Characterization of KendexRTM 0834 (heavy resins) & KendexRTM 0897 (light resins)

Characterization of crude oil and some of its refined products has always been a challenge in the refining industry. This is mainly due to the high molecular complexity of crude oil. In this research, Heavy and Light Resins extracted from Penn Grade crude oil were analyzed with a wide variety of techniques, ranging from X-Ray Diffraction, Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transformed Infrared, C-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and chromatographic methods. An asphaltene extraction protocol was performed on both products. Only the Heavy Resin sample yielded a low amount of asphaltene. Results show that both Resins have a high degree of carbon branching, very little aromatic compounds and low concentration of heteroatoms such as N, S and O. X-Ray analysis shows the presence of different types of metals, mainly iron, in solution in the form of particles. These particles were observed under a High Resolution Electron Microscope and a thermodynamic analysis was performed on the asphaltene extracted.