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Role of Solvent Deasphalting in the Modern Oil Refining Practice and Trends in
the Process Development

Article  in  Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry · December 2019

DOI: 10.1134/S1070427219120036

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ISSN 1070-4272, Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2019, Vol. 92, No. 12, pp. 1634−1648. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2019.
Russian Text © The Author(s), 2019, published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii, 2019, Vol. 92, No. 13, pp. 1641−1656.

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Role of Solvent Deasphalting in the Modern Oil

Refining Practice and Trends
in the Process Development
R. N. Magomedova, A. V. Pripakhayloa,*, T. A. Maryutinaa,
A. I. Shamsullinb, and T. S. Ainullovb
a Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Moscow, 117303 Russia
b Tatneft Public Joint-Stock Company, Tatarstan, 423450 Russia

*e-mail: pripakhaylo.av@cet-mipt.ru

Received October 10, 2019; revised October 22, 2019; accepted October 22, 2019

Abstract—Various implementations and various combinations of solvent deasphalting with the modern processes
of deep oil refining are considered, and the ways of processing the separation products formed are demonstrated.
Specific features of the main technologies used in Russia and other countries are discussed. Particular attention is
paid to perspective technologies implementing the fuel direction of the process using both traditional hydrocarbon
solvents and nontraditional solvents such as organic carbonates and carbon dioxide.
Keywords: solvent deasphalting, asphtaltenes, deasphalted oil, asphalt, heavy petroleum feedstock, supercritical
fluids
DOI: 10.1134/S1070427219120036

INTRODUCTION rosion, and to increased amounts of harmful emissions.

As the demand for residual petroleum fuels
decreases, requirements to their quality become more
and more stringent,1 and the export duty for fuel oils and
black petroleum products in Russia gradually increases,
profitable processing of heavy petroleum feedstock
containing large amounts of high-boiling residual
fractions is possible only in the case of preliminary
upgrading or integrated processing of petroleum
residues to obtain high-margin products [1].
Large amounts of resin and asphaltene substances
and of metals bound to them in heavy petroleum feed-
stock lead to deterioration of its transport properties, to
decreased Н/С atomic ratio, to lower stability (higher
colloidal instability) and compatibility in mixing, to in-
creased levels of catalyst coking, formation of solid de-
posits, and deactivation, to more active equipment cor-
––––––––––––––
1 EIA: Tighter Marine Fuel Sulfur Limits Spark Changes by
Refiners, Vessel Operators, http://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.
com/news/2016/11/eia-tighter-marine-fuel-sulfur-limits-spark-
changes-by-refiners-vessel-operators.
Therefore, processes of solvent deasphalting of heavy
petroleum feedstock occupy an important place in the
oil refining practice, because their use is not limited by
the composition and properties of the feedstock, in par-
ticular, by high Conradson carbon residue (CCR) and
metal content [2].
The primary goal of solvent deasphalting is removal
of resin–asphaltene substances and of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, which are characterized by
increased CCR content and low viscosity index, from
petroleum residues. The conventional feedstock of the
process is vacuum residue (VR), and the target products
are deasphalted oil fractions which, after subsequent
purification, are used as a base for the production of
motor, aviation, cylinder, compressor, transmission, and
other lube oils.
Today the solvent deasphalting is used not only in pro-
duction of high-viscosity residual base oils, but also in
refining of heavy crude oils and petroleum residues by
removing undesirable components or impurities to facili-
tate and/or ensure the subsequent transportation and/or

