Combustion characteristics and kinetic analysis of Turkish crude oils and their SARA fractions by DSC

In this study, two Turkish crude oils from southeastern part of Turkey and their saturate, aromatic, resin fractions were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experiments were performed at three different heating rates (5, 10, 15 °C min^?1) under air atmosphere. Two different reaction regions were observed from DSC curves due to the oxidative degradation of crude oil components. In the first reaction region, it was deduced that the free moisture, volatile hydrocarbons were evaporated from the crude oils, light hydrocarbons were burned, and fuel was formed. The second reaction region was the main combustion region where the fuel was burned. From DSC curves, it was observed that as the sample got heavier, the heat of the reaction increased. Saturates gave minimum heat of reaction. As the heating rate increased, shift of peak temperatures to high values and extended reaction region intervals were observed. The kinetic analysis of the crude oils and their fractions were also performed using ASTM E-698 and Borchardt and Daniels methods, respectively. Activation energy values of the crude oil samples and the fractions’ high-temperature oxidation region were close to each other and varied between 67 and 133 kJ mol^?1 in ASTM and 35 and 154 kJ mol^?1 in Borchardt and Daniels methods, respectively.     

Light crude oil combustion in the presence of limestone matrix

In this study the combustion characteristics of crude oils (Karakuę and Beykan) in the presence of a limestone matrix were determined using the thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). Experiments were performed at a heating rate of 10°C min^-1, whereas the air flow rate was kept constant at 10 L h^-1 in the temperature range of 20-900°C. In combustion with air, three distinct reaction regions were identified in all crude oil/limestone mixtures studied known as low temperature oxidation (LTO), fuel deposition (FD) and high temperature oxidation (HTO). The individual activation energies for each reaction region may be attributed to different reaction mechanisms, but they do not give any indication of the contribution of each region to the overall reactivity of the crude oils. Depending on the characteristics, the mean activation energy of samples varied between 50.3 and 55.8 kJ mol^-1. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gas Evolution from the Pyrolysis of Jordan Oil Shale in A Fixed-bed Reactor

Jordan oil shale from El-Lajjun deposit was pyrolysed in a fixed-bed pyrolysis reactor and the influence of the pyrolysis temperature between 400 to 620°C and the influence of the pyrolysis atmosphere using nitrogen and nitrogen/steam on the product yield and gas composition were investigated. The gases analysed were H₂, CO, CO₂ and hydrocarbons from C₁ to C₄. The results showed for both nitrogen and nitrogen/steam that increase the pyrolysis bed temperature from 400 to 520°C resulted in a significant increase in the oil yield, after which temperature the oil yield decreased. The alkene/alkane ratio including ethene/ethane, propene/propane, and butene/butane ratios, can be used as an indication of pyrolysis temperature and the magnitude of cracking reactions. Increasing alkene/alkane ratio occurring with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The alkene/alkane ratio for nitrogen/steam pyrolysis atmosphere was lower than the one found under nitrogen atmosphere. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal degradation and evolved gas analysis of N,N′-bis(2 hydroxyethyl) linseed amide (BHLA) during pyrolysis and combustion

The thermal degradation of N,N′-bis(2 hydroxyethyl) linseed amide (BHLA) was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy (TG–FTIR–MS). Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the thermal degradation process can be subdivided into three stages: sample drying (<200 °C), main decomposition (200–500 °C), and further cracking (>500 °C) of the polymer. The compound reached almost 800 °C during pyrolysis and combustion. The activation energy at the second step during combustion was slightly higher than that of pyrolysis emissions of carbon dioxide, aliphatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide, and other gases during combustion and pyrolysis were detected by FTIR and MS spectra. It was observed that the intensities of CO₂, CO, HCN, and H₂O were very high when compared with their intensities during pyrolysis, and this was attributed to the oxidation of the decomposition product.     

Using of Modified Plastic Waste Based on Poly(ethylene‐co‐acrylic acid) Grafts to Solve Transportation Problem of Petroleum Crude Oil

Polyethylene acrylic acid copolymer (PEAA) was modified with different types of alkanols and hydroxybenzoic acids to produce three types of esterified grafts. The molecular structures of the synthesized dispersants were performed using ¹H NMR analysis. The molecular weights of the synthesized dispersants were determined by GPC technique. The activity of PEAA derivatives as asphaltene stabilizer in the crude oil was evaluated by means of flocculation measurements. The effect of asphaltenes on the rheological behavior of highly asphaltenic crude oils was studied to evaluate the transportation parameters of crude oils. The rheological properties were measured at different temperature ranges of 5°C to 25°C in presence and absence of PEAA additives. It was observed that the PEAA having side chain lengths below C₁₆ show non‐Newtonian pseudoplastic relationships at temperatures from 25°C to 5°C. While, PEAA additives having side chain lengths equal or above C₁₆ show Newtonian relationship even at low temperature (5°C) for all tested crude oils.     

