Temperature and Pressure Dependence of Density of a Shale Oil and Derived Thermodynamic Properties

The
temperature and pressure dependence of density was measured
experimentally from 293 to 473 K and 0.1 to 12 MPa for a shale oil
produced from Kukersite oil shale in Estonia. The shale oil sample
was a fuel oil fraction of a whole oil produced in a commercial plant
that uses solid heat carrier retorting technology. The fraction had
a boiling range of approximately 460 to 780 K and contained significant
quantities of polar phenolic compounds (hydroxyl group content of
5.3 wt %). The effect of these compounds on the properties of the
oil was investigated by removing most of the phenolic compounds via
extraction to create the second sample (dephenolated sample with hydroxyl
group content of 1.1 wt %). The dephenolation resulted in a shale
oil with a composition being more similar to that of other shale oils
from well explored deposits. On the basis of a review of the literature,
these are the first experimental data on the pressure dependence of
density for this shale oil, and shale oils generally. Thermal expansion
coefficients, isothermal compressibilities, and speeds of sound were
calculated from the experimental data. Empirical relationships describing
the temperature dependence of the heat capacities between 288 and
423 K at atmospheric pressure are also presented here.