A review on the application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to petroleum products

Abstract

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) can be used to obtain a variety of thermodynamic or kinetic data of petroleum products. The application of DSC to petroleum fluids includes characterization of crude oils, studying bulk and confined space phase behavior of hydrocarbons, and evaluating the glass transition in crude oils. In addition, the kinetic data of the pyrolysis, combustion, and oxidation of crude oils can be obtained using DSC. In this work, a comprehensive review of the application of DSC to petroleum-based products is provided that integrates different approaches in the literature in order to provide a constructive platform for future studies. Also, the limitations of the method are elaborated in detail, and recommendations are provided to appropriately optimize the accuracy and applicability of DSC to study petroleum products. The impact of different operating parameters in using DSC including the thermal scanning rate, pressure, modulating temperature program, and analysis method is systematically discussed. Also, the effect of neglecting thermal radiation in DSC experiments is highlighted to ensure that future studies consider this important phenomenon once analyzing the raw data. As well, the advantage of coupling DSC with other analytical techniques is carefully reviewed to underline that precious information that can be obtained once DSC is integrated with other methods. This comprehensive review expresses that DSC has different themes of applications to the research and development in petroleum industry. Due to its simplicity, precious and rapid data collection features, DSC is one of the primary methods for characterizing petroleum fluids. Yet, further advancements both in the equipment design and in data analysis is urged to improve the applicability of DSC to crude oils and their fractions.