1634
 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
Production of lubricating
materials
Production of motor fuels
and electrode coke
Deasphalted oil
AVD
distil-
Crude lation
oil
SDA
Vacuum
residue
Asphalt
Fig. 1. Possible pathways of processing solvent deasphalting products in the case of VR separation into two fractions: deasphaled oil
and asphalt.
processing by thermal and catalytic cracking processes.
The space bar of the deasphalted oil and asphalt
formed by solvent deasphalting of vacuum residue (VR)
and the commercial products obtained from them by
combining with other processes of residue conversion
are shown in Fig. 1.
This study was aimed at summarizing the data and
showing the main trends in the development and the
directions of solvent deasphalting in the modern oil
refining practice, based on analyzing the features of
the processes used by the main licensors and of some
developing perspective processes.
POSITION OF SOLVENT DEASPHATING
IN THE MODERN OIL REFINING PRACTICE
It is known space bar content of metals, in particular,
of vanadium and nickel, in heavy petroleum feedstock
is one of the major, if not the main, problems in its deep
refining. For example, an increase in the concentration of
metals in the feedstock leads to accelerated deactivation
of hydroconversion and cracking catalysts and to a
decrease in the service life due to deposition of metals on
the active sites, blocking of the pore mouth, and damage
of the catalyst structure [3]. Along with the influence on
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1635
Selective extraction Base oils
Catalytic cracking
Motor fuel
Hydrocracking components
Delayed coking
Electrode
coke
Bitumen
Compounding/oxidation binders
Coking/thermal Petroleum coke/
pitch
polycondensation
Gasification/combustion Energy/syngas
Slurry-phase Motor fuel
hydroconversion components
the operation costs of the catalytic processes, associated
with the consumption of expensive heterogeneous
catalysts, the metal content of the feed, along with the
chemical group composition and CCR content, is the
major factor directly influencing the composition and
structure of the catalysts used, the maximum level of the
feed conversion, and the process design, which, in turn,
influences the capital costs and the process profitability
[4–6]. For example, in processing of heavy petroleum
feedstock on fluid catalytic cracking units, the CCR
and its metal content should not exceed 10 wt % and
20 ppm, respectively [2, 7].
In turn, solvent deasphalting leads to the removal
of resin–asphaltene substances, to relatively deep
demetallization, and to partial desulfurization and
denitrogenation, which significantly facilitates the
subsequent catalytic processing [8]. For example, the
hydrogen consumption in deasphalted oil hydrotreating
can decrease by 35% compared to the hydrotreating of
the initial petroleum feedstock without its preliminary
solvent deasphalting [9]. Recent studies have shown
that specifically vanadium compounds in asphaltenes of
heavy petroleum feedstock are largely responsible for
the deactivation of the active sites of the hydroprocessing
catalysts. This makes the preliminary removal of
1636 MAGOMEDOV et al.
asphaltenes an efficient procedure for pretreatment of
the residual feedstock for the subsequent hydrotreating
and hydrocracking with a fixed bed reactor [10]. As
shown in [7], the deasphalted oil recovered from VR,
despite high content of metals and carbon residue, can be
efficiently processed, along with vacuum gas oils, in the
conventional mild hydrocracking process with several
catalyst beds. The results of pilot trials confirmed no
increase in the pressure drop across the catalyst bed after
its more than 2-month continuous operation, indicating
that there were no deposits plugging the catalyst beds.
The use of solvent deasphalting for refining high-
sulfur crude oil residues improves the quality of
petroleum cokes produced on delayed coking units for
the aluminum and electrode industry owing to a decrease
in the content of sulfur, metals, and ash [11].
Particular attention should be paid to advantages of
combining the solvent deasphalting of petroleum residue
with the hydrocracking in ebullated-bed and slurry-
phase reactors. In this case, the solvent deasphalting
can be used for the separation of the initial heavy
petroleum feedstock, followed by the hydroprocessing
of deasphalted oil or asphalt (upstream SDA), or for the
separation of the unconverted hydrocracking residue
with the deasphalted oil recycled to the conversion
step (downstream SDA). In the case of upstream SDA
followed by the deasphalted oil hydrocracking, the
content of asphaltenes, metals, and CCR in the feed
considerably decreases. As a result, the hydroconversion
can be performed under milder conditions with higher
conversions and higher yields of the light fractions.
In addition, the catalyst consumption considerably
decreases, and the unit operation coefficients are
improved owing to the absence of asphaltenes in
the deasphalted oil being processed. In this case, the
drawbacks are the formation of large volumes of asphalt
requiring subsequent utilization and, correspondingly, a
decrease in the global conversion of the initial petroleum
feedstock [12]. In turn, the processing of the asphalt from
solvent deasphalting by hydroconversion with dispersed
catalyst in combination with the conventional fixed-
bed hydrocracking of the deasphalted oil in a mixture
with vacuum gas oil fractions allows the conversion of
the initial VR and the yield of the distillate fractions
to be increased. Simultaneously, the capital cost for
the construction of a residue processing complex
decreases owing to a decrease in the size of the slurry
hydrocracking unit and relatively low capital cost for
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
the solvent deasphalting unit [13]. In this combination of
solvent deasphalting and hydroconversion, the catalyst
or catalyst precursor can be mixed with the initial
petroleum feedstock prior to deasphalting, after which
the asphalt fraction containing the dispersed catalyst
is subjected to hydrocracking. According to [14], the
catalyst concentration relative to the feedstock, required
for suppressing the formation of coke precursors in
hydroconversion, in the asphalt processing is lower
than in the hydroconversion of the initial unseparated
heavy petroleum feedstock, thus decreasing the
catalyst consumption. It should also be noted that the
deasphalting efficiency and deasphalted oil quality can
be improved by introducing into the stream of the heavy
petroleum feedstock particles of dispersed catalyst
in the form of transition metal oxides acting also as
effective adsorbents for asphaltene nanoaggregates [15,
16]. In the case of heavy crude oil refining, combination
of the solvent deasphalting and asphalt hydroconversion
ensures higher yield and better quality of the asphaltene-
free synthetic petroleum relative to the yield and quality
of the deasphalted oil formed by deasphalting of the
initial crude oil or its distillation residue. For example,
the hydroconversion of the asphalt from the butane
deasphalting, performed at a molybdenum concentration
of 50 wppm, a pressure of 83 bar, and a temperature of
420°С, allows the yield of the combined liquid products
to be increased by 15 vol % relative to the deasphalted
oil yield with a decrease in the metal content by 4 ppm
and in the CCR by 1 wt % [14].
In the case of downstream SDA, the extraction
process is used for removing asphaltenes, coke, and
other undesirable high-molecular-mass cracking
products from the unconverted hydrocracking residue.
In the process, the deasphalted oil can be recycled into
the reactor and, after mixing with the initial feedstock,
subjected to hydroconversion and/or mixed with
the distillates obtained to form a common stream of
upgraded crude. Mixing of the deasphalted oil with the
atmospheric residue allows the metal content of the
hydrocracking feedstock to be decreased owing to low
content of asphaltenes in the combined stream, which,
in turn, leads to an increase in the conversion and to a
decrease in the yield of the unconverted residue, which
can be treated to recover the catalyst when implementing
the hydroconversion process with a dispersed catalyst.
The products formed by combining the hydrocracking
