Abstract
A bench technique for n-paraffin extraction using a molecular sieve, type 5A, is described. The comparative performances of molecular sieve and urea adduction techniques, with respect to the ranges and quantitative yields of n-paraffins extracted from two well-head crudes, coded Yorla 9L and Ughelli East, both native to Nigeria, were studied. Urea showed some advantage in the span of n-paraffins (n-C7 to n-C46) extracted over molecular sieves n-C9 to n-C42 when whole crudes were considered. Investigation into the regeneration potential of the host for experimental reuse showed that up to 0.84 ± 0.05 wt% urea could be lost per adduction-recrystallization cycle; while carefully programmed ramped heating to 500 °C was necessary to regenerate the spent molecular sieve with losses of only 0.36 ± 0.04 wt%.
Fuel 05/1994; 73(5):779-782. DOI:10.1016/0016-2361(94)90024-8