Although there is a shortage of light petroleum, there is plenty of heavy petroleum rich in macromolecules available, creating an increasing interest for processes that can convert heavy oils to light oils. Process Chemistry of Petroleum Macromolecules provides the scientific basis for such processes, presenting methods to determine improvement potential. Topics include characterization, thermal kinetics, phase behavior, and separation. Revealing that the science of petroleum macromolecules is simpler and more exciting than imagined, it also discusses macromolecules that self-associate, liquid crystalline phases, reactions triggered by phase separation, and both dispersed and dissolved solutes.
Biography
Irwin A. Wiehe
". . . this book will be invaluable for engineers engaged in operation of refining units or upgraders that process vacuum residues . . . As a scientific memoire and summary of an eminent career, this volume presents numerous insights for future development of both process technology and the science of petroleum macromolecules."
– Murray R. Gray, University of Alberta, in Energy & Fuels, May 2009, Vol. 23, No. 6