Thermal analyses of Ohio bituminous coals

A suite of twenty-one bituminous coal samples from Ohio were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and non-isothermal thermogravimetry (TG) techniques. Three regions of endothermic activity may be distinguished in the DSC scans in an inert atmosphere. The first peak (25–150°C) corresponds to loss of moisture from the coal, a second, very broad endotherm peaking in the range 400–500°C corresponds to devolatilization of the organic matter and a partially resolved endotherm at temperatures above 550°C probably corresponds to cracking and coking processes subsequent to the pyrolysis step. Evidence obtained from experiments with sealed pans suggest an autocatalytic effect exerted by the pyrolysis products. The use of the DSC technique to quantify the volatile matter content of coal seems less reliable than the proximate analyses obtained from non-isothermal TG in inert and O₂ atmospheres. Good agreement with ASTM values is observed by the latter method for a range of volatile matter and ash content.     

Thermal and catalytic degradation of pyrolytic oil from pyrolysis of municipal plastic wastes

Thermal and catalytic degradation of pyrolytic oil obtained from the commercial rotary kiln pyrolysis plant for municipal plastic waste was studied by using fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst in a bench scale reactor. The characteristics of raw pyrolytic oil and also thermal and catalytic degradation of pyrolytic oil using FCC catalyst (fresh and spent FCC catalyst) under rising temperature programming was examined. The experiments were conducted by temperature programming with 10 °C/min of heating rate up to 420 °C and then holding time of 5 h. During this programming, the sampling of product oil was conducted at a different degradation temperature and also different holding time. The raw pyrolytic oil showed a wide retention time distribution in GC analysis, from 5 of carbon number to about 25, and also different product characteristics with a comparison of those of commercial oils (gasoline, kerosene and diesel). In thermal degradation, the characteristics of product oils obtained were influenced by reaction temperature under temperature programming and holding time in the reactor at 420 °C. The addition of FCC catalyst in degradation process showed the improvement of liquid and gas yield, and also high fraction of heavy hydrocarbons in oil product due to more cracking of residue. Moreover, the characteristic of oil product in catalytic degradation using both spent and fresh FCC catalysts were similar, but a relatively good effect of spent FCC catalyst was observed.     

Kinetic mechanism of the thermal decomposition of tobacco

Equations have been derived to describe the chemical kinetic factors that affect the rate of formation of products when a mixture of solid components (tobacco) decomposes on heating. Using these equations, a computer model of tobacco pyrolysis has been constructed which can calculate the gas formation rate/temperature profile from a given set of reaction parameters. By comparing the predictions of the model with experimental results at heating rates between 0.8 and 25 deg C s^?1, a generalised kinetic mechanism for the thermal decomposition of tobacco has been developed. For carbon monoxide and other low molecular weight gases, the mechanism is an independent formation of each gas from one solid tobacco component in each temperature region. Pyrolysis of some individual tobacco components in other studies suggests that each gas is actually produced from many components in each temperature region. This more complex mechanism is kinetically equivalent to the deduced mechanism of independent formation from one component.The region in which a given decomposition reaction takes place moves to higher temperatures as the heating rate increases. The amounts of gases formed over any temperature region from 200 to 900°C can be calculated for a given heating rate using the mechanism and the kinetic constants. The present results imply that 75–90% of the carbon monoxide produced by tobacco decomposition at temperatures up to 900°C during a puff on a cigarette corresponds to that formed in the “low temperature region” (200–450°C) defined for pyrolysis experiments at the lower heating rates of 1–10 deg C s^?1.     

Copyrolysis of scrap tires with oily wastes

In this study, the conversion of hazardous wastes into liquid fuels was investigated. The pyrolysis of bilge water oil and oil sludge from ships, scrap tires and their blends was carried out at 400 and 500 °C in absence and presence of catalyst. A commercial fluid catalytic cracking catalyst and Red Mud were used as catalyst. Pyrolysis products were separated as gas, oil and char. The pyrolytic oils were characterized by using gas chromatography-mass selective detector (GC-MSD) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). The effect of temperature and catalyst on the product distribution and the composition of oil from pyrolysis were investigated. Co-pyrolysis of scrap tire with oily wastes from ships produced oil that could be used as fuel, while its pyrolysis alone produced oil that could be used as a chemical feedstock. The results obtained in this study showed that co-pyrolysis of oily wastes with scrap tires could be an environmentally friendly way for the transformation of hazardous wastes into valuable products such as chemicals or fuels.     