with the solvent deasphalting require lower costs for
 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
the subsequent refining, compared to the combination
of the same process with a delayed coking unit [17].
Chevron Lummus Global developed the LC-MAX
process in which the solvent deasphalting is integrated
in the hydrocracking unit of the LC-FINING process
with two successive ebullated-bed reactors. In this case,
the solvent deasphalting unit is used for separating the
unconverted VR from fractionation of the products of
the feedstock conversion in the first reactor. In turn, the
recovered deasphalted oil is the feedstock for the second
reactor operating at high conversions. The operation
of the first-step hydrocracking reactor at relatively
low feed conversions (48–60%) allows the formation
of precursors of coke and deposits to be considerably
reduced, thus enhancing the stability of the unconverted
residue, whereas the removal of asphaltenes from the
residue in the solvent deasphalting step allows operation
of the second-step reactor at very high temperatures
and conversions of up to 85%, also without noticeable
formation of deposits. Thus, the combined process
allows processing of heavy petroleum feedstock
of very poor quality with a 15–25% increase in the
conversion relative to conventional LC-FINING units,
while increasing the thermal severity of the process and
reducing the volume of the reactor, as well as reducing
the consumption of catalyst and hydrogen [18].
The use of solvent deasphalting for upgrading heavy
highly viscous crude oils and natural bitumens allows,
along with improvement of the quality of the petroleum
feedstock, also significant reduction of its viscosity
and transportation cost, and also solution of problems
with the colloidal instability on dilution and mixing
by preliminary removal of asphaltenes. For example,
the deasphalted oil obtained by solvent deasphalting
of Cold Lake natural bitumens, obtained in a yield of
60 wt % based on the feed, starts to meet the pipeline
transport requirements in its density and viscosity [19].
The possibility of reducing the kinematic viscosity of of
pre-flashed crude oils by a factor of no less than 1.5–2 by
solvent deasphalting at the 50–66 wt % deasphalted oil
yield was demonstrated [20]. A perspective procedure for
heavy crude oil processing can be based on combination
of direct crude oil distillation and solvent deasphalting
of atmospheric residue to obtain as commercial products
demetallized oil (mixture of light distillates and
deasphalted oil) and unoxidized road bitumen (mixture
of atmospheric residue and asphalt). According to the
studies performed, it is possible to obtain up to 73%
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1637
demetallized oil, which can be transported through
the existing pipeline system to oil refineries, from
heavy crude oils of Russia and Kazakhstan (density
930–970 kg m–3) using С3–С4 n-alkanes as solvents for
solvent deasphalting. Such upgraded crude contains a
small amount of heavy metals and a large amount of
light fractions with no asphaltenes; therefore, it can be
processed at a modern oil refinery in a mixture with
common crude oil to obtain motor fuels [21].
Thus, the solvent deasphalting, which is highly
flexible with respect to the yield and products of heavy
petroleum feedstock separation, can be used not only
for the upgrading of heavy crude oils and natural
bitumens and their preparation for the subsequent
pipeline transportation, but also for the refining of
petroleum residues of various compositions and
properties prior to their catalytic and thermal cracking
to increase the conversion of the residues and the
depth of petroleum processing, to improve the quality
of the products formed, and to reduce the process cost
by increasing the catalyst service life and reducing
the catalyst and hydrogen consumption. The specific
place and destination of the solvent deasphalting in
oil refining flowsheets depends on numerous factors,
including the existing flowsheet, configuration, and
profile of the oil refinery, characteristics and prices of
the feedstock, availability of sales markets and prices of
the commercial petroleum products obtained, operating
and capital costs, unit occupancy rate, etc. Various
alternatives of integration of the solvent deasphalting
unit in the flowsheet for petroleum residue processing at
an oil refinery depending on a specific kind of petroleum
product needed to be produced in the maximal amount
are considered in [22, 23].
In turn, applications of asphalts from solvent
deasphalting largely depend on their composition and
properties and on the demand for products based on
asphalt on local sales markets, and also on the availability
of facilities for possible further processing of the
asphalts. Generally, asphalts can be used as a component
of solid and liquid fuels, as a feedstock for gasification
units to obtain hydrogen, water stream, or electric
energy by the combined cycle [24], as a component or
feedstock for producing petroleum bitumens or bitumen
binders by simple compounding or by oxidation of the
compounded feedstock [25–28], for the production of
heat-insulating, waterproofing, and corrosion-protective
materials [29, 30], as a feedstock or feedstock component
1638 MAGOMEDOV et al.
for coking or thermal polycondensation units to obtain
coke and petroleum pitch [31], as binder in production
of coal briquettes, etc. [21].
PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES
Today, the most known and widely used modern
technologies for solvent deasphalting, including a en-
ergy-saving system for supercritical solvent recovery,
are the ROSE (Residuum Oil Supercritical Extraction)
process (KBR) UOP/FW combined solvent deasphalt-
ing process (UOP/FW SDA) based on Demex technolo-
gies (UOP), LEDA (Low Energy Deasphalting) process
(Foster Wheeler), and Solvahl process developed by IFP
(France) and licensed by Axens. These processes have
similar flowsheets. Depending on the feedstock and re-
quirements to the product quality, they can operate using
different solvents from С3 to С6 and allow separation of
heavy petroleum feedstock into two (deasphalted oil, as-
phalt) or three fractions (deasphalted oil, asphalt, resins)
on introducing an additional step for supercritical sepa-
ration of deasphalted oil and a resin separator. However,
the processes differ in the configuration and operation
conditions of mixing, extraction, and solvent recovery
blocks. Typical process temperatures range from 50 to
235°С, and pressures, from 20 to 40 bar [32].
The ROSE process proved to be the main and the
most widely implemented technology. It was the first
to implement the system for supercritical solvent
recovery in the practice. The process was developed
by Kerr McGee Corporation, which initiated studies
on the solvent separation from the deasphalted oil
under supercritical conditions and on the expansion
of the application field of the extraction process to
the fuel production as early as the 1950s. The first
units for the ROSE process were licensed in 1979. In
1981, the company patented a supercritical process
for fractionation of heavy petroleum feedstock with
the successive recovery of asphaltenes, resins, and oil
components and separation of the supercritical solvent
[33]. KBR purchased rights to this technology from
Kerr McGee Corporation in 1995. By 2008, licenses
on 48 units for the ROSE process with the combined
productive capacity of more than 900 thousand barrels
per day were obtained throughout the world [34].
Owing to design features of the equipment and
use of high-performance internal devices, the ROSE
technology allows the separator size and the capital
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
cost to be reduced, with the recovery of the maximal
amounts of the high-quality deasphalted oil from the
heavy petroleum feedstock. According to the data of
the company, the residual content of asphaltenes in the
deasphalted oil, as a rule, does not exceed 200 ppm,
whereas in the other processes it is on the level of
800 ppm. Reconstruction of conventional solvent
deasphalting units in the ROSE process allows in some
cases the throughput to be increased by a factor of 2,
the energy consumption to be reduced by more than
30%, and the deasphalted oil yield to be increased by
