Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2009, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (6): 372-378.

• Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

 Compositional characteristics and geochemical significance of nalkanes in process of crude oil cracking.

 TANG Xiao-Jiang, HUANG Guang-Hui, ZHANG Min, HAN Jin-Beng, LI Bi   

  1. Key Laboratory of Oil & Gas Resources and Exploration Technology, Ministry of Education; Department of Geochemistry, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China
  • Received:2009-06-12 Revised:2009-09-17 Online:2009-12-16 Published:2009-12-10

Abstract:

 The simulation experiments with crude oil samples have been performed in laboratory by using high temperature simulative techniques, and the characteristics of change of compositions have also been analyzed by geochemical methods in the cracking process. The results indicate that before a large number of gaseous hydrocarbon being generated by cracking of crude oil, the nalkanes of high molecular weight from crude oil has already begun to be pyrolyzed, and C+15  hydrocarbon mainly cracked into C6C14. With increasing maturity, C6C14 is further transformed into C1C5, accompanied by the output of benzene, ultimately forming methane and cracking bitumen. In the pyrolysis of nalkanes process, abundance of benzene and its homologue show significantly increasing, which can be used as potential distinguishing marks of crude oil cracking. Besides, comparative simulation experiments on nhexadecane have been performed in laboratory by the same experimental condition, and it shows that the characteristics of change of compositions are basically the same as that of nalkanes in crude oil.

Key words: oil cracking;simulation experiment;nalkanes;nhexadecane;benzene series