Oil gas

Table 3.7 gives results obtained by this method for a gas oil before and after hydrotreatment. 

An important application of this type of analysis is in the determination of the calculated cetane index. The procedure is as follows the cetane number is measured using the standard CFR engine method for a large number of gas oil samples covering a wide range of chemical compositions. It was shown that this measured number is a linear combination of chemical family concentrations as determined by the D 2425 method. An example of the correlation obtained is given in Figure 3.3. 

This characteristic is used to analyze aromatics in gas oil cuts an example of a UV absorption spectrum is shown in Figure 3.5. 

Using this concept, Burdett developed a method in 1955 to obtain the concentrations in mono-, di- and polynuclear aromatics in gas oils from the absorbances measured at 197, 220 and 260 nm, with the condition that sulfur content be less than 1%. Knowledge of the average molecular weight enables the calculation of weight per cent from mole per cent. As with all methods based on statistical sampling from a population, this method is applicable only in the region used in the study extrapolation is not advised and usually leads to erroneous results. 

Some attempts, not yet very convincing, have been made to extend the field of application to gas oils by heating the column. 

We would add that this method is applicable to other gas oil cuts by ultimately changing if necessary the standards for refractometric response. 

The accuracy depends on the fraction distilled it deviates particularly when determining the initial and final boiling points the average error can exceed 10°C. When calculating the ASTM D 86 curve for gasoline, it is better to use the Edmister (1948) relations. The Riazi and Edmister methods lead to very close results when they are applied to ASTM D 86 calculations for products such as gas oils and kerosene. 

Thus, according to the definitions, diesel fuel (or gas oil) is not a heating fuel but a motor fuel. Incidentally, heavy fuel can be considered a heating fuel or a motor fuel depending on its application in a burner or in a marine diesel engine. 

The gas oil cut from catalytic cracking called Light Cycle Oil (LCO), is characterized by a very low cetane number (about 20), high contents in aromatics, sulfur and nitrogen, all of which strongly limit its addition to the diesel fuel pool to a maximum of 5 to 10%. 

The gas oils from visbreaking and coking have better cetane numbers than LCO but they are unstable and need hydrotreatment before they can be used. 

The sulfides are chemically neutral they can have a linear or ring structure. For molecules of equal carbon number, their boiling points are higher than those of mercaptans they constitute the majority of sulfur containing hydrocarbons in the middie distillates (kerosene and gas oil). 

Cut Ught gasoline Heavy gasoline Kerosene Gas oil Residue Crude... 

These compounds can be malodorous as in the case of quinoline, or they can have a plecisant odor as does indole. They decompose on heating to give organic bases or ammonia that reduce the acidity of refining catalysts in conversion units such as reformers or crackers, and initiate gum formation in distillates (kerosene, gas oil). 

For example, in the case of light Arabian crude (Table 8.16), the sulfur content of the heavy gasoline, a potential feedstock for a catalytic reforming unit, is of 0.036 weight per cent while the maximum permissible sulfur content for maintaining catalyst service life is 1 ppm. It is therefore necessary to plan for a desulfurization pretreatment unit. Likewise, the sulfur content of the gas oil cut is 1.39% while the finished diesel motor fuel specification has been set for a maximum limit of 0.2% and 0.05% in 1996 (French specifications). 

A light distillate cut (light cycle oil - LCO) similar to gas oil but having high aromaticity and low cetane number. 

The conversion products, other than gas and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), are essentially a gasoline fraction that, after pretreatment, will be converted by catalytic reforming an average quality distillate fraction to be sent to the gas oil pool and an atmospheric residue or vacuum distillate and vacuum residue whose properties and impurity levels (S, N, Conr. 

Vacuum residue case Gasoline Gas oil Atm. residue Vacuum distillate Vacuum residue... 

For gas oil sulfur and aromatics reduction serves to increase the cetane number and to improve color and thermal stability. 

Table 10.21 gives a typical example of hydrotreating a straight run (SR) gas oil. 

Relationship between the residual aromatics content, the hydrogen partial pressure, and the chemical hydrogen consumption (for a SR gas oil). 

For gas oil from catalytic cracking (LCO), reducing the aromatics content to 20 wt. % results in a chemical hydrogen consumption of 3.4 wt % and a cetane number of 40. 

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