METHOD FOR THE DIRECT DETERMINATION OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS

Abstract: The properties of a liquid hydrocarbon blend are determined from the NIR (Near Infra Red) spectrum of the components of the blend by a method which comprises the following steps: (a) determining with an IR spectrometer, the absorbance at a certain number of frequencies in the spectral range 16667 to 3840 cm⁻¹, preferably 12500 to 3840 cm⁻¹ most preferably 4760 to 4000 cm⁻¹ for the components or arbitrary mixtures, starting from a defined base line, preferably corresponding to zero absorbance, (b) determining for each component I and each property J, a spectral mixture index SMI J I by applying a correlation with the measured absorbance values, this correlation with the measured absorbance values, this correlation being determined experimentally by multivariate regression, depending on the type of spectrometer used, the property desired, and the frequencies used. (c) calculating the desired property sought, by applying a linear expression, J = f a S m I J a + f b SMI J c ... + f o SMI J o each term of which is the product of the spectral mixture index of a component of the desired property and the fraction by volume of the component in the final blend.

Description: This invention relates to a method for the determination of physical properties of hydrocarbon products, particularly non-additive properties of blends of petroleum fractions, by carrying out NIR (near infra-red) spectroscopic analyses of the components of the blend and correlating these with the physical properties of the blend. Callis et al, Analytical Chemistry, vol 59, no. 9, pp 624A-636A (May 1987) mention the possibility of determining the octane rating of an unleaded gasoline by NIR spectroscopy and point out, in this particular case, the existence of a connection between other properties of the products and the NIR spectra of the products. However, when a product is produced by blending various components, which are often themselves mixtures, major problems are encountered in predicting the properties of the final blend. This arises from the fact that several properties do not follow the linear law of mixtures obeyed by the majority. For example, in gasolines, octane numbers do not obey the linear law; in diesel oils, cloud point, flash point, pour point, cetane index, filterability etc, do not obey; and in fuel oils, viscosity, density etc, do not obey. Blend tables have been drawn up, but this is a lengthy and laborious procedure in which it is difficult, if not impossible, to cover all possible combinations. In practice, formulating such blends is associated with the problem of controlling the properties of the final blend, which usually must meet stringent specifications, because of the variability of the components of the blend. This applies particularly when the components originate from oil refinery processing units. WO 84/04594 discloses a method by which a multi-component substance may be characterised by a series of infrared measurements made on the final product. FR-A-2 449 881 discloses an infra-red analyser for making measurements on a sample to determine the properties of that sample. US-A-3 896 312 discloses a method for comparing the infra-red spectrum of an unidentified oil sample to the infra-red spectrum of a plurality of identified oil samples. Journal of Applied Physics, vol 18 (1947), pp.960-967 discloses a method for analysing octane mixtures by use of an infra-red spectra obtained from the mixture. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the above disadvantages and in particular to render unnecessary the use of blend tables by providing a method which enables the properties of a simple or complex mixture to be predicted by determinations carried out solely on the components of the blend. Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a method for the determination of physical properties of a liquid hydrocarbon blend which method comprises the following steps:- (a) determining with an IR spectrometer, the absorbance at a certain number of frequencies in the spectral range 16667 to 3840 cm⁻¹ (600 to 2,600 nm = 0.6 to 2.6 micron), preferably 12500 to 3840 cm⁻¹, (800 to 2,600 nm = 0.8 to 2.6 micron), most preferably 4760 to 4000 cm⁻¹ ( 2,100 to 2,500 nm = 2.1 to 2.5 micron) for the components or arbitrary mixtures, starting from a defined base line, preferably corresponding to zero absorbance, (b) determining for each component I and each property J, a spectral mixture index SMI J I by applying a correlation with the measured absorbance values, this correlation being determined experimentally by multivariate regression, depending on the type of spectrometer used, the property desired, and the frequencies used, (c) calculating the desired property sought, by applying a linear