Non-isothermal pyrolysis of used lubricating oil and the catalytic effect of carbon-based nanomaterials on the process performance

Pyrolysis is a commonly used method for the recovery of used lubricating oil (ULO), which should be kinetically improved by a catalyst, due to its high level of energy consumption. In this research, the catalytic effects of carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene nanoplatelets on the pyrolysis of ULO were studied through thermogravimetric analysis. First, the kinetic parameters of ULO pyrolysis including activation energy were calculated to be 170.12 and 167.01 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively. Then, the catalytic effects of CNT and graphene nanoplatelets on pyrolysis kinetics were studied. While CNT had a negligible effect on the pyrolysis process, graphene nanoplatelets significantly reduced the temperature of maximum conversion during pyrolysis from 400 to 350 °C, due to high thermal conductivity and homogenous heat transfer in the pyrolysis process. On the other hand, graphene nanoplatelets maximized the rate of conversion of highly volatile components at lower temperatures (<?100 °C), which was mainly due to the high affinity of these components toward graphene nanoplatelets and also the effect of nanoplatelets’ edges which have free tails and can bond with other molecules. Moreover, graphene nanoplatelets decreased the activation energy of the conversion to 154.48 and 152.13 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively.

     

Non-isothermal thermogravimetric pyrolysis kinetics of waste petroleum refinery sludge by isoconversional approach

Pyrolysis of petroleum refinery sludge has received global acclamation as a clean conversion technique for providing solution of sludge disposal as well as efficient resource utilization. This communication reports the kinetics study of pyrolysis of petroleum refinery sludge. Experiments were carried out by means of thermogravimetric analysis at different heating rates of 5, 10 and 20°C min⁻¹. The pyrolytic reaction is significant in the temperature range of 200–350°C and analysis and evaluation of kinetic parameters is done in the 100–500°C region of non-isothermal TG curves obtained in nitrogen atmosphere. The activation energy is calculated by iso-conversional method, then other kinetic parameters are determined by considering single reaction and two reaction global kinetic model. Two-reaction model is found to fit satisfactorily the experimental results.     

Pyrolysis and combustion kinetics of microcapsules containing carbon nanofibers by thermal analysis–mass spectrometry

The thermal properties of microcapsules containing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) suspended in ethyl phenylacetate (EPA) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TGA–MS). The pyrolysis of these microcapsules consisted of two stages. During the first one (100–150 °C), the emissions of aromatic compounds coming from the decomposition of EPA were identified. In the second one (150–290 °C), NH₂–CO coming from primary amide decomposition was mainly detected.A multiple-step model was used to predict the thermal decomposition of the synthesized microcapsules under both inert and oxidant atmospheres. Furthermore, pyrolysis and combustion kinetic parameters such as pre-exponential factor and activation energy of these microcapsules were estimated by nonlinear regression. An excellent agreement between experimental and predicted data was observed and confirmed from the statistical point of view.     

Effect of particle size on pyrolysis characteristics of Elbistan lignite

In this study, the relationship between particle size and pyrolysis characteristics of Elbistan lignite was examined by using the thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques. Lignite samples were separated into different size fractions. Experiments were conducted at non-isothermal conditions with a heating rate of 10°C min⁻¹ under nitrogen atmosphere up to 900°C. Pyrolysis regions, maximum pyrolysis rates and characteristic peak temperatures were determined from TG/DTG curves. Thermogravimetric data were analyzed by a reaction rate model assuming first-order kinetics. Apparent activation energy (E) and Arrhenius constant (A _r) of pyrolysis reaction of each particle size fraction were evaluated by applying Arrhenius kinetic model. The apparent activation energies in the essential pyrolysis region were calculated as 27.36 and 28.81 kJ mol⁻¹ for the largest (−2360+2000 μm) and finest (−38 μm) particle sizes, respectively.     

Pyrolysis of liquid hexadecane with selective microwave heating of the catalyst

The pyrolysis of liquid n-hexadecane was studied on various catalysts with selective microwave (MW) heating of a catalyst possessing much greater microwave absorption capacity than the long-chain hydrocarbon studied. This method permits rapid heating of the catalyst to temperatures much higher than 400 °C, leading to reflux of the liquid substrate, movement of the catalyst granules within the substrate, and chemical transformations (cracking) of hexadecane. High pyrolysis selectivity relative to α-olefins was found on various catalysts such as magnetic microspheres (coal combustion ash), Al₂O₃/Al, and Pd/KTP (glass fiber). This behavior may be attributed to tempering of the primary products in the bulk of the liquid reagent. Furthermore, MW pyrolysis on magnetic microspheres was found to be accompanied by formation of rather thick carbon microfibers with diameter 300–500 nm.     

