Comparison of physical and chemical characteristics of shale oil fuels and analogous petroleum products

Abstract

AbstractThe available data on the physical and chemical characteristics of crude and hydrotreated shale oil and for shale‐derived naphtha, jet fuel, diesel fuel and residual fuel are reviewed and compared with similar data for analogous petroleum products. The databases for shale oil and petroleum are very diverse and have been generated by numerous investigators using a range of analytical procedures and test samples of various origins, including different raw material sources, processing scales and operating conditions. For both petroleum and shale oil, the detailed compositional data primarily relate to lighter “cuts.” Similar data for heavier cuts generally have not been obtained because of the very complex and variable nature of these products and the questionable utility of the results from the standpoint of refinery applications, and because properties of the individual compounds (especially from the standpoint of biological activity) may not be directly additive. Based on the data reviewed and the consideration of raw material chemistry and nature of the refining operation, it appears that the differences between shale oil and petroleum products are generally a matter of degree rather than kind, with the degree of similarity increasing with the extent of refining.