expression, J = f a SMI J a + f b SMI J b + f c .SMI J c ... + f o SMI J o (1) each term of which is the product of the spectral mixture index of a component of the desired property and the fraction by volume of the component in the final blend. The equations are initially derived by taking samples of a blend of known properties, eg gasolines of known octane number, determining the spectra of the components of the blend and then applying the mathematical treatment to derive the equations. In the training mode the spectra of the components are known, the desired property of the final product is known and the mathematical treatment is used to derive best-fit equations. Subsequently, in the predictive mode, the spectra of the components are known, the equations have been derived and the mathematical treatment is then used to determine the desired property of the product. The SMI of a component can be determined directly from absorbance values obtained for this component alone by applying the correlation mentioned above. However, the SMI of a component is preferably determined in an arbitrary mixture of a fraction of this component in a matrix by obtaining the near IR spectra of the matrix and of this mixture respectively, calculating the theoretical absorbance at each of the frequencies chosen, by applying a linear formula as a function of the absorbances of the matrix and the mixture at the same frequency, and calculating the SMI J of this component by applying the above correlation to the theoretical absorbances of the component. If necessary, the correlative expression above contains linear, quadratic and homographic (i.e. ratio) terms. The frequencies used are preferably chosen from the following 16:- 4670 cm⁻¹ 4640 cm⁻¹ 4615 cm⁻¹ 4585 cm⁻¹ 4485 cm⁻¹ 4405 cm⁻¹ 4385 cm⁻¹ 4332 cm⁻¹ 4305 cm⁻¹ 4260 cm⁻¹ 4210 cm⁻¹ 4170 cm⁻¹ 4135 cm⁻¹ 4100 cm⁻¹ 4060 cm⁻¹ 4040 cm⁻¹ The corresponding frequency expressed in statutory units (Hz) are obtained by multiplying these values by 3 x 10¹⁰ - the velocity of light in cm/s. The spectrometer may be linked to a signal processing device to permit numerical treatment of the spectrum, preferably by Fourier transformation. The spectrometer suitably has a resolution power of 4cm⁻¹. Using the classic method, the absorbance, i.e. the logarithm of the attenuation ratio between the incident ray and the ray after passing through the product, is determined for each frequency. This choice is neither exhaustive nor exclusive. The choice of other frequencies will not alter the method but will require the use of other coefficients in the models enabling the calculation of the desired properties from these spectra. The time taken for analysis and processing of the data is less than 1 minute. The base line (regarded as corresponding to zero absorbance) is suitably taken at 4780 cm⁻¹. The blending equipment may be computer controlled by a feed-back control system for altering blending conditions in response to variations in the property of the product from the desired value, from the determination of the NIR spectra of the components. The spectrometer used gives the absorbance measurements for the frequencies selected, and the values sought are obtained directly by multivariate regression. Suitable products, the properties of which are to be determined, include motor spirit, diesel oil and fuel oil. In the case of a motor spirit, the desired properties may include the research octane number (RON), the motor octane number (MON), clear or leaded, at different tetraethyl lead or tetramethyl lead contents, the density, the vapour pressure and distillation characteristics. In this case the preferred frequencies may be reduced to seven, and are:- 4670 cm⁻¹ 4485 cm⁻¹ 4332 cm⁻¹ 4305 cm⁻¹ 4210 cm⁻¹ 4100 cm⁻¹ 4060 cm⁻¹ In the case of a diesel oil, the properties may include cloud point, pour point, filterability, cetane index, distillation properties, flash point and viscosity. The diesel oil may be of the type used for automotive or marine diesel engines, speciality gas oils, heating oils, fuel oils for low capacity boilers, etc. The oil which is the final product may be formulated from multiple hydrocarbon-containing basestocks selected from the following non-exhaustive list: naphtha, gasoline and gas oil. These components may be obtained from atmospheric or vacuum distillation units, from hydrocrackers or hydrotreatment units or from thermal or catalytic crackers. Additives may also be added, e.g. nitrates for improving the cetane index. In the case of a fuel oil, the properties may be density, viscosity, thermal stability, distillation properties, flash point, etc. Again, the final product may be formulated from multiple hydrocarbon-containing basestocks. These may include atmospheric or vacuum distillation residues, visbreaker residues, catalytic cracker or steam cracker residues and gas