Fractionation of synthetic oils using liquefied gases

ALDANA PIZZANO; BELEN RODRIGUEZ REARTES; PABLO E. HEGEL

Campinas

Conferencia; XII IBEROAMERICAN CONFERENCE ON PHASE EQUILIBRIA AND FLUID PROPERTIES FOR PROCESS DESIGN; 2022

Universidad de Campinas

Special lubricants used in compressors, turbines, pumps, and other devices in differentindustrial sectors (energy, food industry or medical applications) have strict compositionregulations regarding the presence of residual monomers and oligomers that alter the productquality and its viscosity index. The removal of these non-desired minor compounds from theoily lubricants by classical vacuum distillation is difficult and expensive because of the required high temperatures. Thus, organic solvents like methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK)/toluene, or phenol are normally used for the lubricant purification in liquid/liquid extraction processes. These solvents are toxic and non-environmentally safe, so they should be replaced by benign options in modern process.