Olefins are ubiquitous in processed petroleum streams
undergoing
thermal and catalytic cracking processes. However, the molecular characterization
of olefins is often troublesome as a result of the presence of cycloalkanes
or aromatic hydrocarbons, which cannot be distinguished from each
other because of their identical molecular composition. This study
provides a novel method to selectively characterize the molecular
composition of olefins in processed petroleum streams. The olefins
were selectively converted into halohydrocarbons with iodine monochloride
as a reaction reagent and then subjected to high-resolution mass spectrometry
analysis with positive-ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization.
The molecular composition of olefins in the coker diesel, the coker
gas oil, and the pyrolysis gas oil was successfully characterized
by the method, which indicates that the linear mono-olefins are often
the dominant species. The derivatization also enables the identification
of co-eluted individual compounds in gas chromatographic analysis.
The method could be applicable to other streams from complex fossil
fuels.
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