Investigation of the process and products of plasma treatment of asphaltenes

Abstract

The results of experiments on plasma processing of the samples of high-molecular fraction of the asphaltenes emitted from the asphaltite representing natural bitumen are reported. The asphaltite, according to its structure and properties, can serve as an analog of heavy oil residues of oil refining. The asphaltenes are treated with the plasma of an arc discharge in a laboratory reactor in ambient air. The structure and properties of the resulting carbon materials are determined by the methods of X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, IR-spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescent analysis and laser diffraction. It is found out that during plasma processing of asphaltenes a mixture of gases consisting mainly of H 2 and CH 4 with CO 2 , CO, NO, SO 2 , H 2 S impurities is formed, and an polydisperse carbon material is formed with the structure of graphite, containing the elements present in the initial asphaltite forms: vanadium, nickel, iron, calcium, aluminum, sulfur, silicon and chlorine. The optimum modes of the arc reactor performing the plasma processing of asphaltenes (30 s and current 100 A), allowing to achieve the maximum yield of hydrogen and graphite-like material, are defined.