Characterization of Feeds, Intermediates, and Products from Heavy Oil Processes by High-Temperature Simulated Distillation and Thin-Layer Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection

Abstract

High-temperature simulated distillation (HTSD) and thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC-FID) have been applied for the characterization of an atmospheric resid and its gas oil fractions that belong to several viscosity grades and vacuum resid obtained by vacuum distillation. TLC-FID has provided the hydrocarbon type data. The boiling range distribution results for various samples have been derived from HTSD chromatograms. Raffinates, aromatic extracts, waxes, and base oils obtained from solvent refining and dewaxing of vacuum gas oils have also been analyzed. These two techniques are shown to be equally applicable to the feed and product samples from catalytic dewaxing. The results from these methods reveal differences caused by processing schemes as exemplified with three bright stocks derived from the same deasphalted oil. When combined, the boiling range distributions by HTSD and compositional analyses by TLC-FID provide quantitative data not only for comparison of the results between samples or sample types, but also for assessing the efficiency of heavy oil refining processes.