oils. To obtain the required property of the product P, a spectral analysis of the mixture can be carried out, i.e. the absorbance values or optical densities D i , corresponding to the frequencies F i can be measured, and the property required J can then be calculated using an expression of the following type:- in which a constant C, linear terms p, quadratic terms q and homographic terms r, respectively, can be used. The presence of quadratic and homographic terms enables better account to be taken of the synergies of the mixtures which, in the case of non-additive properties, are normal and which explain the non-application of the linear law of mixtures. These quadratic and homographic terms may or may not be used depending on the level of precision required. In addition, the invention is intended not only for determining the properties of a blended products but to predict them from the components, by determining the corresponding spectral mixture indices SMI of the components of the blend. In the case of a hydrocarbon component A, B or C, forming part of the mixture, the spectrum of the component alone can be obtained either by a line by line measurement provided for this component in the mixture M, or by a standardisation measurement of this spectrum if this component is a well defined and constant product. The spectral mixture index is then obtained for the property J of the product A - SMI J A - by applying formula (2) above with the absorbances D i of the spectrum of A. According to a preferred embodiment, the spectrum of a component A is preferably obtained by carrying out spectral measurements not on the pure product A but on an arbitrary mixture containing a fraction f, by volume, of A in a complementary fraction l-f, by volume, of a matrix S, where f is between 0 and 1, preferably between 0.1 and 0.5. The spectrum of the matrix S is then determined, in which S itself can be a mixture and which enables the determination of the absorbances D im at the frequencies F i selected, and also the spectrum of the previous arbitrary mixture which enables the corresponding absorbances D im at the frequencies F i selected, to be determined. For each frequency F i , a theoretical absorbance for the mixture D ia is calculated using the following expression: Equation (2) is then applied to the values D im thus obtained, in order to obtain the spectral mixture index SMI of the ingredient A in the matrix S. In the case of an oxygen containing additive, e.g. tertiary butyl alcohol, methyl tertiary butyl ether, methanol, or other alcohols, esters, ketones, phenols etc, the latter procedure is preferably used with a volume fraction of oxygenate between 0.02 and 0.15. In the case of a nitrogen containing additive of the nitrate type, this last method is preferably used with an additive fraction between 0.02 and 0.15 by volume. Once the spectral mixture index SMI J I is obtained for each of the properties J of the ingredients I of a mixture, the properties of a new mixture can be determined by the simple application of a linear mixture law applied to these SMI J I values. For example, if a given motor spirit blend M of octane no. ON is to be altered by adding components A and B, whose respective volume fractions are defined as F a and F b respectively, the octane number ON′ of the new blend M′ thus obtained is expressed, as a function of the octane number ON of M, by the following formula: ON' = ON.(l - f a - f b ...) + f a SMI a + f b SMI b The fractions f may lie between 0 and 1, and preferably between 0 and 0.5. If, on the other hand, a blend M is to be created from fractions f a of A, f b of B, f c of C ..., f o of O, the octane number of the blend is obtained by the following formula: ON = f a .SMI a + f b .SMI b + f c .SMI c ... + f o .SMI o the fractions again lying between 0 and 1, and preferably between 0 and 0.5. Alternatively, if it is required to modify the cloud point of a given gas oil mixture M by adding components such as A and B whose fractions by volume, respectively F a and F b , are defined, the cloud point CP′ of the new mixture M′ thus obtained is expressed, as a function of the cloud point CP of M, by the following formula: CP' = CP (l-F a -f b ...) + f a SMI PT a + f b SMI PT b (4) The fractions f may be between 0 and 1, preferably between 0 and 0.5. In the reverse case where it is required to make up a mixture M from fractions f a of A, f b of B, f c of C ... f o of O, the cloud point of the mixture is obtained from the following formula: CP = f a .SMI PT a + f b .SMI PT b + f c .SMI PT c ... + f o .SMI PT o (5) the fractions this time being between 0 and 1, preferably between 0 and 0.5. The above method, used for the cloud point, can be used for other properties used in the formulation and characterisation of gas oils. As a further example, if it is required to modify the