2–5% with a simultaneous decrease in the carryover
of asphaltenes into the deasphalted oil by an order of
magnitude [35].
The company representatives note the following
advantages of this process over conventional solvent
deasphalting processes:
– higher yield and quality of the deasphalted oil;
– high flexibility with respect to the control of the
deasphalted oil yield and quality by varying the process
parameters and, if necessary, the solvent composition;
– solvent recovery under supercritical conditions,
allowing considerable reduction of the operating costs by
almost eliminating the steps of the solvent evaporation
and condensation.
When integrated in flowsheets of oil refineries, the
ROSE process, along with solvent deasphalting of
VR, can substitute with high efficiency the crude oil
vacuum distillation block. This allows the volumes of
the recovered fractions used for producing motor fuels
to be increased owing to higher yield of the deasphalted
oil relative to vacuum gas oil and the residual fraction
volumes to be reduced [34].
It should be noted that KBR developed an efficient,
simple, and reliable technology for granulation of the
asphaltene fraction formed by deep deasphalting of
heavy petroleum feedstock. In this case, for controlling
the deasphalted oil quality, the flowsheet also includes
an additional step of separation of the resin fraction
from the deasphalted oil under supercritical conditions
in a special separator. The asphaltene granules obtained
are resistant to dusting and can be easily stored and
transported to final consumers of solid fuel, such as
cement, steel and power industries. The asphaltene
granules are a more valuable fuel than petroleum fuel-
grade coke and coal, having 20–50% higher heating
value. In turn, the recovered resins can be used as a
 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
component of road bitumens obtained by compounding
with a part of the asphaltene fraction [23].
A specific feature of the UOP/FW solvent deasphalt-
ing technology is that it is not a single technology but
a combination of technological solutions, options, and
engineering know-how, developed by both companies
in the field of solvent deasphalting. This allows the
companies to develop an optimum process design for
various applications, from the production of base oil
components and bitumens to preparation of the crack-
ing feedstock. For example, the UOP technology was
largely aimed at demetallization, preparation of heavy
petroleum feedstock for catalytic conversion processes,
and, as a consequence, at the use of butanes or higher-
molecular-mass solvents for recovering larger amounts
of the deasphalted oil. In addition, the UOP technol-
ogy is characterized by minimal solvent to feed ratios
with preservation of the sufficiently high deasphalted
oil quality and by the developed system for supercriti-
cal recovery of the solvent. In turn, the Foster Wheeler
solvent deasphalting technology and developments are
largely aimed at using more selective propane and bu-
tane as solvents and at obtaining the deasphalted oil of
very high quality for producing lubricating oils. Foster
Wheeler has large experience in constructing solvent
deasphalting units and in using rotating disk contactors
for the extraction. The company also licenses the AS-
COT (Asphalt Coking Technology) process, which is a
combination of the company’s technologies for solvent
deasphalting and delayed coking of asphalt, ensuring
increased yield of liquid products used as the cracking
feedstock, improved energy efficiency due to heat inte-
gration between units, and decreased yield of the resi-
due, compared to processing of heavy petroleum feed-
stock in these processes separately [17, 36]. By 2006,
the companies designed more than 50 industrial units
for solvent deasphalting with the total capacity of more
than 500 thousand barrels per day [37].
The main advantages of the UOP/FW technology are
the following [37]:
– structured packing specially developed in
cooperation with Sulzer and proprietary internal devices
used in a multistage countercurrent contactor and
in deasphalted oil and resin separators, ensuring the
maximal extraction efficiency and optimum recovery of
clean products;
– multistage rotating disk contactor specially
developed by Foster Wheeler for reaching high yield
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1639
and quality of the deasphalted oil; like conventional
columns, it contains the stripping and rectification zones
located below and above the feeding level;
– supercritical solvent recovery, allowing the
thermodynamic characteristics of the system to be
utilized more efficiently and the unit operating costs to
be reduced;
– lower solvent to feed ratio ensuring the required
quality of the product separation and decreased specific
capital and operating costs;
– optimal design of the heat-exchange systems of the
unit depending on specific objectives and opportunities
of the project.
According to [32], from the viewpoint of the process
parameters the main difference between the KBR and
UOP technologies is different solvent to feed ratio.
Whereas the 8 : 1 ratio is optimum for the ROSE process,
the Demex process is performed at a lower ratio (5 : 1),
which allows optimization of the capital and operating
costs due to a decrease in the equipment size and energy
consumption for the solvent recovery. More detailed
information on the solvent deasphalting processes
developed beyond Russia, including the diagrams and
their description, and also data on the product yield and
composition, can be found in [9, 22, 32, 38].
Studies aimed at the development of the energy-
saving technology for solvent deasphalting of heavy
petroleum feedstock using the system for the solvent
recovery under supercritical conditions are performed
in Russia at the Institute of Petroleum Chemical
Processing of the Bashkortostan Republic starting
from 1988. Based on the R&D and designing works
and including tests on pilot plants of different scales, a
process has been developed for solvent deasphalting of
petroleum residues using the energy-saving technology
of the solvent recovery under supercritical conditions, an
injector system for solvent compression, and additional
units for the amine treatment of the solvent and for
heating and circulation of the heat transfer oil (АМТ-
300) [21, 39–41].
This process was mastered and successfully
implemented in 2007 at Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim oil
refinery. The following measures were developed and
implemented in reconstruction of the typical unit 36/2
[42]:
– an increase in the VR throughput to 38 m3 h–1
(initial throughput 28 m3 h–1);
1640 MAGOMEDOV et al.
– use of a propane–butane mixture as a solvent;
– solvent recovery from the deasphalted oil solution
under supercritical conditions;
– replacement of piston compressors by jet
apparatuses to liquefy the solvent in the low-pressure
system;
– use of structured packing developed by IMPA
Engineering in the extraction column;
– inclusion into the flowsheet of additional units for
heating and circulation of AMT-300 heat transfer oil
used instead of steam and for amine treatment of the
solvent to remove hydrogen sulfide.
The unit reconstruction allowed considerable utility
cost savings (27%) due to reduction of the consumption
of steam and recycled water by a factor of 5.7 and 14,
respectively. The steam consumption was reduced
mainly owing to elimination of three solvent evaporators
from the flowsheet and inclusion of an additional unit for
heating and circulation of АМТ-300 heat transfer oil.
The use of jet compressors for compressing the stream
of the gaseous solvent from the stripping columns
due to the pressure head of the solvent stream from
the supercritical separator allowed the two-step piston
compressor and a series of apparatuses connected to it
to be eliminated from the unit. Inclusion of the system
for the amine treatment of the circulating solvent into
the flowsheet of the solvent deasphalting unit allowed
the hydrogen sulfide content of the recycled solvent to
be reduced to 0.01%.
As compared to propane deasphalting of VRs,
addition of butanes increases the deasphalted oil yield
to 40–60%, which allows the fraction of VRs involved
into deep processing to obtain motor fuels to be
increased and the unit operation to be converted from
