Publication Date

Spring 1996

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

General Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Jennings

Abstract

In order to produce a high quality product, the rerefiner must select paraffinically-based used oil feedstocks of sufficient quality to allow processing without damage to refinery equipment and to allow the production of a base oil that meets the desired specifications. Consequently, this presents a tremendous challenge to the rerefiner due to the varied uses and compositions of used oil that the rerefiner may encounter. Complicating the selection even further is the contamination of oil during post-use management, the fact that the used oil is collected from thousands of generators, and that no cost and time effective method exists for screening used oils for base oil composition.

A feedstock screening methodology was developed in this research to aid the rerefiner in selecting the highest quality used oils for rerefining. The methodology is composed of two parts: 1) the screening tool, which allows the rerefiner to establish an oil type; 2) a determination of the used oil’s rerefming potential based upon projected volume percent yield and base oil organic composition.

As part of the research, simulated distillations and analyses of 16 types of metals were performed on 88 oil samples from 20 different used-oil generating categories. The screening tool is based on metals and distillation “fingerprints” identified from these data. Rerefining potential is assessed using percent yield estimates from distillation data and information on base oil composition associated with a specific oil type.

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