The stability of asphaltene model oil-in-water emulsion was studied using near infrared stability analyzer. The effect of two different surfactants(SDS and SDBS)，the mass concentration of the asphaltene and the salt on the emulsion stability was investigated. The relationship between the interfacial tension and zeta potential and the emulsion stability was preliminarily studied. The results showed that the emulsion stabilized by SDBS was more stable than SDS, in the investigated range, the higher the mass concentration of the asphaltene was, the less stable the emulsion was, the salt can enhance the stability of the emulsion. The decrease of the interfacial tension is conductive to the stability of the O/W emulsion, while the zeta potential may not play an important role in keeping the stability of the emulsion.