Nature and Composition of Crude Oil
ByLance Williams
Posted Date: Friday, December 22, 2006 | Viewed: 518
Crude oils are often classified into asphalt-base, paraffin-base, and mixed-base, depending on whether they contain asphalt, wax, or a mixture of both in the distillation residue. They are also referred to as crude oils of Coastal, Pennsylvania, and Mid-Continent types, respectively.
The refiner often classifies crude oils into nonlubricating and lubricating-oil crudes. AU crude oils can be converted into fuels, but not all of them are satisfactory for lubricating-oil production. Paraffin-base and mixed-base crudes of lubricating-oil types are usually satisfactory for manufacturing lubricating oils which change comparatively little in viscosity with changes in temperature. Asphalt-base oils show the greatest change in viscosity with temperature changes. However, this differentiation among the types of crude oils used in the manufacture of various products is not rigid. Whatever the type, the nature of the products depends materially on the processing methods used in the refinery. Mixtures of crudes are sometimes used to produce products of improved performance characteristics.
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