| Abstract: |
We have recently introduced several important improvements in the measurement of distillation curves for complex fluids. The modifications to the classical measurement provide for (1) a composition explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative and quantitative analysis), (2) temperature measurements that are true thermodynamic state points, (3) consistency with a century of historical data, (4) an assessment of the energy content of each distillate fraction, (5) trace chemical analysis of each distillate fraction and (6) corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. The composition explicit channel is achieved with a new sampling approach that allows precise qualitative as well as quantitative analyses of each fraction, on the fly. We have applied the new method to the measurement of rocket propellant, gasoline and jet fuels. In this paper we present the application of the technique to representative batches of diesel fuel and mixtures of diesel fuel with some of the more promising oxygenating agents; namely, the glycol ethers: tri(propylene glycol) methyl ether (TPM), dibutyl maleate (DBM) and a 80/20 (vol/vol) mixture of diethylene glycol methyl ether (DGME), + 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) a mixture often referred to as Cetaner. We present not only the distillation curves but also a chemical characterization of each fraction, and discuss the contrasts between the various mixtures. |
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