Thermal Transformations of Asphaltenes at a Temperature of 120 °C

Abstract

Thermolysis of asphaltenes from three heavy oils was carried out at a temperature of 120 °C in a current of N 2 with the withdrawal of the resulting products from the reaction zone. Composition and structure analysis of thermolysis products showed, that at 120 °C petroleum afaltenes are subject to thermal destruction due to breaking of covalent bonds with the formation of gas, oils and resins, exceed 13 % by weight. It is established that the main directions of asphaltene thermal transformations during thermolysis are an increase aromaticity and decrease content of naphthenic and aliphatic carbon. The reactivity and thermal transformations intensity of asphaltene molecules depend on the number of reaction centers in them. Reaction centers represent a weak aliphatic heteroatomic

Efficient Heavy Oil Upgrading with Water-Soluble Nickel and Copper Acetate Catalysts

“…The aromatic fraction of the initial crude oil sample is rich in sulfur-containing compounds such as benzo- and dibenzothiophenes, 4,9-dimethylnaphtho­[2,3- b ] thiophenes, trimethyl-dibenzothiophenes, and tetramethyldibenzothiophenes, the sum relative content of which is 41.43%. The content of these compounds increased to 54.51% after noncatalytic hydrothermal upgrading, likely due to resin and asphaltene destruction initiating even at 120 °C, which liberates additional sulfur species …”

“…The content of these compounds increased to 54.51% after noncatalytic hydrothermal upgrading, likely due to resin and asphaltene destruction initiating even at 120 °C, which liberates additional sulfur species. 34 Homologues of benzothiophene compounds showed the most pronounced increase, with the relative content in aromatics rising from 2.59% (initial crude) to 9.02% (blank), as shown in Figure 6. Specifically, 4-dimethyldibenzothiophene increased from 0.65% (initial) to 3.4% after noncatalytic upgrading.…”