viscosity at 100°C of a given mixture M by adding components such as A and B whose fractions by volume, respectively F a and F b , are defined, the viscosity at 100°C V100′ of the new mixture M′ thus obtained is expressed, as a function of the viscosity V100 of M, by the following formula: V100′ = V100(l-F a -f b ...) + f a SMI V100 a + f b SMI V100 b The fractions f may be between 0 and 1, preferably between 0 and 0.5. In the reverse case where it is required to make up a mixture M from fractions f a of A, f b of B, f c of C ... f o of O, the viscosity of the mixture is obtained from the following formula: V100 = f a .SMI a + f b .SMI b + f c .SMI c ... + f o .SMI o the fractions this time being between 0 and 1, preferably between 0 and 0.5. The above method, used for viscosity, can be used for other properties, notably for the properties used for assessing the stability of the fuel: PSR: solvent power of the residue corresponds to the ability of the residue R to keep its asphaltenes in solution. PSFF solvent power of the flux F which defines the peptisation capacity of the flux vis-a-vis the asphaltenes. CR: precipitation capacity of the asphaltenes of the residue R which can be defined in terms of initial precipitation capacity or precipitation capacity on storage. The stability of the blended fuel is defined by: where: f Ri , f Ri are the respective proportions of each of the ingredients, these being residues (R i ) or fluxes (F i ). IPSR i , IPSF j and ICR i , represent the spectral mixture index for the solvent power of the residue, the solvent power of the flux, and the precipitation capacity of the asphaltenes respectively, for the compounds i and j. The fuel is stable if S is greater than O. The method can be put on-line and in real time by a process computer from sensors analysing in the NIR the spectra obtained from components which may originate from various sources. It is then possible to optimise the hydrocarbon mixture in real time. It is possible, by a feedback control system on the unit providing each component, to affect the level of the desired property of this component, determined in real time, by analysis in the NIR, on-line, and calculating it by the computer by the method according to the invention. In a computer assisted blending process, the NIR spectrum of the batches included in thus determined in real time, and is treated as an information vector continuously qualifying the potential properties of the feeds used in the mixing operation. The content of the NIR spectrum and the experimental accuracy deriving from the spectral information by fast Fourier transformation ensure that this information is reliable and relevant with respect to the operations involved in blending. The NIR spectrum is thus a numerical indication of the suitability of the products for blending operations. For carrying out a method for the determination of the physical properties of a hydrocarbon blend according to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising an infra red spectrometer linked to a computer programmed in such manner that the property may be determined continuously and in real time. The apparatus may comprise a feedback control system, for computer control of the blending equipment in response to variations of the property from the desired value, from the determination of the NIR spectrum of the components of the blend. On-line analysis may use fibre optics as a means for transmitting light signals or may involve physical transference of a sample to the cell of the spectrometer. In the following Examples it is shown that the variations in quality of the mixture formed can be correlated, by means of a numerical treatment, with the variations in the NIR spectra of the products. Example 1 - Alteration of the Octane Number of a given Blend to a Specification Imposed by Adding a Hydrocarbon Base The absorbancies measured are as follows:- Frequency Absorbance Blend M (premium) Component A (Hydrogenated Steam Cracking Gasoline) D₁ 4670 cm⁻¹ 0.0866 0.1455 D₂ 4485 0.08040 0.07590 D₃ 4332 0.75670 0.64380 D₄ 4100 0.36810 0.36130 D₅ 4060 0.55560 0.80420 D₆ 4305 0.6290 0.55240 D₇ 4210 0.36360 0.33350 RON 0·4 Experimental engine 98.9 100.3 The last line gives RON 0·4 which is the research octane number at 0.4% of tetraethyl lead measured experimentally by the engine method for M and A respectively. The octane number is calculated by means of the following formula derived from equation (2) and obtained using multivariate numerical analysis techniques applied to a set of blends M serving for prior calibration. RON 0·4 = 93.29 - 28.46 D₁ - 47.19 D₅D₆ + 42.78 D₃ - 60.64 D₄ + 60.40 D₅ - 52.05 D₇ (7) This formula applied to blend M gives the value of RON 0·4 = 99.0. The SMI of component A is also calculated by means of equation (7), and the result is: SMI₁ = 105.0. It will be noted