Abstract
Considering the increase on demand of fossil fuels and the environmental restrictions, around the world, researchers have studied topics from the quality of crudes, process upgrade, up to possible applications of heavy fractions produced in the distillation unit to maximize the refining margin. One challenge currently found in oil refineries is the unavoidable mixture (or blends) of several different crudes or intermediates in the stockpiling, transfer and processing, what may decrease the accuracy of the properties estimation, impacting negatively the control of the refining process. Additionally, the price of oils or petroleum fractions is directly related to their properties such as specific gravity and the percentage of each organic compound in their composition. Therefore, this paper offers a reliable methodology to determine the properties of fuels and their blends, when compared with other options. Using distillation equipment with and without reduced pressure, based on the standards ASTM D2892 and ASTM D5236, respectively, as well as simulated distillations at high temperatures (SimDis-HT), it was possible to obtain true boiling point curves (TBP), density (?), and the kinematic viscosity (µ) of diesel, kerosene, and their blends. Finally, this work parallels the results obtained from each method with the National Agency of Oil (ANP) standards from Brazil to ensure the viability in each study.
