Structural features of Athabasca bitumen related to upgrading performance

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Fuel Science and Technology International; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/08843759108942265· OSTI ID:6022692

Strausz, O P; Lown, E M ^[1]

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1. Dept. of Chemistry, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2 (CA)

Using a combination of instrumental and chemical methods, many new classes of compounds appearing as homologous series have been detected in Athabasca oil sand bitumen and in the chemical and thermal degradative products of asphaltene and the heavy ends of maltene. In general, the volatile portion of the maltene is rich in cyclic terpenoid structures and devoid in aliphatic compounds or normal alkane-derived cyclic molecules while the asphaltene fraction and heavy ends of maltene are abundant in normal alkyl-substituted aromatics, thianes, thiolanes, thiophenes, benzo- and dibenzothiophenes. This paper reports that Ru(VIII)-catalyzed oxidation permitted the quantitative estimation of the n-alkyl groups attached to aromatic carbons and of n-alkyl bridges between two aromatic units and their concentration distribution according to chain length. It also showed the presence of a large naphthenic core containing cyclic sulfides, which, during oxidation, were converted to their sulfones.

• OSTI ID: 6022692
• Journal Information: Fuel Science and Technology International; (USA), Journal Name: Fuel Science and Technology International; (USA) Vol. 9:3; ISSN FSCTE; ISSN 0884-3759
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040500* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Properties & Composition
ASPHALTENES
ASPHALTS
ATHABASCA DEPOSIT
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MATERIALS
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
OIL SAND DEPOSITS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
TAR