the production of lube oil feedstocks to the recovery
of incremental feedstock for downstream cracking
units. By now, in accordance with the developments
of the Institute of Petroleum Chemical Processing of
the Bashkortostan Republic, three units for solvent
deasphalting of VR at Ufaneftekhim oil refinery and two
solvent deasphalting units at Novoil refinery have been
converted to preparation of the feedstock for cracking
units using propane–butane mixtures as a solvent
[21, 39]. In this case, the deasphalted oil in a mixture
with vacuum gas oil can be efficiently processed on a
catalytic cracking unit, so that the process yields with
respect to the gasoline fraction are even improved [43].
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
According to authors of [43], compounding of the
asphalt from the propane–butane deasphalting of heavy
petroleum feedstock with various appropriate diluents is
the most universal procedure for producing high-quality
unoxidized road bitumens surpassing oxidized bitumens
in the service characteristics. Asphalts with low content
of saturated hydrocarbons and softening point of 65–
70°C are preferable for producing compounded road
bitumens [25].
Conversion of units for solvent deasphalting of
heavy petroleum feedstock from the feed preparation
for the production of group I base oils and from the
use of propane as a solvent to the feed preparation for
the production of motor fuels and high-quality group
II and III base oils obtained on the basis of catalytic
hydroprocessing and to the use of less selective solvents
with increased solvating power becomes more and
more topical in the world, including Russia [44]. Such
conversion allows the deasphalted oil yield and the
fraction of VRs involved in the production of high-
margin products to be substantially increased and,
correspondingly, the production of the considerably less
valuable solvent deasphalting residue to be decreased. In
addition, the use of heavier type solvents for preparing
cracking feed allows the process pressure and the solvent
to oil ratio to be decreased, the unit for compressing the
gaseous solvent from the low-pressure system to be
eliminated from the flowsheet, and the overall specific
utility consumptions to be reduced [37].
Among modern solvent deasphalting technologies,
the SELEX-Asp (Selective Asphaltene Extraction)
process developed at the China University of Petroleum
(Beijing) and licensed today by Well Resources Inc.
(Canada) should be noted.2 A specific feature of the
process is selective removal of solid asphaltene granules
from the heavy petroleum feedstock using a sub- or
supercritical solvent in the extraction step. The claimed
advantages of this process are mainly associated with
unique properties of sub- and supercritical solvents,
namely, low viscosity and high diffusion coefficients,
approaching those of a gas. This favors turbulent mixing
of the feed and solvent, acceleration of the mass transfer
and asphalt phase separation, and deeper and cleaner
phase separation. From the feasibility viewpoint, the
advantages are smaller size and simpler design of the
–––––––––––––––––––
2 SELEX-Asp technology: electronic resource, Well, 2019.
https://www.wellresources.ca/selex-asp
 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
Mixer
Feed
Column
Solid–vapor
separator
Asphaltene
granules
Fig. 2. Schematic flowsheet of SELEX-Asp demonstration plant (H/E—heat exchanger; C—condenser) [45].
contactor, higher energy efficiency, lower solvent
consumption, and, as a consequence, lower capital
and operating costs relative to conventional solvent
deasphalting processes [45, 46].
The process technology was tested on a pilot plant
with the feed capacity of 1 barrel per day and by the
demonstration plant with the feed capacity of 500 barrels
per day, constructed by PetroChina at the Panjin Oil
Refinery in China [45]. According to the data from the
Well Company website, the process has been industrially
implemented, and today the total installed capacity of
industrial units is 36500 barrels per day. The capacity of
the largest unit operating in China in Shandong province
since August 2015 and intended for the hydrocracking
feed preparation is 16 000 barrels per day [47]. The three-
product flowsheet of the demonstration unit, including
the recovery of the intermediate in the form of the so-
called heavy deasphalted oil in the second separation
step, is shown in Fig. 2. This flowsheet includes also
the column for separating the main amounts of the
supercritical solvent from deasphalted oil by heating
the deasphalted oil solution, recuperation of the heat
of the supercritical solvent for heating the deasphalted
oil solution flowing from the extraction column, and a
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1641
Vent
H/E
Solvent
make up
Solvent vessel
Column
Column
C
Stripping Stripping
column column
Heavy Light
deasphalted oil deasphalted oil
preliminary mixer of the solvent with the feed. However,
the key feature of the SELEX-Asp flowsheet is the
presence of a solid–vapor separator in which dry solid
asphaltene granules are formed and are separated from
the solvent vapor, which is then condensed, collected in a
solvent vessel, and recycled for the extraction. In contrast
to other technologies requiring the use of high-pressure
furnaces for heating the asphalt solution, in this case the
solvent recovery from the asphalt phase is performed at
low temperatures in a separator operating at atmospheric
pressure. The size of the asphalt granules obtained can be
controlled by varying the separation conditions and the
amount of the dispersing solvent additionally introduced
into the asphalt stream after the extraction prior to the
pressure relief and subsequent phase transition [48].
The main process solvent is n-pentane. The
deasphalting is performed under the following typical
conditions: temperature in the extraction column for
asphalt separation 150–180°С, temperature in the
column for separation of resins (heavy deasphalted
oil) from the initial deasphalted oil solution (if present)
160–190°С, pressure 5 MPa, and solvent to feed weight
ratio 4 : 1 [49, 50]. According to [45], the SELEX-Asp
process allows separation of 21.55 wt % asphalt with the
1642 MAGOMEDOV et al.
carbon residue of 47% and metal content of 1000 ppm
(56 and 90% of the content of these components in the
initial VR, respectively) from the VR with the carbon
residue of 19 wt % and metal content of 242 ppm.
The asphalt granulation is largely influenced by
its softening point, which depends on the asphalt
yield, content of asphaltenes in the asphalt and their
properties, and type of the solvent used and feedstock.
The granulation with the formation of smaller particles
of more regular shape is favored by the formation of the
asphalt with the softening point higher than 170°C in the
extraction step [50].
The deasphalted oil from the SELEX-Asp process,
despite relatively high content of metals and carbon
residue, can be used as feed or its component for catalytic
cracking, hydrotreating, or hydrocracking units with
fixed-bed reactor [7]. Heavy deasphalted oil recovered
on a demonstration unit as an intermediate in a yield of
12 wt % based on the feed, containing 14.5% carbon
residue and 216 ppm metals, was processed at to the
delayed coking unit for the production of metallurgical
coke.
It should also be noted that the solvent deasphalting
process based on n-pentane can be adapted for
simultaneous removal of asphaltenes, water, and mineral
particles from water-in-bitumen emulsions formed
in the course of extraction of natural bitumens using
both steam-thermal methods and aqueous extraction
of bitumen-saturated rock in open-pit mining. Along
with the emulsion breakdown and water removal, the
process leads to upgrading of natural bitumen due
to the removal of asphaltenes, i.e., to a decrease in
its viscosity, content of metals, carbon residue, and
heteroatoms. The temperature and solvent to feed
ratio are the main process parameters influencing the
precipitation of asphaltenes and the deasphalted oil
quality, the emulsion breakdown, and the rate of the
separation of the light (deasphalted oil + solvent) and
heavy (asphaltenes + water) phases [51]. The interaction
of asphaltene particles with water droplets, despite
stabilization of the emulsion, favorably influences
