Persistent Free Radicals in Petroleum

Abstract

The persistent free radical content in petroleum is of the order 1018 spins/g (1 μmol/g), with higher and lower values found depending on origin and in different distillation fractions. The field of persistent free radicals in petroleum was reviewed with the aim of addressing and explaining apparent inconsistencies between free radical persistence and reactivity. The macroscopic average free radical concentration in petroleum is persistent over geological time, but individual free radical species in petroleum are short-lived and reactive. The persistent free radical concentration in petroleum can be explained in terms of a dynamic reaction equilibrium of free radical dissociation and association that causes a finite number of species at any given time to be present as free radicals. Evidence to support this description are observed changes in free radical concentration related to change in Gibbs free energy when the bulk liquid properties are changed and responsiveness of free radical concentration to dynamic changes in temperature. Cage effects, solvent effects, steric protection, and radical stabilization affect free radical reaction rate but do not explain the persistent free radical concentration in petroleum. The difference between persistent free radicals in straight-run petroleum and converted petroleum is that straight-run petroleum is an equilibrated mixture, but converted petroleum is not at equilibrium and the free radical concentration can change over time. Based on the limited data available, free radicals in straight-run petroleum appear to be part of the compositional continuum proposed by Altgelt and Boduszynski. Persistent free radical species are partitioned during solvent classification of whole oil, with the asphaltenes (n-alkane insoluble) fraction having a higher concentration of persistent free radicals than maltenes (n-alkane soluble) fraction. Attempts to relate persistent free radical concentration to petroleum composition were inconclusive.