An on‐line coupled HPLC‐HRGC system for the quantitative characterization of oil fractions in the middle distillate range

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A commercially available HPLC‐HRGC instrument was adapted to enable the full quantitative characterization of oil fractions in the range 150–400°C. The HPLC separates the sample into five fractions: saturates, mono‐aromatics, di‐aromatics, fluorenes + dibenzothiophenes, and tri‐aromatics. These fractions are subsequently quantitatively transferred via an on‐column interface to the HRGC part of the system. This transfer is performed into an empty, wide‐bore precolumn (retention gap), which enables a refocussing effect of the compounds of interest in the tail of the HPLC mobile phase, which acts as a solvent in the GC. A solvent vapor exit in the system enables the vent of the major part of this solvent. The final HRGC separation provides a carbon distribution of the saturates and the mono‐aromatics and enables the identification of a number of compounds in the other three fractions. It is demonstrated that the described method is quantitative for the hydrocarbons, but also for sulphur‐containing compounds in only those samples that have a low sulphur content. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: