主权项 |
1. A method of characterizing a distillate boiling range sample, comprising:
determining a breakpoint for a first sample of a distillate fraction, the distillate fraction having an initial boiling point of at least about 284° F. (140° C.) and a final boiling point of about 572° F. (300° C.) or less, the determined breakpoint being greater than about 265° C., at least a portion of the distillate fraction being derived from a pre-refined crude oil, a cracked fraction, or a combination thereof; heating a second sample of the distillate fraction in a vessel of a quartz crystal microbalance apparatus to an aging temperature for an aging period, the quartz crystal microbalance apparatus comprising a quartz crystal, the quartz crystal being disposed in the second sample during the heating; measuring a baseline frequency and an aged frequency of the quartz crystal, the aged frequency being measured after maintaining the second sample of the distillate fraction at the aging temperature for an aging period, the baseline frequency being measured prior to maintaining the second sample of the distillate fraction at the aging temperature for the aging period, a difference between the baseline frequency and the aged frequency for the second sample being greater than or equal to a threshold frequency difference value; hydrotreating or chemical treating a third sample of the distillate fraction under effective treating conditions to form a treated third sample of the distillate fraction; heating at least a portion of the treated third sample of the distillate fraction in a vessel of a quartz crystal microbalance apparatus to the aging temperature for the aging period, the quartz crystal microbalance comprising a quartz crystal, the quartz crystal being disposed in the at least a portion of the treated third sample during the heating; and measuring a baseline frequency and an aged frequency for the at least a portion of the treated third sample of the distillate fraction using a quartz crystal microbalance apparatus, the aged frequency being measured after maintaining the treated third sample of the distillate fraction at the aging temperature for the aging period, a difference between the baseline frequency and the aged frequency for the at least a portion of the treated third sample being less than the threshold frequency difference value. |