Physicochemical Properties and Performance Characteristics of Naphthenoaromatic Jet and Diesel Fuels Obtained by Hydrotreating of Highly Aromatic Fractions

Abstract

The composition and physicochemical and chemmotological properties of jet and diesel fuels obtained by hydrogen treatment of highly aromatic fractions—light cycle oil, pyrolysis tar, and coal tar—are considered in comparison with fuels obtained by hydrotreating of straight-run petroleum fractions. The influence of the hydrocarbon composition on the density, calorific value, viscosity, pour point, smoke point, cetane number, compatibility with elastomers, sooting tendency, combustion stability, and CO and NO_x emissions of fuels are also considered. The interrelation of the composition of hydrocarbons and heteroatomic compounds of naphthenic jet fuels with thermo-oxidative and thermal stability has been analyzed in detail, and differences between the fuels in stability depending on the feedstock and hydrogenation depth have been shown. The usefulness of naphthenoaromatic distillates as additives that enhance both the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of petroleum jet fuels is pointed out. Promising fields of research have been defined, including selective hydrogenation to produce certain stereoisomers; a targeted approach to feedstock compounding; and optimization of fuel composition to obtain desired characteristics using modern analytical techniques, such as GC × GC, HPLC, GC–MS, GC/TOF-MS, and ESI-MS.