CHARACTERIZATION STUDIES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE

摘要

Historically speaking, the asphaltene fraction has traditionally been depicted as an extremely complex fraction that is extremely difficult to characterize and to understand. However, a variety of more recent studies has implied that the constituents of the asphaltene fraction share many chemical properties with the smaller, more tractable components of crude oil and many experimental methods have been applied to determination of the chemical structures of the asphaltene constituents. The ability to relate chemical structure with physical and chemical properties has thus be developed and extended to the understanding of important commercial properties of the asphaltene constituents. Furthermore, the data derived from the evaluation and characterization procedures can be employed to map (with some degree of predictability) the behavior of the feedstock constituents during refining and, also, the prediction of process options that may lead to improvements in product character and/or yield. But to what extent can these physical, spectroscopic, and chemical methods be believed to enhance our knowledge of asphaltene structure and behavior? It is the purpose of this work to focus on a general overview of the various methods that have been applied to developing our knowledge of the chemical and physical behavior of the asphaltene constituents and from that the behavior of this fraction during refining operations.