Non-Traditional Characterization of Petroleum Mixtures in Terms of Selected Components

Abstract

A non-traditional method of characterization of petroleum mixtures in terms of selected real components is described which stems from the results of the mixture analysis and from some of distillation curves - best of all, EFV curve. On the basis of mathematical modelling of the process of obtaining the EFV curve, it is possible to find the composition of a substitute mixture consisting of a lower number of real components of the original mixture. This substitute mixture exhibits very similar vapour-liquid equilibrium behaviour as the original multicomponent mixture, which makes it possible to simplify the calculation of, e.g., a rectification column. At the same time, the need disappears of estimating the thermodynamic data of single mixture components on the basis of empirical relations subject usually to considerable errors so as it is with the commonly employed method of pseudocomponents.