that this value is higher than that of 100.3 in the preceding table, showing the bonus effect of A in a blend with M. Thus, by adding 20% volume of A to M, a calculated RON 0·4 is obtained for blend M′ = 0.2 A + 0.8 M of RON m' = 0.2 x 105 + 0.8 x 99 = 100.2, whereas experimentally the engine test gives 100.1. With a blend having 10% volume of A, the same calculation gives 99.6 in comparison to an engine measurement of 99.3. Example 2 - Production of a Motor Spirit Involving a Ternary Blend The absorbances are detected at the same frequencies as those in Example 1. Absorbance Blend M Component B (Gasoline) Component C (Fluidised Bed Catalytic Cracker Gasoline) FCC D₁ : 0.0866 0.0109 0.04770 D₂: 0.08040 0.03840 0.06950 D₃ : 0.75670 0.96970 0.8520 D₄ : 0.36810 0.58420 0.40180 D₅ : 0.55560 0.36920 0.55140 D₆ : 0.6290 0.6838 0.73460 D₇ : 0.3636 0.4959 0.44870 RON 0·4 engine 98.9 83.5 94.5 RON 0·4 engine 98.9 83.5 94.5 SMI 99.0 (Calculated by equation (7) in Example 1) 83.6 94.9 (no synergy in blend) (slight bonus effect) The ternary blend formed of: 70% volume M 15% volume B 15% volume C has an experimental engine RON 0·4 of RON 0·4 engine = 96.2, whereas the calculated value gives: RON calculated = 0.7 x 99 + 0.15 x 83.6 + 0.15 x 94.9 = 96.1. Here too, the agreement is satisfactory and the spectral method offers the possibility of calculating a complex blend without having to use blend tables, which are difficult to compile to cover all possible cases. This procedure is applicable whatever the number of components in the blend. Example 3 - A Blend Involving Methyl Tertbutyl Ether MTBE An arbitrary blend of 0.15 MTBE in o.85 matrix S (motor spirit) was produced. The absorbances for the matrix S and this particular blend respectively are shown in the first two columns of the table below: The absorbances are detected at the same frequencies as those in Example 1. Absorbance Motor Spirit S 0.85 S + 0.15 MTBE MTBE in blend D₁ : 0.06286 0.05343 0.0000 D₂ : 0.07794 0.07979 0.09027 D₃ : 0.80927 0.88224 1.29574 D₄ : 0.37732 0.38817 0.44965 D₅ : 0.53719 0.52851 0.47932 D₆ : 0.68849 0.65069 0.43649 D₇ : 0.40019 0.42958 0.59612 The third colum in the table corresponds to the theoretical spectra of MTBE in matrix S obtained by applying, for each of the seven frequencies, formula (3) above with f = 0.15. Thus, From the theoretical spectrum shown in the right hand column, calculated from formula (8), and by applying formula (7), the SMI of MTBE may be deduced in relation to matrix S. SMI MTBE = 110.1 It is then possible to calculate the various blends of S + MTBE or S + MTBE + X . Thus, 10% of MTBE combined with S give an octane number calculated according to the invention having the following values:- Blend S: RON engine = 97.1 RON calc. = 97.4 Blend of 10% MTBE in S: RON engine = 98.6 RON calc. = 0.1 x 110.1 + 0.9 x 97.4 = 98.67 Blend of 5% MTBE in S: RON engine = 97.9 RON calc. = 0.05 x 110.1 + 0.95 x 97.4 = 98.04 Example 4 - A Ternary Blend Containing an Oxygenate The procedure according to the invention is also capable of dealing with ternary blends involving an oxygenate. Thus, blend X, formed of: X = 0.7(S) + 0.1(MTBE) + 0.2(A) where component A is that of Example 1, was measured in the engine by two successive measurements which yielded research octane numbers of 99.9 and 100.2 respectively. The calculation using the procedure according to the invention gives: 0.7 x 97.1 + 0.1 x 110.1 + 0.2 x 105 = 99.98 which value lies between the two engine measurements. Example 5 - Formulating a Motor Spirit The procedure according to the invention is applied to produce a motor spirit from different hydrocarbon bases. In the example, four bases are used: B₁ = a fluidised bed catalytic cracker gasoline B₂ = a reformate B₃ = an atmospheric distillation gasoline B₄ = a steam cracker gasoline. The absorbency values obtained at the same frequencies as before are as follows: Absorbance B₁ B₂ B₃ B₄ D₁ 0.0475 0.0877 0.0109 0.1972 D₂ 0.0681 0.0488 0.0384 0.0682 D₃ 0.8471 0.7541 0.9697 0.5278 D₄ 0.3791 0.3614 0.5842 0.3252 D₅ 0.5360 0.5923 0.3692 0.8941 D₆ 0.7275 0.6238 0.6838 0.4736 D₇ 0.4327 0.3745 0.4958 0.2966 RON 0·4 95.3 98.8 83.5 101.4 SMI 96.6 100 83.6 109 For a blend M with the following proportions by volume: 35% B₁ 10% B₂ 30% B₃ 25% B₄ using the procedure according to the invention, a research octane number of 96.16 is obtained, which may be compared to the experimental values of 96 and 96.2. For a blend M' with the following proportions by volume: 30% B₁ 10% B₂ 40% B₃ 20% B₄ a calculated value of 94.24 is obtained in comparison to experimental values of 94.2 and 94.5. Example 6 The cetane value of a gas oil is determined from absorbance measurements obtained from the NIR spectrum of the components of the mixture. The four components of the mixture have the following characteristics: A: gas oil obained from