Associative behavior of long-chain n-alkanes in petroleum dispersed systems

The associative behavior of n-alkanes in petroleum dispersed systems and its changes under different temperature conditions were studied using dynamic light scattering, as well as optical, electron, and atomic force microscopy. Within the framework of the previously proposed hypothesis about the presence of associates (coacervates) of n-alkanes in crude oil systems, i.e., microparticles with a shell and a specific internal composition and structure, studies of the sizes of the existing structures were carried out at two different temperatures. It was shown that in the studied paraffinic oil system the associates remained even at elevated temperatures.