SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
High-throughput Packed-bed Microreactors with Inline
Analytics for the Discovery of Asphaltene Deposition
Mechanisms
Chuntian Hu and Ryan L. Hartman*
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, Box 870203 Tuscaloosa,
AL, 35487, United States
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to R.L. Hartman, Tel. +1 (205) 348-1696, Fax.
+1 (205) 348-7558, e-mail: rhartman@eng.ua.edu
(2𝛽)
(a)
−1
𝑘
𝑘
( 0 )( )
log (
∅0 𝑘0
∅
Γ2 ( )
∅0
) = log⁡(
(
(
∅
)
∅0
𝛼
∅
)−( )
∅0
∅0
)
(S1)
(b)
Figure S1. Comparison of the dimensionless pressure drop between n-heptane-asphaltene in toluene flow
and n-heptane-toluene flow at 70C. (a) Dimensionless pressure drop from 0 to 250. (b) Dimensionless
pressure drop from 0 to 20.
1
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
2
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
Figure S2. Correlation of the data of (a, b) 25℃, 60vol% n-C7, (c, d) 50℃, 60vol% n-C7, (e, f) 70℃, 50vol%
n-C7, (g, h) 70℃, 60vol% n-C7, and (i, j) 70℃, 60vol% n-C9 according to Equation (S1).
Figure S3. Experimental measured permeability-porosity relationship at different temperatures compared to
Civan’s power-law flow unit Equation (13).
3
Table S1. Experimental conditions and characteristic dimensionless quantity estimates for EμPBR and
μPBRs.
Reactor
Parameter
Value
Total flow rate, FT (μL/min)
EμPBR
Mean velocity, u
(x10-4
40.00
m/s)
2.46
Re
1.02
Ca
(x10-5)
0.38
We
(x10-5)
0.38
𝜏 (min)
1.13
Total flow rate, FT (μL/min)
μPBR
Interstitial velocity, ui
ReP
40.00
(x10-4
m/s)
6.17
(x10-2)
2.76
𝜏𝑃 (min)
D
0.45
(x10-5m2/s)
5.97
Table S2. Dispersion in EμPBR, μPBR, and DμPBRs estimated by their RTDs.
FT
u or ui
σ2
σθ 2
(μL/min)
(x10-4 m/s)
(min2)
EμPBR
40.00
2.46
0.17
0.026
0.0134
5.60
52
μPBR
40.00
6.17
0.16
0.021
0.0103
10.8
225
D*/(uL)
D*
(x10-8
Bo
m2/s)
Table S3. Physical properties of n-alkanes and toluene.
n-C5
n-C6
n-C7
n-C8
n-C9
toluene
Molecular weight MW (g/mol)
72.15
86.18
100.21
114.23
128.26
92.14
Melting point MP (℃)
-130
-95
-91
-57
-53
-95
Boiling point BP (℃)
36
69
97~99
125~126
150~152
111
Flash point FP (℃)
-49
-23
-4
15
31
6
0.626
0.659
0.684
0.703
0.718
0.870
Density 𝜌 (g/mL)
Viscosity μ (@20℃)
(x10-4
2.40
2.94
3.86
5.42
7.11
5.90
Viscosity μ (@70℃) (x10-4 Pa∙s)
Pa∙s)
-
-
2.70
3.17
4.32
3.50
Vapor pressure VP (@20℃) (kPa)
57.9
17.6
5.33
1.47
1.33
2.93
Surface tension 𝛾 (@20℃) (mN/m)
19.54
18.43
20.14
21.62
23.50
28.40
Refractive Index RI
1.358
1.375
1.387
1.398
1.405
1.497
4
Table S4. Influence of n-pentane and n-hexane on μPBR impairments.
Test
n-CX
Final
∅𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
t/P
(%)
𝜅𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
(x10-13
mtotal
m2)
mwaste
mdeposited
(mg)
(mg)
(mg)
∅𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝜅𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒
𝜅𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
∅𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
(x103)
∆𝑃
∆𝑃0
s
1
n-C5
103
38.9±0.34
5.08±0.068
7.2
6.0
1.2
0.943
0.005
2.67
225
2
n-C5
132
39.6±0.53
5.12±0.043
9.4
8.1
1.3
0.939
0.005
2.69
225
3
n-C5
144
40.7±0.38
5.54±0.044
10.5
9.2
1.3
0.941
0.005
2.92
225
4
n-C5
202
41.0±0.45
5.57±0.073
14.9
13.3
1.6
0.928
0.005
2.93
225
5
n-C6
51.0
40.3±0.52
5.49±0.058
3.7
3.0
0.7
0.968
0.005
2.89
225
6
n-C6
55.0
40.9±0.35
5.60±0.045
4.0
3.3
0.6
0.973
0.005
2.94
225
7
n-C6
88.0
39.7±0.49
5.20±0.049
6.3
5.4
0.9
0.958
0.005
2.73
225
8
n-C6
115
39.1±0.34
5.12±0.037
8.1
6.9
1.2
0.943
0.005
2.70
225
Table S5. Parameters of equation (13) determined by experiments (α) and least square match (Γ,𝛽 and R2).
Test
Conditions
𝛼
𝛤
𝛽
R2
1
25℃, 60 vol% n-C7
0.95/0.98/0.99/0.99
8.0x10-6
7.1
0.904
2
50℃, 60 vol% n-C7
0.97/0.98/0.99
5.9 x10-5
12.2
0.993
3
70℃, 50 vol% n-C7
0.97/0.99/1.0/1.0
2.6 x10-4
15.3
0.985
4
70℃, 60 vol% n-C7
0.98/0.99/1.0
1.5 x10-4
20.0
0.940
5
70℃, 60 vol% n-C9
0.98/0.99/1.0
3.3 x10-5
11.9
0.621
5