, and a filter in fluid communication with the mixer and reactor section, the filter having an inlet side and an outlet side, a waste port in fluid communication with the inlet side of the filter, and a product port in fluid communication with the outlet side of the filter. The system further includes an optical cell in fluid communication with the product port.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method including exposing a first fluid to a pre-filter, observing the first fluid, introducing a second fluid to the first fluid, exposing the first and second fluids to a filter, and observing the first and second fluids wherein the observing the first fluid and observing the first and second fluids comprise optical measurements and the first fluid comprises material from a subterranean formation. Some embodiments may compare the optical measurements of the first fluid and the first and second fluids and/or estimate the first fluid's likelihood of forming precipitants with other fluids and/or the first fluid's asphaltene content.

Abstract: A system for measuring asphaltene content of crude oil, includes a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip having a crude oil sample inlet port, a solvent port, a mixer and reactor section in fluid communication with the crude oil sample inlet port and the solvent port, and a filter in fluid communication with the mixer and reactor section, the filter having an inlet side and an outlet side, a waste port in fluid communication with the inlet side of the filter, and a product port in fluid communication with the outlet side of the filter. The system further includes an optical cell in fluid communication with the product port.

Abstract: A system for measuring asphaltene content of crude oil, includes a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip having a crude oil sample inlet port, a solvent port, a mixer and reactor section in fluid communication with the crude oil sample inlet port and the solvent port, and a filter in fluid communication with the mixer and reactor section, the filter having an inlet side and an outlet side, a waste port in fluid communication with the inlet side of the filter, and a product port in fluid communication with the outlet side of the filter. The system further includes an optical cell in fluid communication with the product port.

Abstract: A method for determining an asphaltene yield curve and an asphaltene flocculation point includes obtaining a crude oil sample and measuring an optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A titrant is then mixed with the crude oil sample at different concentrations. At each concentration, precipitated asphaltenes are filtered from the mixture and the optical spectrum of the filtrate is measured. The optical spectrum of the filtrate is then subtracted from the optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A fractional asphaltene precipitation is determined for each concentration of titrant. A flocculation point is determined corresponding to an inflection point in the fractional asphaltene precipitation for each concentration of titrant.

Abstract: A system for characterizing crude oil fractions includes a maltenes sample reservoir, a first solvent reservoir, a second solvent reservoir, and a third solvent reservoir. The system further includes a valve in fluid communication with the first solvent reservoir, the second solvent reservoir, and the third solvent reservoir and a pump in fluid communication with the valve. The system further includes a packed bed in fluid communication with the maltenes sample reservoir and the pump, a flowthrough cell in fluid communication with the packed bed, a spectrometer operably associated with the flowthrough cell, and a computer operably associated with the spectrometer. A method for characterizing crude oil fractions includes providing a maltene sample, eluting saturates, aromatics, and resins of the maltene sample, determining an optical density of each, and determining a concentration of each of the saturates, aromatics, and resins based upon optical densities over time for each.

Abstract: A system for characterizing crude oil fractions includes a maltenes sample reservoir, a first solvent reservoir, a second solvent reservoir, and a third solvent reservoir. The system further includes a valve in fluid communication with the first solvent reservoir, the second solvent reservoir, and the third solvent reservoir and a pump in fluid communication with the valve. The system further includes a packed bed in fluid communication with the maltenes sample reservoir and the pump, a flowthrough cell in fluid communication with the packed bed, a spectrometer operably associated with the flowthrough cell, and a computer operably associated with the spectrometer. A method for characterizing crude oil fractions includes providing a maltene sample, eluting saturates, aromatics, and resins of the maltene sample, determining an optical density of each, and determining a concentration of each of the saturates, aromatics, and resins based upon optical densities over time for each.

Abstract: A method for determining an asphaltene yield curve and an asphaltene flocculation point includes obtaining a crude oil sample and measuring an optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A titrant is then mixed with the crude oil sample at different concentrations. At each concentration, precipitated asphaltenes are filtered from the mixture and the optical spectrum of the filtrate is measured. The optical spectrum of the filtrate is then subtracted from the optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A fractional asphaltene precipitation is determined for each concentration of titrant. A flocculation point is determined corresponding to an inflection point in the fractional asphaltene precipitation for each concentration of titrant.

