Vol 58, No 5 (2018)

Results of the processing by statistical analysis methods of the component composition of Volgian and Neocomian oils from the Korchagin oilfield (northern part of the Caspian Sea water area) are presented. The component composition of the samples has been studied by simulated distillation using GLC. The values of the Fisher test and Student t-test have been calculated for the test samples on the basis of the results, with comparative assessment of the quantitative composition of the oils being carried out using these values. The analysis of the presented information has led to the conclusion that the oils of the Volgian and Neocomian superstages are similar in component composition by the mean and variance at a significance level of 0.05.

Waste aluminum foil was used for preparation of mesoporous TiO₂-Al₂O₃ using starch as a textural modifier. The catalytic species, Mo and Ni or Co were loaded onto the mesoporous support, following incipient wetness sequential impregnation. To gain an insight into the pore dimensions effect, Ni and Mo species with the same mass ratio were loaded onto the TiO₂-Al₂O₃, prepared from analytical grade chemicals without templating. TPR spectra, TEM images and BET analysis showed how the promoter (Ni or Co), TiO₂ and the template (starch) affect the ease of reduction of Mo species, the morphology of the active MoS₂ phase and the pore dimensions of the catalysts. The catalysts were employed in hydro-desulfurization process of gas oil using a fixed bed down flow microreactor at varying operating conditions, viz., temperature (320–400°C), Liquid hourly space velocity (0.5–4 h^–1), H₂/oil ratio of 450 v/v, and 6 MPa operating pressure. The results showed that the promotion effect prevails over the textural effect, where Ni promoted catalyst (with lower surface parameters) exhibits higher activity than Co promoted one. The dual layer catalytic bed system achieved the sulfur level less than 10 ppm.

An experimental study on obtaining concentrates of organic compounds from fuel fractions of petroleum by complexation with metal halides: aluminum chloride, aluminum bromide, anhydrous zinc chloride, and its crystal hydrate has been performed. Optimal conditions have been selected for the complexation reaction of aluminum and zinc halides with electron-donor compounds of diesel and jet fuels. The degree of removal of organic sulfur compounds from the diesel or jet fuel by complexation with aluminum chloride reaches 79.6 or 10.0 rel. %, respectively. It has been found that the concentrates obtained contain a large amount of normal and weakly branched alkanes, which form clathrates with polar components of the donor–acceptor complex (DAC). A mechanism is proposed for the intermolecular interaction of alkanes with the DAC components by hydrogen bonding with halogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms.

A catalyst based on a mesoporous phenol–formaldehyde polymer (MPF) as an organic support modified with the IMHSO₄ ionic liquid has been synthesized. The catalytic activity of the sample has been studied in the alkylation of aromatic compounds with octene-1. It has been found that the use of the catalyst in phenol alkylation leads to the formation of both alkylphenols (C-alkylates) and alkyl phenyl ethers (O-alkylates) with a total yield of up to 60%. In the case of alkylation of benzene and benzene derivatives, significant conversion values (45–50%) are achieved only for toluene and anisole.

The effect of saturation of methane with water vapor on soot formation at different saturation levels has been studied on a test facility of noncatalytic high-temperature partial oxidation of methane with syngas capacity of 8 Nm³/h. Relationship between the synthesis gas composition and the H₂O/CH₄ ratio has been revealed, as well as the qualitative and quantitative relations of the formation of soot agglomerates to the degree of saturation of pure methane or natural gas with water vapor. The structural features of the soot formed have been investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis.

To comply with the stringent environmental regulations concerning the quality of fuels the production of ultra low sulfur fuels is obligatory. Consequently, the removal of aromatics from fuels has turned to be a serious issue. This is due to the fact that the presence of aromatics in fuel deters the ultra-low sulfur fuel production. Therefore the researcher’s interest has involved the dearomatization of fuels. As a result of the dearomatization, the quality of fuels improves tremendously. Here, solvent extraction was performed to dearomatize a feedstock sample with 20.1% aromatic and 166 ppm sulfur using acetonitrile. The extraction was performed at low temperature and ambient atmospheric pressure. The aromatic contents were determined via HPLC, while the ASTM methods were employed in other parameters determination. The results showed 72% minimum yield, 8.6% aromatic content, 58–64 cetane index, 73.2 ppm sulfur content, 5.4 viscosity, RI 1.4535, aniline point 82.15, specific gravity 0.824–0.812 with API 40.32–42.88 and flash point 70–78°C. The boiling range of the produced diesel fraction raffinate (172–373°C) that corresponds to C₈–C₂₄ cuts render it a potential candidate for other petrochemical applications.

The performance of two types of ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts (MFI-type zeolite, SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 50 and 300) was studied in the catalytic cracking of n-hexane and n-heptane as a model compound of light naphtha for production of light olefins at 500, 550, and 600°C. The physicochemical properties of ZSM-5 catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, BET, SEM and NH₃-TPD. The influence of SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio was investigated on conversion and product selectivity. ZSM-5 zeolite yielded higher conversion in the cracking of n-hexane compared to n-heptane and maximum conversion was achieved over ZSM-5(50) at 600°C. ZSM-5(50) showed higher alkane selectivity rather than olefins. It was found that ZSM-5(300) was more desirable in terms of having significant selectivity to light olefins as well as producing high propylene to ethylene ratio. The maximum propylene to ethylene ratio of 2.7 and 2.48 was observed over ZSM-5(300) at 500°C for n-hexane and n-heptane cracking, respectively.