the removal of asphaltenes and the deasphalted oil
quality, reducing also the solvent consumption. Under
the optimum conditions (temperature ~180–190°С,
n-pentane/bitumen volume ratio ~3.2–3.5, pressure
~35 bar), deasphalted oil with the asphaltene content
lower than 1 wt % can be recovered from the water–
bitumen emulsion in an amount of approximately 80 wt
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
% based on the initial bitumen. In turn, the asphaltene
concentrate can be obtained in the form of solid particles
suspended in water and formed by the pressure relief
from the hot heavy phase stream. The dry solid particles
in the form of the final product can be obtained by the
suspension filtration to separate water, followed by
drying [52].
Petrosonic Energy developed a process for solvent
deasphalting for upgrading heavy crude oils and
natural bitumens, allowing the deasphalting rate to be
substantially increased and the solvent to feed ratio to be
decreased owing to using acoustic energy. The process
involves mixing of heavy petroleum feedstock with a
light hydrocarbon diluent at the solvent to feed weight
ratio no higher than 3.5 : 1, acoustic treatment of the
mixture to precipitate asphaltenes from the solution,
their subsequent separation by vacuum filtration, and
solvent recovery from the deasphalted oil solution by
distillation. Light alkanes such as pentane, hexane, or
isooctane are used as solvents. In turn, the deasphalting
is performed in a special acoustic reactor using low-
frequency high-amplitude acoustic energy for treating
the initial mixture. The authors state that such treatment
allows a considerable increase in the intensity of mixing
the heavy petroleum feedstock/solvent system, in the
mass transfer efficiency, and, as a consequence, in the
extraction and asphaltene separation rates without using
excessive mixing and dilution. The specific energy
supplied in this case can reach 90 kW m–3 of reactor
volume, which is 10 to 100 times higher compared
to conventional industrial mixing systems. Acoustic
treatment at frequencies in the range 100–1000 Hz is
preferable. As compared to ultrasonic apparatuses,
the use of a low-frequency acoustic reactor allows the
size of the industrial unit to be reduced and the solvent
deasphalting to be performed at low solvent to feed ratios
and short residence time of the mixture in the reactor (no
longer than 2 min). For example, mixing of n-pentane
with heavy Alberta crude in a weight ratio of 1.16 and
subsequent acoustic treatment of the mixture for 60 s at
a energy of 40 kW provides recovery of the deasphalted
oil with the yield of 85.3 wt %. The upgraded oil formed
(deasphalted oil) has 7% lower density and 99% lower
viscosity. Its metal and sulfur content decreases by 25
and 14%, respectively [53]. By 2014, the company
signed agreement with Western Research Institute to
install and operate a pilot plant on the base of this institute
with the aim of demonstrating and testing Petrosonic’s
 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
proprietary Sonoprocess(TM) oil upgrading technology,
but information on the further scaling of this technology
in available sources is lacking.3
Despite the use of pentane in the subcritical phase
state in the extraction step, ensuring deep and cleaner
phase separation, the efficiency of the removal of metals
and carbon residue from heavy petroleum feedstock and
the deasphalted oil quality at its high (60–85 wt %) yield
remain relatively poor [48]. Thus, the drawback of the
existing technologies, along with high consumption of
expensive solvents, is low selectivity of С5+ alkanes,
which have high solvating power and are used for
recovering the maximal amounts of the deasphalted oil
in the case of a fuel type solvent deasphalter. Therefore,
growing attention is paid to search for alternative
solvents combining high levels of solvating power and
selectivity with the possibility of overcoming limitations
related to the physical nature of the process.
One of such approaches can be demonstrated by the
process developed by Eni and involving separation of
petroleum feedstock with organic carbonates, whose
use allows performing not only deasphalting but also
extraction of undesirable polar compounds containing
heteroatoms and metals from the deasphalted oil, thus
improving the deasphalted oil quality; after the extract
separation, the deasphalted oil becomes the process
raffinate [54–56]. The organic carbonate ensures faster
formation of the readily separable solid precipitate
rich in asphaltenes, in vanadium and nickel asphaltene
complexes, and in heteroatomic organic compounds
containing sulfur and nitrogen. In addition, after
removing the precipitate and decreasing the temperature
or after adding a solvent more polar than carbonate
to the homogeneous solution, the mixture undergoes
separation into a petroleum-rich purified liquid phase
and a denser extracted liquid phase rich in vanadium
and nickel porphyrin complexes and in heteroatomic
compounds. For example, the use of dimethyl carbonate
for crude oil deasphalting and demetallization performed
at 80°С and solvent to feed ratio of 2 allows obtaining
70 wt % purified hydrocarbon fraction (raffinate) with
the metal content no higher than 50 ppm [55]. The
company developed an unit for performing continuous
–––––––––––––––––
3 Petrosonic Signs Collaboration and Development Agreement With
Industry Expert, Western Research Institute: electronic resource,
ACCESSWIRE, 2019. https://www.accesswire.com/421031/
Petrosonic-Signs-Collaboration-and-Development-Agreement-
With-Industry-Expert-Western-Research-Institute.
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1643
deasphalting and demetallization of petroleum residues
with the feed capacity of 187 L h–1; it included a mixer
for solvent and feed streams, a settler for separation of
product streams, stripping columns for solvent recovery,
and a separator for separating the solvent from the solid
products. According to the patent data, in the case of
separation of the atmospheric distillation residue, the
streams of the feed, fresh solvent, and recycled solvent
in a volume ratio of 0.45 : 1 are fed to the mixer, in which
a homogeneous solution is formed within 3 min at 80°С.
The recycled stream consists to 90–95 wt % of dimethyl
carbonate and to 5–10 wt % of soluble petroleum
fractions. The mixture at the mixer outlet is cooled to
a temperature lower than 35°С and is fed to a settler
for separation of the streams of the purified light liquid
phase (raffinate, or “primary” deasphalted oil), a denser
extract liquid phase (“secondary” deasphalted oil), and
a heavy bottom phase containing asphaltenes. After the
solvent recovery in separate columns, the streams of the
“primary” deasphalted oil (yield ~42 vol %) containing
66 ppm metals and 1.14 wt % asphaltenes and of the
“secondary” deasphalted oil (yield ~47 vol %) are taken
off. A part of the stream of the intermediate extract
liquid phase consisting mainly of dimethyl carbonate
is returned to the mixing step immediately after takeoff
from the settler. In turn, the asphaltene-containing liquid
phase is fed to a three-zone separator. In the first zone, a
part of dimethyl carbonate and liquid petroleum fractions
are separated from the solid asphaltene phase and fed to
the stripping column of “secondary” deasphalted oil. In
the second zone, the stream containing asphaltenes is
subjected to high-temperature washing with dimethyl
carbonate to completely remove residual petroleum
fractions and, after drying in the third zone to remove
the solvent, is discharged from the unit in the solid form.
Thus, the yield of the solid asphaltene concentrate was
about 12 wt %, and the total degree of atmospheric
residue demetallization was on the level of 77% [56]. It
should be noted that, despite the possibility of increasing
the separation selectivity and the degree of removal of
undesirable components and improving the deasphalted
oil quality, implementation of such processes can be
complicated by an increase in the costs for the unit for
solvent separation and recovery from the product phases
and by the need for utilization of the intermediate extract
phase.
Among alternative compounds, carbon dioxide
(СО2) should also be noted; it is readily available and
1644 MAGOMEDOV et al.