Abstract: A system for measuring asphaltene content of crude oil, includes a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip having a crude oil sample inlet port, a solvent port, a mixer and reactor section in fluid communication with the crude oil sample inlet port and the solvent port, and a filter in fluid communication with the mixer and reactor section, the filter having an inlet side and an outlet side, a waste port in fluid communication with the inlet side of the filter, and a product port in fluid communication with the outlet side of the filter. The system further includes an optical cell in fluid communication with the product port.

Abstract: A method for measuring saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions of a hydrocarbon fluid includes separating maltenes from the hydrocarbon fluid and separating saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions from the maltenes. The method further includes determining an optical density of each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions at a predetermined wavelength and correlating the optical density of each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions to predetermined data to determine each of the saturate, aromatic, and resin fractions.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method including exposing a first fluid to a pre-filter, observing the first fluid, introducing a second fluid to the first fluid, exposing the first and second fluids to a filter, and observing the first and second fluids wherein the observing the first fluid and observing the first and second fluids comprise optical measurements and the first fluid comprises material from a subterranean formation. Some embodiments may compare the optical measurements of the first fluid and the first and second fluids and/or estimate the first fluid's likelihood of forming precipitants with other fluids and/or the first fluid's asphaltene content.

Abstract: A system for determining the asphaltene content of crude oil includes a first optical flow cell, a first spectrometer operably associated with the first optical flow cell, and a mixer in fluid communication with the first optical flow cell. The system further includes a crude oil injection/metering device configured to receive the crude oil, the crude oil injection/metering device being in fluid communication with the first optical flow cell; a titrant injection/metering device in fluid communication with the mixer, the titrant injection/metering device configured to receive a titrant; and a filtration unit in fluid communication with the mixer. The system further includes a second optical flow cell in fluid communication with the filtration unit, and a second spectrometer operably associated with the second optical flow cell.

Abstract: A system for determining the asphaltene content of crude oil includes a first optical flow cell, a first spectrometer operably associated with the first optical flow cell, and a mixer in fluid communication with the first optical flow cell. The system further includes a crude oil injection/metering device configured to receive the crude oil, the crude oil injection/metering device being in fluid communication with the first optical flow cell; a titrant injection/metering device in fluid communication with the mixer, the titrant injection/metering device configured to receive a titrant; and a filtration unit in fluid communication with the mixer. The system further includes a second optical flow cell in fluid communication with the filtration unit, and a second spectrometer operably associated with the second optical flow cell.

Abstract: The viscosity ? (in centipoise) of a heavy oil sample is determined according to an equation of the form ln ? ? g = - C ? ? 1 * ( T - c ? ? 246 ) c ? ? 47.10 + ( T - c ? ? 246 ) , where T is the temperature of the heavy oil, T2LM is the logarithmic mean of the T2 distribution of the sample obtainable from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements, c?=1.0±0.05, c?=1.0±0.04, ?g is the glass transition temperature viscosity of the heavy oil and a function of T2LM, and C1 is a variable which is a constant for the heavy oil and is a function of T2LM. Both C1 and ?g are considered functions of certain NMR values associated with the heavy oil sample, with ?g and C1 preferably estimated by empirically fitting data to the equations ln T2LM=a?+b? ln ?g and ln T2LM=a?+b?C1, where a?, b?, a? and b? are constants.

Abstract: A method and system for characterizing asphaltene gradients of a reservoir of interest and analyzing properties of the reservoir of interest based upon such asphaltene gradients. The analysis employs a correlation that relates insoluble asphaltene concentration to spectrophotometry measurement data measured at depth.

Abstract: Viscosity of heavy oil is determined in situ in a formation by making nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements in the formation, and then calculating viscosity according to an equation of the form T 2 ? LM = a + b ? ( ? T ) c , where T is the temperature of the heavy oil sample, ? is the viscosity, T2LM is the logarithmic mean of the T2 distribution spectrum of the sample, and a, b, and c are non-zero constants. Typically, constant b has a value between 5 and 7 and constant c has a value between ?0.7 and ?0.5.