Characterisation of middle-distillates by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC): A powerful alternative for performing various standard analysis of middle-distillates

The detailed characterisation of middle distillates is essential for a better understanding of reactions involved in refining process. Owing to higher resolution power and enhanced sensitivity, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) is a powerful tool for improving characterisation of petroleum samples. The aim of this paper is to compare GC × GC and various ASTM methods – gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) – for group type separation and detailed hydrocarbon analysis. Best features of GC × GC are demonstrated and compared to these techniques in terms of cost, time consumption and accuracy. In particular, a new approach of simulated distillation (SimDis-GC × GC) is proposed: compared to the standard method ASTM D2887 it gives unequal information for better understanding of conversion process.