the atmospheric distillation of a crude oil: cetane index: 50.9 density at 15°C: 0.8615 B: light gas oil obtained from a fluidised bed catalytic cracking unit: cetane index: 25.7 density at 15°C: 0.9244 C: premix of various ingredients: cetane index: 48.7 density at 15°C: 0.8487 D: visbroken light gas oil: cetane index: 45.8 density at 15°C: 0.8587 The cetane index was determined by the standard method ASTM D976. The spectroscopic measurements carried out on each of the components of the mixture, and on a mixture containing the following proportions by volume of each of the components: 20% of A, 30% of B, 40% of C, 10% of D, give the following results for the four frequencies used: Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance Component A Component B Component C Component D F₁ = 4640 D₁ = 0.02211 D₁ = 0.08097 D₁ = 0.02229 D₁ = 0.0241 F₂ = 4485 D₂ = 0.04270 D₂ = 0.07896 D₂ = 0.04282 D₂ = 0.05629 F₃ = 4260 D₃ = 0.80297 D₃ = 0.58219 D₃ = 0.78483 D₃ = 0.76965 F₄ = 4135 D₄ = 0.53053 D₄ = 0.36406 D₄ = 0.51901 D₄ = 0.49267 Measured cetane index 50.9 25.7 48.7 45.8 SMI 50.2 14.6 48.9 45.1 The SMI is the spectral mixture index of the ingredient considered for the cetane index. It is obtained from an expression of type (2) which, in the case of the cetane index is: SMI = 25.0093 - 182.349 D₁ - 437.405 D₂ + 193.148 D₃ - 202.099 D₄ (9) The linear combination of the SMI according to the proportions of the various components, according to an equation of type (5), gives the following expression: Cetane index calculated for the mixture, (0.2 x 50.2) + (0.3 x 14.6) + (0.4 x 48.9) + (0.1 x 45.1) = 38.5 The cetane index of the mixture determined according to the standard method is 38.3. Example 7 As in Example 6 the cetane index of a mixture is calculated from the NIR spectrum of the components: A: visbroken light gas oil: cetane index: 45.7 density: 0.8587 B: heavy gas oil from a fluidised bed catalytic cracking unit: cetane index: 28.2 density: 0.9731 C: premix of gas oils: cetane index: 48.8 density: 0.8487 The spectroscopic measurements carried out on each of the components on a mixture consisting of equal volume of each component give the following results: Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance Component A Component B Component C F₁ = 4640 0.0241 0.08111 0.02229 F₂ = 4485 0.05629 0.07515 0.04282 F₃ = 4260 0.76965 0.61857 0.78483 F₄ = 4135 0.49267 0.40121 0.51901 Measured cetane index 45.7 28.2 48.7 SMI 45.1 15.7 48.9 The SMI of each component is obtained from equation (9). The cetane index (CI) of the mixture is obtained from the expression linking the SMI values and the proportion of each component in this mixture: CI = (¹/₃ 45.1) + (¹/₃ 15.7) + (¹/₃ 48.9) i.e. 36.5. The cetane index of the mixture determined by the standard method is 37.0. Example 8 The cloud point of a gas oil is determined from absorbance measurements carried out by NIR spectroscopy on the components of the mixture. The components of the mixture have the following properties: A: heavy gas oil from a fluidised bed catalytic cracking unit: cloud point: +4°C. B: light gas oil from a crude oil atmospheric distillation unit: cloud point: -20°C. C: gas oil from a vacuum distillation unit: cloud point: +15°C. The mixture consists of 20% by volume of A, 50% of B and 30% of C. The absorbance of each of the ingredients and of the mixture are determined at the sixteen frequencies shown below. The SMI corresponding to the cloud point (CP) is calculated from the following expression: SMI (CP) = -35.98 + 270.495 D4210 - 124.16 D4135 - 98.78 D4100 Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance A B C F₁ 4670 0.05230 0.01689 0.01522 F₂ 4640 0.08731 0.0264 0.02803 F₃ 4615 0.0987 0.0354 0.03562 F₄ 4585 0.08897 0.03576 0.03461 F₅ 4485 0.0781 0.04582 0.0461 F₆ 4385 0.44065 0.48046 0.4648 F₇ 4332 0.77412 0.95276 0.94117 F₈ 4305 0.61996 0.65619 0.64443 F₉ 4260 0.59625 0.78596 0.78001 F₁₀ 4210 0.4214 0.5382 0.53771 F₁₁ 4170 0.42882 0.56386 0.56222 F₁₂ 4135 0.38635 0.51699 0.51842 F₁₃ 4100 0.37511 0.49663 0.49375 F₁₄ 4060 0.44674 0.54552 0.53138 F₁₅ 4040 0.35102 0.42414 0.41762 F₁₆ 4405 0.35392 0.37502 0.35613 Measured cloud point +4°C -20°C +15°C SMI -7 -3.6 -3.7 The cloud point of the mixture is obtained from the SMI values of the ingredients using the expression: Cloud Point = 0.2 x (-7) + 0.5 (-3.6) + 0.3 (-3.7) = -4.3°C The cloud point of the mixture, measured according to the standard NFT 60105 is -4°C. Example 9 A fuel oil was formulated from a residue mixture obtained from the visbreaking of an Arabian Heavy feed and a flux F1 (gas oil obtained by distillation at atmospheric pressure). The characteristics of the visbroken oil are as follows: density 1.0801, viscosity 500 mm²/s (500 cSt) at 125°C. The mixture is prepared in the following proportions: 60% by vol of residue (ingredient A) and 40% of flux (ingredient B). The spectra of the products give the following values for the absorbances: Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance Component A Component B F₁ 4670 0.00876 0.01109 F₂ 4640 0.02443 0.02091 F₃ 4615 0.03194 0.02669 F₄ 4585 0.03234 0.02731 F₅ 4485 0.02736 0.04104 F₆ 4385 0.29355 0.46874 F₇ 4332 0.58201 0.96016 F₈ 4305 0.40189 0.65164 F₉ 4260 0.45314 0.80883 F₁₀ 4210 0.29417 0.55592 F₁₁ 4170 0.2807 0.58335 F₁₂ 4135 0.24544 0.53974 F₁₃ 4100 0.20957 0.51335 F₁₄ 4060 0.24392 0.5507 F₁₅ 4040 0.17575 0.43174 F₁₆ 4405 0.21313 0.35756 The spectral mixture index of the solvent power of the IPSR residue is determined using the following expression: IPSR = 315.37 + 1823 D₁ - 1676.95 D₃ - 432.65 D₇ + 370 D₁₅ (10) where: D₁ is the absorbance at the frequencies F₁ considered. The mixture index of the solvent power obtained for component A is 104.8. The spectral mixture index of the solvent power of the flux (IPSF) is determined using the following equation (11): IPSF = 218.59 + 548.31 D₂ - 1104.74 D₃ + 470.06 D₄ - 50.65 D₅ - 26.26 D₆ - 77.65 D₉ - 165.56 D₁₀ - 959.48 D₁₁ - 351.95 D₁₂ + 1042 D₁₃ + 487.7 D₁₄ - 378.2 D₁₅ - 2011.4 D₁₃.D₁₄ + 905.5 D₁₀.D₁₃ + 1285.5 D₁₀.D₁₄ + 1500.8 D₃.D₁₀ The mixture index of the solvent power obtained for component B according to equation (11) is 41.1. The spectral mixture index of the precipitation capacity of the residue (ICR) is determined from equation (12): ICR = 339.35 + 845.7 D₁ - 432.65 D₇ (12) The mixture index of the precipitation capacity of the residue (component A) determined from equation (12) is 94.9. Calculation of the stability of the fuel obtained according to equation (6) gives S = -15.6. The resulting fuel will not be stable - as is confirmed experimentally by the HFT test carried out on the final product. Example 10 A fuel is to be formulated from the components used in Example 9 and from a supplementary flux F₂ (a heavy gas oil obtained from a fluidised bed catalytic cracking unit. The absorbance figures for the frequencies considered are given below for this new component: The mixture proportions are as follows: Component A - residue 60% by volume Component B - flux F₁ 30% by volume Component C - flux F₂ 10% by volume The following characteristics are determined from the equations given in Example 9: IPSR (mixture index of the solvent power of residue A) = 104.8 (equation 10) ICR (mixture index of the precipitation capacity of the residue A) = 94.8 (equation 12) IPSF₁ (mixture index of the solvent power of the flux F₁ - component B) = 41.1 (equation 11) IPSF₂ (mixture index of the solvent power of the flux F₂ - component C) = 128.8 (equation 11) Calculation of the stability of the fuel using equation (6) gives S = -6.7. The instability of the fuel obtained by mixing components A, B and C in the proportions indicated is confirmed by the result of the HFT test which shows that the resulting product is outside the specification. The proportion of flux F₂ to be used in order to obtain a stable final product can be determined from the following equations: we obtain: f F2 greater than 17.8% The stability calculated for a mixture containing 18% of the flux F₂ gives S = +0.2. Experimental verification by the HFT test and the optical microscope is satisfactory. Example 11 The proportions to be mixed in order to obtain a product of viscosity determined from spectroscopic data obtained by analysis of the components of the mixture are to be calculated. A residue (component D) is used, the properties of which are as follows: density = 1.036 viscosity at 100°C = 598 mm²/s (598 cSt) This is mixed with the flux F₂ of Example 10 (ingredient C) in order to obtain a fuel with a viscosity of 80 mm²/s (80cSt) at 100°C. The spectrum of the component D gives the following values: Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance Residue Component D Frequencies in cm⁻¹ Absorbance Residue Component D F₁ 4670 0.01284 F₉ 4260 0.51767 F₂ 4640 0.03023 F₁₀ 4210 0.34506 F₃ 4615 0.03825 F₁₁ 4170 0.33794 F₄ 4585 0.03767 F₁₂ 4135 0.30178 F₅ 4485 0.03565 F₁₃ 4100 0.26383 F₆ 4385 0.32445 F₁₄ 4060 0.29733 F₇ 4332 0.63721 F₁₅ 4040 0.22409 F₈ 4305 0.45729 F₁₆ 4405 0.22774 The proportions of the components D and of the flux F₂ can be determined using the following equations in which SMI (V100) R and SMI (V100) F denote the spectral mixture index for the viscosity at 100°C, the residue and the flux, respectively obtained from: SMI (V100) i = 1031.04 - 4175.9 D₁ + 9201.6 D₄ - 4074.7 D₁₄ (13) f R + f F2 = 1 (14) SMI (V100) R f R + SMI (V100) F f F = 80 (15) Equation (13) gives: SMI (V100) R = 112.5 SMI (V100) F = 40 From equations (14) and (15) we obtain: f R = 55.5% f F = 44.5% The experimental verification gives a viscosity of 79.8 mm²/s (79.8 cSt) if the residue and the flux are mixed in the proportions calculated for a required viscosity of 80 mm²/s (80 cSt).