CO2 (liquid) make up

CO2 (gas)
Toluene
make up
Heavy petroleum
feedstock

Deasphalted oil

Asphalt

Fig. 3. A possible implementation of solvent deasphalting of heavy petroleum feedstock using a СО2–toluene mixture as a solvent
(schematic diagram): (1) extraction column, (2) supercritical separator, (3, 4) evaporator or evaporation column, (5) vessel with carbon
dioxide, (6) gas–liquid separator, (7) mixer, and (8, 9) pump [62].

fire- and explosion-safe. It is known that СО2 can be
used as a solvent for lower-boiling, primarily saturated
hydrocarbons in the petroleum feedstock and as an
effective antisolvent favoring destabilization of the
petroleum dispersed system and precipitation of insoluble
resin–asphaltene substances or asphaltenes in the form of
a separate phase [57, 58]. However, the development of
continuous commercial solvent deasphalting processes
using CO2, meeting high liquid capacity and extraction
efficiency requirements, is prevented by low ability of
CO2 to dissolve high-molecular-mass components of
heavy petroleum feedstock [59].
The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
in cooperation with PAO Tatneft developed a process
for solvent deasphalting of heavy petroleum feedstock,
whose distinctive feature is that the extraction is
performed using as solvent CO2–toluene mixtures,
which ensure high (>50 wt %) yield of deasphalted oil
with low content of asphaltenes, metals, and carbon
residue. Along with other organic solvents, toluene as
a СО2 modifier, owing to considerable enhancement
of the dispersion interaction of molecules and high
solubility of aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of
toluene, ensures appreciable enhancement of the solvent
power in combination with low concentration of metals
in the extract/deasphalted oil and, correspondingly, high
efficiency of the demetallization of the heavy petroleum
feedstock [60]. The dissolving ability of the solvent
based on the СО2–toluene binary mixtures and the yield
of the separation products can be varied in a wide range
by simply varying the mixture component ratio and
not the extraction parameters or solvent type [61]. As
applied to solvent deasphalting, the toluene content of
the mixture can be varied from 10 to 40 wt % depending
on the type of the heavy petroleum feedstock used, its
composition and properties, and requirements to the
deasphalted oil quality. The extraction is performed at
temperatures from 50 to 150°С and pressures from 100
to 300 bar. The specific process parameters should be
chosen so as to ensure the existence of the mixture of the
given composition in the single-phase liquid, subcritical,
or supercritical state [62].

RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019

 ROLE OF SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IN THE MODERN OIL
Heavy petroleum
feedstock
Catalyst
Hydroconversion
Hydrogen unit
Vacuum
residue
Distillate
fractions
Fig. 4. Block diagram of the combination of slurry-phase hydroconversion and SFE of vacuum residue with the recovery of metal
concentrate (SFE: supercritical fluid extraction).
Space bar using a plate, tray, or packed countercurrent
extraction column ensuring high extraction efficiency and
separation of the light and heavy phases due to density
gradient. In this case, the heavy petroleum feedstock is
fed to the upper part of the column (extractor), and the
СО2–toluene (solvent) mixture, to the lower part. As a
result of the countercurrent phase contact, the solvent
is saturated with the deasphalted oil, the deasphalted
oil solution formed ascends and is continuously taken
off from the top of the contactor, whereas the insoluble
heavy residue of the process as a result of precipitation
of resin–asphaltene substances descends and is taken
off from the contactor bottom in the form of the asphalt
solution.
Recovery of the main amounts of СО2 from
the deasphalted oil solution can be performed in a
supercritical separator under the conditions ensuring
high efficiency of the СО2 recovery from the solution in
the form of a supercritical fluid, whereas toluene can be
recovered using an evaporator and/or a stripping column.
After the separation, toluene is condensed and mixed
with СО2 in the required ratio, and the combined solvent
is returned to the extraction step. Figure 3 shows the
simplified flowsheet of one of possible implementations
of the solvent deasphalting using the developed solvent.
The use of a solvent based on the СО2–toluene binary
mixture, compared to n-pentane, at close deasphalted
oil yield ensures higher separation selectivity and more
efficient removal of polar resin–asphaltene substances
from the VR, which, in turn, allows the degree of metal
removal to be increased, CCR content to be decreased,
and the deasphalted oil quality to be improved. For
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
1645
Demetallized oil Solvent
SFE
unit
Concentrate for
recovering catalyst
precursor and valuable
metals
example, the use of the СО2–toluene mixture containing
30 wt % toluene in the liquid state in separation of heavy
crude oils and VRs ensures the efficiency of removing
metals and reducing carbon residue on the level of no
less than 90 and 70 wt %, respectively, at more than
60 wt % deasphalted oil yield. The residual content of С7
asphaltenes in the deasphalted oil remains on the level
of 200 ppm [62]. On the other hand, the process can be
used both for deasphalting and upgrading of heavy crude
oils, natural bitumens, and petroleum residues from oil
distillation, implementing the upstream SDA concept,
and for separation of unconverted residues from thermal
cracking or catalytic hydroprocessing units. For example,
the extraction of the vacuum residue from the slurry-
phase hydroconversion using toluene-rich mixtures in
the supercritical phase state allows recovery of the metal
concentrate for the subsequent recovery of the dispersed
catalyst precursor and increases the conversion of the
heavy petroleum feedstock and distillate yield owing to
the recycle of the extract fraction free of metals, coke
and its precursors (Fig. 4).
To optimize and test this solvent deasphalting
technology, R&D and designing works were performed
by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in
collaboration with PAO Tatneft within the framework
of the implementation of the complex project on the
development of high-tech production (in accordance
with the Decision no. 218 of the Russian Federation
Government of April 9, 2010). The process was
simulated and its optimal conditions were preliminarily
determined, design documentation was developed, and
a continuous pilot plant with the feed capacity of up to
1646 MAGOMEDOV et al.
5 L h–1 was constructed for implementation and testing
of various process operation modes. This pilot plant
allows tests of various extraction schemes (single, and
multi-stage countercurrent extraction) in a wide range
of parameters at different phase states of the solvents,
which, in turn, will open prospects for optimization of
the process technology, feasibility studies, scaling, and
commercialization of the technology.
CONCLUSIONS
Thus, owing to simplicity and high flexibility,
solvent deasphalting occupies an important plane in
processing of heavy petroleum feedstock. The removal
of asphaltenes, which are responsible for the high
levels of viscosity, carbon residue and metal content of
heavy petroleum feedstock, by extraction substantially
simplifies the subsequent processing of petroleum
residues and improves the quality of the final products;
it also facilitates the transportation of heavy crude oils
and natural bitumens. The modern solvent deasphalting
technologies are characterized by high levels of energy
efficiency and specific liquid capacity of mass transfer
apparatus; they provide high extraction efficiency
and selectivity as well the clean phase separation,
separation. As a result, this contributes to a reduction
of the capital and operating costs, maximal recovery
of target components, and production of deasphalted
oil of high quality. This is mainly reached owing to
recovery of the major amount of the solvent under
supercritical conditions, use of state-of-the-art internal
contacting and separation devices, implementation of
supercritical fluid extraction, use of acoustic energy
and of alternative polar compounds and CO2-based
binary mixtures as solvents. The need for obtaining
maximal amounts of high-quality transportation fuels
and base oils more and more influences the conversion
of solvent deasphalting facilities from the preparation
of petroleum residues for the production of low-quality
base oils to the recovery of incremental feedstock for
catalytic cracking and hydrocracking units, as well as
upgrading of heavy crude oils and natural bitumens.
The need for increasing the depth of oil refining and
improving the quality of petroleum products, and
also increasing share of high-viscosity crude oils and
natural bitumens production in Russia make it topical
to develop and implement new highly efficient domestic
technologies for solvent upgrading and preparation of
heavy petroleum feedstock.
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY Vol. 92 No. 12 2019
FUNDING
The study was financially supported by the Ministry
of Science and Higher Education of the Russian
Federation, contract no. 03.G25.31.0238 of April 28,
2017 for implementation of the complex project on the
development of high-tech production: Development of
Solvent Technology for Refining of Heavy Petroleum
Feedstock. The R&D and designing works whose results
are reported in the paper were done at the Moscow
Institute of Physics and Technology as the head executor
of contract no. 03.G25.31.0238 of April 28, 2017.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
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