Molecular weight asphalt

Asphalt makes up the residue of the deasphalting operation and concentrates the major portion of the impurities such as metals, sediment, 1 salts and asphaltenes. Asphalt fluidity decreases as the molecular weight of... 

The vacuum residua or vacuum bottoms is the most complex fraction. Vacuum residua are used as asphalt and coker feed. In the bottoms, few molecules are free of heteroatoms molecular weights range from 400 to >2000, so high that characteri2ation of individual species is virtually impossible. Separations by group type become blurred by the sheer mass of substitution around a core stmcture and by the presence of multiple functionahties in a single molecules. Simultaneously, the traditional gc and ms techniques require the very volatiUty that this fraction lacks. 

CPA. Copolymer alloy membranes (CPAs) are made by alloying high molecular weight polymeries, plasticizers, special stabilizers, biocides, and antioxidants with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The membrane is typically reinforced with polyester and comes in finished thicknesses of 0.75—1.5 mm and widths of 1.5—1.8 m. The primary installation method is mechanically fastened, but some fully adhered systems are also possible. The CPA membranes can exhibit long-term flexibiHty by alleviating migration of the polymeric plasticizers, and are chemically resistant and compatible with many oils and greases, animal fats, asphalt, and coal-tar pitch. The physical characteristics of a CPA membrane have been described (15). 

Asphalt [8052-42-4] is defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (1) as a dark brown to black cementitious material in which the predominating constituents are bitumens that occur in nature or are obtained in petroleum processing. Bitumen is a generic term defined by ASTM as a class of black or dark-colored (soHd, semisoHd, or viscous) cementitious substances, natural or manufactured, composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons, of which asphalts, tars, pitches, and asphaltites are typical. 

Asphalts characteristically contain very high molecular weight molecular polar species, called asphaltenes, which are soluble in carbon disulfide, pyridine, aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and tetrahydrofiiran. 

Determination of the components of asphalts has always presented a challenge because of the complexity and high molecular weights of the molecular constituents (6,44,45). The principle behind composition studies is to evaluate asphalts in terms of composition and performance. Such studies are always suspect when this is not the overriding goal of the work. 

Colloidal State. The principal outcome of many of the composition studies has been the delineation of the asphalt system as a colloidal system at ambient or normal service conditions. This particular concept was proposed in 1924 and described the system as an oil medium in which the asphaltene fraction was dispersed. The transition from a coUoid to a Newtonian Hquid is dependent on temperature, hardness, shear rate, chemical nature, etc. At normal service temperatures asphalt is viscoelastic, and viscous at higher temperatures. The disperse phase is a micelle composed of the molecular species that make up the asphaltenes and the higher molecular weight aromatic components of the petrolenes or the maltenes (ie, the nonasphaltene components). Complete peptization of the micelle seems probable if the system contains sufficient aromatic constituents, in relation to the concentration of asphaltenes, to allow the asphaltenes to remain in the dispersed phase. 

Other additives. Amorphous polypropylene, waxes and asphalt can be added to decrease the cost of BR formulations. On the other hand, PIB can be blended with NR, styrene-butadiene rubber, EVA and low molecular weight polyethylene to impart specific properties. 

Generally, systems developed in the USA favour a combination of polyethylene with either butyl-rubber or hot-applied mastic adhesives, the latter consisting of a blend of rubber, asphalt and high molecular weight resins. In European and Far East coating plants, epoxy type primers and hard ethylene copolymer adhesives have been successfully employed. 

The techniques of paraffin removal and paraffin prevention have been reviewed [810]. In particular, inhibitors for paraffin deposits are copolymers of ethylene with vinylacetate [525-527,1597] or polymers from p-nonylphenyl methacrylate and p-dodecylphenyl methacrylate [773]. These materials lower the pour point of the oil. It has been shown that for oils which differ in the content of n-paraffins and asphalt-resinous substances, it is necessary to use blends of copolymers of different compositions and molecular weights to obtain optimal efficiency. Polyacrylamide and wastes from the production of glycerol with a concentration of 400 mg/liter of oil have also been claimed to be effective as paraffin inhibitors [536]. 

Residua are the dark-colored nearly solid or solid products of petroleum refining that are produced by atmospheric and vacuum distillation (Figure 11.1 Chapter 3). Asphalt is usually produced from a residuum and is a dark brown to black cementitious material obtained from petroleum processing that contains very high-molecular-weight molecular polar species called asphaltenes that are soluble in carbon disulfide, pyridine, aromatic hydrocarbons, and chlorinated hydrocarbons (Chapter 3) (Gruse and Stevens, 1960 Guthrie, 1967 Broome and Wadelin, 1973 Weissermel and Arpe, 1978 Hoffman, 1983 Austin, 1984 Chenier, 1992 Hoffman and McKetta, 1993). 

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