Claims: A method for the determination of one or more physical properties of a liquid hydrocarbon blend characterised by the fact that the method comprises the following steps: (a) determining with an IR spectrometer, the absorbance at a certain number of frequencies in the spectral range 16667 to 3840 cm⁻¹ for the components of the blend or arbitrary mixtures, starting from a defined base line, (b) determining for each component I and each property J, a spectral mixture index (SMI) J I by applying a correlation with the measured absorbance values, this correlation being determined experimentally by multivariate regression, depending on the type of spectrometer used, the property required and the frequencies used, and (c) calculating the required property J of the product by applying a linear expression: J = f a .SMI J a + f b .SMI J b + f c SMI J c ... + f o .SMI J o (1) each term of which is the product of the spectral mixture index (SMI a ...) of the property J for an ingredient (A ...) and the fraction by volume (f a ...) of this component. A method according to claim 1 wherein the blending equipment is computer controlled by a feedback control system for altering blending conditions in response to variations in the property of the product from the desired value, from the determination of the NIR spectra of the components. A method according to either of claims 1 or 2 wherein the frequencies are in the spectral range 12500 to 3840 cm⁻¹. A method according to claim 3 wherein the frequencies are in the spectral range 4760 to 4000 cm⁻¹. A method according to claim 4 characterised by the fact that the frequencies used are selected from the following list: 4670 cm⁻¹ 4640 cm⁻¹ 4615 cm⁻¹ 4585 cm⁻¹ 4485 cm⁻¹ 4405 cm⁻¹ 4385 cm⁻¹ 4332 cm⁻¹ 4305 cm⁻¹ 4260 cm⁻¹ 4210 cm⁻¹ 4170 cm⁻¹ 4135 cm⁻¹ 4100 cm⁻¹ 4060 cm⁻¹ 4040 cm⁻¹ A method according to any of the preceding claims characterised by the fact that the base line is taken as 4780 cm⁻¹. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the spectrometer is linked to a signal processing device to permit numerical treatment of the spectrum. A method according to claim 7 wherein the treatment is by Fourier transformation. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the method is on-line and in real time. A method according to any of the preceding claims characterised by the fact that the spectral mixture index of a property (J) of a component is determined directly from absorbances (D i ) obtained for this component alone by applying Equation (2): in which C is a constant and p, q and r are linear, quadratic and homographic terms respectively A method according to any of claims 1 to 9 characterised by the fact that the spectral mixture index of a property of a component is determined by preparing an arbitrary mixture with a fraction (f) of this component (A) in a matrix S by determining the NIR spectra for the matrix (D is ) and the mixture (D im ) respectively, calculating a theoretical absorbance (D ia ) for each frequency (F i ) by Equation (3): and applying these theoretical absorbances in Equation (2): in which C is a constant and p, q and r are linear, quadratic and homographic terms respectively A method according to any of the previous claims characterised by the fact that the properties calculated are non-additive properties of the components. A method according to any of the preceeding claims wherein the liquid hydrocarbon blend additionally contains a liquid organic additive. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the product is a motor spirit and the property determined is selected from the following: research and motor octane numbers (clear and leaded), the density, the vapour pressure and the distillation characteristics. A method according to claim 14 wherein the frequencies are selected from the following: 4670 cm⁻¹ 4485 4332 4305 4210 4100 4060 A method according to any of claims 1 to 13 wherein the product is a diesel oil and the property determined is selected from the following: cloud point, pour point, filterability, cetane index, distillation characteristics, flash point and viscosity. A method according to any of claims 1 to 13 wherein the product is a fuel oil and the property determined is selected from the following: density, viscosity, thermal stability, distillation characteristics and flash point.

Inventors: ESPINOSA, ALAIN, LAMBERT, DIDIER CHARLES, MARTENS, ANDRE, PASQUIER, ANTOINE, VENTRON, GILBERT, ESPINOSA, ALAIN, C/O BP FRANCE S.A., Lambert, Didier Charles, c/o BP France S.A., Martens, André, c/o BP France S.A., VENTRON, GILBERT, C/O BP FRANCE S.A.
Applicants: BP OIL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01N33
IPC codes: G01N33, G01N21, F02B3