Patent ID: 6893874

Claim:
A method for transporting blended crude oils comprising the steps of; (a) admixing a first crude oil with a second, different crude oil to form a crude oil admixture; (b) determining a first value representing the content of unprecipitated asphaltenes in the admixture; (c) holding the admixture for a period of time at standard conditions; (d) determining a second value representing the content of unprecipitated asphaltenes in the admixture; and (e) taking remedial action to prevent asphaltene precipitation prior to transporting the admixture if the second value is outside a predetermined range from the first value, wherein the determining of a first or second value representing the content of unprecipitated asphaltenes in the admixture is done using a sensor that is a fiber optic attenuated total reflectance probe.