AN EVALUATION OF OIL PRODUCED FROM ASPHALT RID (UTAH) TAB SAND AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ASPHALT AND TURBINE FUELS

In this article an evaluation is made of the potential end uses of an oil produced from Asphalt Ridge tar sand by wet forward combustion. The oil is evaluated with respect to its potential to produce a specification-grade asphalt and aviation turbine fuels. To accomplish this the oil was vacuum distilled to produce a distillate and a residue. The distillation residue meets all of the ASTM D 3381 Table 1 specification tests for an AC-10 asphalt. However, the viscosity at 135°C (275°F) is low when compared with the more stringent D 3381 Table 2 requirements. This indicates that the residue has a higher temperature susceptibility than allowed for by Table 2. The residue also has an unusually low aging index. This indicates that it may not set properly. However, it may also mean that it may be resistant to rapid age hardening. The results from successive freeze-thaw cycling indicate that the residue, when coated on appropriate aggregates, is comparable to or better than some petroleum asphalts coated on the same aggregates. Freeze-thaw cycling to failure is an indirect measure of the resistance of an asphalt-aggregate mixture to moisture-induced loss of strength

The distillate of the thermally-produced oil which represents about 50 wt % of the whole oil was also evaluated as a feedstock for the production of transportation fuels. The chemical and physical properties of the distillate are improved with respect to those of the original bitumen and the thermally-produced oil. Combined gas chromatographic/mass spectral analysis of the neutral fraction from the distillate indicates it is composed of predominantly aromatic structures. The aromatic structures are primarily of the 2- and 3-