Correlation for predicting the molecular weight of Brazilian petroleum residues and cuts: An application for the simulation of a molecular distillation process

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 78, Issue 1, July 2011, Pages 78-85

Correlation for predicting the molecular weight of Brazilian petroleum residues and cuts: An application for the simulation of a molecular distillation process

Lamia Zuñiga Liñan (a), Nádson Murilo Nascimento Lima (b), Maria Regina Wolf Maciel (a), Rubens Maciel Filho (b), Lílian Carmen Medina (c), Marcelo Embiruçu (d)

lazuli@feq.unicamp.br

nadson@feq.unicamp.br

wolf@feq.unicamp.br

maciel@feq.unicamp.br

lmedina@petrobras.com.br

embirucu@ufba.br

a Separation Process Development Laboratory (LDPS), School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, P.O. Box 6066, 13083-970, Campinas-SP, Brazil

b Optimization, Project and Advanced Control Laboratory (LOPCA), School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, P.O. Box 6066, 13083-970, Campinas-SP, Brazil

c Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento da Petrobrás (CENPES/Petrobrás), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

d Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola Politécnica, Programa de Engenharia Industrial, 40210-630, Salvador-BA, Brazil

Abstract

A correlation to predict the molecular weights of Brazilian heavy petroleum residues and cuts is developed. The residues were obtained from conventional distillation processes ASTM D 2892 (2005) and ASTM D 5236 (2003). The correlation was developed by adjusting experimental parameters of the API correlation

For the adjustment, molecular weight data of atmospheric residues (673.15 K+) of 14 heavy crude oils (API = 25.5) obtained from a steady state refining process simulator (PETROX) were used. The adjusted correlation was validated with data from the molecular weights of atmospheric residues derived from 7 other heavy Brazilian crude oils.  In general, improved results are provided by the developed correlation in relation to the conventional method, with a good correspondence between the predicted and experimental values for the cuts and residues studied here.

Full Text Source (Subscription or Fee): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920410511000945