Hydrocarbons Analysis > Heavy Distillate Analysis

Aromatic Content, Mass, and Side Chain Distribution Determination in Heavy Distillates by Multi-Dimensional HPLC

Heavy Oil Fraction Analyses are available from the Intertek Philadelphia Regional Laboratory, using a Multi-Dimensional HPLC system known as a Heavy Distillate Analyzer (HDA) by AC. The HPLC-HDA is an affordable, fast technique, more suitable for day-to-day analyses than other approaches in the market.

Contact for more information on Heavy Distillate Analysis services for Refining Industries.

A Unique HPLC System for Heavy Distillates:

The Intertek Philadelphia petroleum and chemical laboratory operates a multi-dimensional HPLC system fitted with dual detectors and normal phase columns. The HPLC instrument successfully offers quantitative determination of aromatic content, mass, and side chain distributions for six hydrocarbon fractions in heavy distillates. These fractions are saturates (paraffins and naphthenes), 1- to 4-ring aromatics and polar (higher than 4-ring, and N-, and O-containing heterocyclic compounds).

The unique HPLC system, originally patented by Exxon Engineering and Research and licensed from Analytical Controls, is based upon an efficient separation of the fractions using solvent gradients, a procedure for wide-range mass calibration of the Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), and unique algorithms for the conversion of Diode Array Detector (DAD) spectra to aromatic content. The technique offers a number of advantages for samples with IBPs higher than 340° C.

Benefits of Multi-dimensional HPLC:

There is a growing need in the petroleum refining industry for the determination of hydrocarbon compositions in heavy distillates. An HPLC fitted
with dual detectors and columns, known as multi-dimensional HPLC, offers a dependable and cost-effective technique for heavy distillate characterization.

Deep boiling fractions of crude oil separated by multiple refining processes like atmospheric and vacuum distillations usually have initial boiling points (IBPs) in the range 340-665°C (650-1300°F). These heavy distillates are widely used as feed stocks for refinery processes including fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), hydrogenation, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, dewaxing, deasphalting, coking and lube extraction because of their specific values and importance as well as the refining industry’s interest in processing residual feeds.

These processes can be optimized using information from molecular-based compositional analysis of feed and products. Modern analytical techniques can play an important role in this direction.