Study of the clay effect on crude oil combustion by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry

Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the effect of sand, silica and kaolinite on crude oil combustion. Three distinct regions, namely distillation and two combustion/cracking regions were observed on all TG curves. Thermogravimetric curves were analyzed using an Arrhenius-type kinetic model and a ratio method to obtain kinetic parameters. Activation energy and reaction order were obtained from this analysis. The reaction order seemed to be insensitive to the presence of granular materials. However, a significant reduction of activation energy was caused by addition of kaolinite to the crude oil, indicating that the kaolinite had a catalytic and surface area effect on crude oil combustion/cracking reactions.     

Thermal degradation and evolved gas analysis: A polymeric blend of urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin

A polymeric blend has been prepared using urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin in 1:1 mass ratio. The thermal degradation of UF/epoxy resin blend (UFE) was investigated by using thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), coupled with FTIR and MS. The results of TGA revealed that the pyrolysis process can be divided into three stages: drying process, fast thermal decomposition and cracking of the sample. There were no solid products except ash content for UFE during combustion at high temperature. The total mass loss during pyrolysis at 775 °C is found to be 97.32%, while 54.14% of the original mass was lost in the second stage between 225 °C and 400 °C. It is observed that the activation energy of the second stage degradation during combustion (6.23 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹) is more than that of pyrolysis (5.89 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹). The emissions of CO₂, CO, H₂O, HCN, HNCO, and NH₃ are identified during thermal degradation of UFE.     

DSC and Rheometry Investigations of Crude Oils

Thermal characteristics and rheological behaviour of eight crude oils covered a wide range of fluid composition and properties were studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and viscometry. Wax appearance temperatures (WAT) of crude oils were determined by DSC and viscometry. Good agreement is obtained between the results. The dynamic viscosity in the Newtonian temperature range of the crude oils (above 30°C) generally obeyed a simple first-order Arrhenius type of temperature dependence. Activation energies of flow in the non-Newtonian range are not uniquely defined. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal behaviour and slow molecular mobility in two isomers of biphenylmethanol

This research was aimed to investigate the role of clay on the combustion and kinetic behavior of crude oils in limestone matrix. For this purpose, simultaneous TG (thermogravimetry) and DTA (differential thermal analysis) experiments were performed at three different heating rates as 10–15 and 20°C min^–1, respectively. A uniform trend of decreasing activation energies was observed with the addition of clay. It was concluded that clays surface area affects the values of Arrhenius constant, while it is the catalytic properties of clay, which lower the activation energies of all the reactions, involved in the combustion process.     

Gas-phase thermolysis of sulfur compounds. Part IV. n-propyl allyl sulfide

The pyrolysis of n-propyl allyl sulfide has been studied in static and stirred-flow systems at temperatures between 270 and 400°C. Propene and 2,4,6-triethyl-1,3,5-trithiane were the only reaction products. The order of the reaction was 0.99 ± 0.05 at 377°C. The first-order rate coefficients followed the Arrhenius equation The rate coefficients and the product distribution remained unchanged when cyclohexene was used as carrier gas. A molecular mechanism involving a six-centered cyclic transition state is proposed to explain the present results. This mechanism is further supported by the pyrolysis of 4-thia-5-dideutero-1-heptene at 377°C, where only 3-deuteropropene is formed. The kinetic deuterium isotope effect had a value of 2.6 ± 0.3 at this temperature. The results are compared with those obtained in the pyrolysis of n-butyl allyl sulfide previously reported.     

Removal of Oil Spills from Salty Waters by Commercial Organoclays

In this study two commercial organoclays, Cloisite 15A and Cloisite 30B, were used to investigate their potential for removing of light and heavy crude oils from salty waters. The results of batch kinetic studies indicated that the equilibrium time can be reached within 25–30 minutes of contact time. In addition experiments were performed to determine the effect of salinity, temperature, pH and mixing time on the adsorption process. The adsorption isotherms were obtained for the crude oils at equilibrium, at an optimum pH value of 11.73 and temperature of 19°C for which the initial oil contents varied in the range of 100 to 2000 ppm. Experimental results showed that oil sorption onto these organoclays can be described by Freundlich isotherm. Further, it was found that the oil removal efficiency for Cloisite 30B is higher than that of Cloisite 15A and the greater sorption was observed for Gachsaran crude oil onto the organoclays over Soroosh crude oil.