Direct and automatic capillary GC analysis for molecular weight determination and distribution in crude oils and condensates up to C20

Abstract

AbstractA direct and automatic method has been developed for molecular weight (MW) determination and distribution in crude oils and condensates up to C20 (340°C) by gas chromatography. Chromatographic separation has been achieved with a 50 m OV‐1 fused silica capillary column, fitted with a pre‐column to eliminate the fraction boiling above 340°C. The internal standard is added for quantification. Approximately 550 peaks have been identified by the use of GC/MS on different paraffinic, naphthenic, and aromatic crude oils or condensate samples. From identification and by correlation with MS group‐type analysis, a carbon number and a hydrocarbon group are attributed to each peak or group of peaks. Further molecular weights have been calculated from these groups. A comparison between results from this GC method and cryometry of narrow and wide fractions shows good agreement, within the precision of cryometry. An automatic identification by computer using programmed temperature indices was used for the direct determination of molecular weight. The final report gives weight percentage, molar percentage, and molecular weight for every boiling range group and hydrocarbon group.