Naphthenic acid

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Naphthenic acid is the name for an unspecific mixture of several cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl carboxylic acids with molecular weight of 120 to well over 700 au. The main fraction are carboxylic acids with a carbon backbone of 9 to 20 carbons. The naphtha fraction of the crude oil raffination is oxidized and yields Naphthenic acid. The composition differs with the crude oil composition and the conditions during rafination and oxidation.[1]

Naphthenic acids are present in crude oil and leads to corrosion problems within the oil refineries, therefor naphthenic acid corrosion phenomena are well researched. [2][3] Crude oils with a high content of Naphthenic acids are often referred to as high TAN crude oils or high acid crude oil (HAC). There is also a conference called the High TAN Crude Conference which was first organized in 2005.


Mixtures of a flammable substance and naphthenic and palmitic acid aluminium salts were used in Napalm to cause it to gel.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Walter E. Rudzinski, Leon Oehlers, and Yi Zhang (2002). "Tandem Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Commercial Naphthenic Acids and a Maya Crude Oil". Energy Fuels 16 (5): 1178 -1185. doi:10.1021/ef020013t. 
  2. ^ Slavcheva E.; Shone B.; Turnbull A. (1999). "Review of naphthenic acid corrosion in oilrefining". British Corrosion Journal 34 (2): 125–131. 
  3. ^ Article with details conserning naphthenic acid corrosion.

[edit] External links


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