Method of Characterizing Chemical Composition Of Crude Oil For Petroleum Processing

• US 20130185044A1
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspentech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aspen Technology (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Chen, Chau-Chyun, Que, HuiLing
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2823 Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2829 Mixtures of fuels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/20 Identification of molecular entities, parts thereof or of chemical compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/30 Prediction of properties of chemical compounds, compositions or mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A computer method of characterizing chemical composition of crude oil and crude oil blends, includes determining respective segment type and segment number range of selected classes of hydrocarbon constituent molecules based on physical and chemical property data on each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules and on crude oil physical and chemical property data. The method determines relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules that forms a chemical composition representative of the subject crude oil, and therefrom characterizes chemical composition of the subject crude oil. The method/system displays to an end-user, the characterized chemical composition of the subject crude oil. Based on the identified distribution functions and the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, the method estimates chemical composition of the crude oil. Estimates of physical and chemical properties of the crude oil are then based on the estimated chemical composition.

Claims

1. A method of characterizing chemical composition of crude oil comprising:

given a crude oil having certain crude oil characterization data, in a processor;

i) determining respective segment type and segment number range of classes of hydrocarbon constituent molecules based on physical and chemical property data on each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules and on crude oil physical and chemical property data; and

ii) based on the certain crude oil characterization data, determining relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules that forms a chemical composition representative of the given crude oil, such that the chemical composition of the given crude oil is characterized; and

displaying, as output to an end-user, the characterized chemical composition of the given crude oil.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the segment type includes methyl segment, zero-branch methylene segment, one-branch methylene segment, two-branch methylene segment, cyclohexane segment, cyclohexane side ring segment, cyclopentane segment, cyclopentane side ring segment, aromatic segment, and aromatic side ring segment, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining segment type and segment number range is not by use of homologous series.

4. The method of claim 1, further including for each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, estimating physical and chemical property values as a function of segment type and segment number range.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the segment type and the segment number range includes:

for each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, identifying a probability distribution function for the segment type and the segment number range that defines the class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, including identifying scale and shape parameters of the probability distribution function.

6. The method of claim 5, further including, based on the identified probability distribution functions and the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, estimating chemical composition of the given crude oil, and estimating physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil based on the estimated chemical composition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimated physical properties of the given crude oil include any one of boiling point, density, and viscosity, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimated chemical properties of the given crude oil include any one of paraffin content, naphthene content, aromatic content, carbon content, hydrogen content, C/H ratio, asphaltene content, carbon residue, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and total acid number, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes matching the estimated physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil against the certain crude oil characterization data in order to determine the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules in the given crude oil.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the classes of hydrocarbon constituent molecules include paraffins, naphthenes, and aromatic hydrocarbon constituent molecules.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical property data on the hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes any one of vapor pressure, density, and viscosity, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical property data on the hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes any one of carbon content, hydrogen content, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and oxygen content, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain crude oil characterization data includes any one of boiling point, density, and viscosity, or any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the certain crude oil characterization data further includes any one of paraffin content, naphthene content, aromatic content, carbon content, hydrogen content, C/H ratio, asphaltene content, carbon residue, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and total acid number, or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using in a computer the characterized chemical composition of the given crude oil, predicting physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in a computer, using the characterized chemical composition and/or predicted physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil to plan, schedule, simulate, design, optimize, and/or control petroleum refining operations.

17. A method of blending crude oil, comprising the steps of:

for each of two or more crude oil samples to form a blend, characterizing each of the crude oil samples by chemical composition and predicted physical and chemical properties, said characterizing resulting in respective characterizations of the two or more crude oil samples;

based on said characterizations, determining respective ratios of the two or more crude oil samples, such that a resulting blend using the respective ratios of the sample crude oils has certain chemical composition and predicted physical and chemical properties; and

forming the blend using amounts of the two or more sample crude oils in the determined respective ratios,

wherein the step of characterizing each of the crude oil samples is by;

for each crude oil sample as a given crude oil having certain crude oil characterization data, and in a processor, for the given crude oil;

i) determining respective segment type and segment number range of classes of hydrocarbon constituent molecules based on physical and chemical property data on each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules and on crude oil physical and chemical property data; and

ii) based on the certain crude oil characterization data, determining relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules that forms a chemical composition representative of the given crude oil, such that the chemical composition of the given crude oil is characterized; and

iii) using the characterized chemical composition of the given crude oil, predicting physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the segment type includes methyl segment, zero-branch methylene segment, one-branch methylene segment, two-branch methylene segment, cyclohexane segment, cyclohexane side ring segment, cyclopentane segment, cyclopentane side ring segment, aromatic segment, and aromatic side ring segment, or any combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining segment type and segment number range is not by use of homologous series.

20. The method of claim 17, further including for each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, estimating physical and chemical property values as a function of segment type and segment number range.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the segment type and the segment number range includes:

for each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, identifying a probability distribution function for the segment type and the segment number range that defines the class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, including identifying scale and shape parameters of the probability distribution function.

22. The method of claim 21, further including, based on the identified probability distribution functions and the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules, estimating chemical composition of the given crude oil, and estimating physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil based on the estimated chemical composition.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the estimated physical properties of the given crude oil include any one of boiling point, density, and viscosity, or any combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the estimated chemical properties of the given crude oil include any one of paraffin content, naphthene content, aromatic content, carbon content, hydrogen content, C/H ratio, asphaltene content, carbon residue, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and total acid number, or any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes matching the estimated physical and chemical properties of the given crude oil against the certain crude oil characterization data in order to determine the relative ratio of each class of hydrocarbon constituent molecules in the given crude oil.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the classes of hydrocarbon constituent molecules include paraffins, naphthenes, and aromatic hydrocarbon constituent molecules.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the physical property data on the hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes any one of vapor pressure, density, and viscosity, or any combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the chemical property data on the hydrocarbon constituent molecules includes any one of carbon content, hydrogen content, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and oxygen content, or any combination thereof.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the certain crude oil characterization data includes any one of boiling point, density, viscosity, paraffin content, naphthene content, aromatic content, carbon content, hydrogen content, C/H ratio, asphaltene content, carbon residue, sulfur content, nitrogen content, and total acid number, or any combination thereof.