Siberian Federal University

The paper presents the results of the impact of an electron beam on the asphaltenes of oil from the Nurlatskoye field in an atmosphere of air, argon, hydrogen, and propane-butane mixture. The most noticeably changes in macrostructural parameters of asphaltenes are observed after beam treatment in a propane-butane mixture. The average number of stacking sheets and the size of the aromatic cores increases and the interlayer distance between saturated fragments changes. An increase in the number of aromatic rings in the sheet and a decrease in the share of saturated fragments may suggest the processes of destruction and aromatization of saturated structures, which is confirmed by an increase in the aromaticity factor. Analysis of the group composition of this sample showed the presence of paraffin-naphthenic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and resins. According to the data of thermogravimetric analysis, asphaltenes lose mass more intensively after treatment with an electron beam in a propane- butane atmosphere, which is most visible in the range from ~ 250 to 510 °C