Reduction of Sulphur in Marine Residual Fuels by Deasphalting to Produce VLSFO
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper presents the experimental results to control and reduce Sulphur content of marine fuels up to 15%. Reduction of high Sulphur content from 35000 ppm at first stage to 5000 ppm, and finally to less than 1000 ppm in fuel oil is one of the main environmental issues. As stated in this paper, different strategies can be identified to reduce Sulphur content and upgrade the marine fuel to meet environmental standard in the future.
In crude oil mixture there is delicate thermodynamic equilibrium between different components. As result of change in thermodynamic property such as temperature, pressure and finally chemical composition heavy organic compound tend to precipitate. These heavy organic compounds are main source of increase in API, and Sulphur compounds. Therefore, sedimentation is one of the effective and economical process simultaneously upgrade and reduce Sulphur compound in fuel oil, such as marine fuel. This process is well-known process in oil industries, and this paper this subject is referred and discussed the main issue of reducing Sulphur content of fuel oil.
I suggest some points may improve the quality of this paper
-Reference [22] not stated and referred in this paper.
- -References [34-37] and [60-61] not related to the subject of this paper.
- -Most of the results presented in conclusion are known for experts and scientist working in refinery, in process such as Rose process and solvent de-asphaltene process. In this paper the authors presented very valuable quantitative results and discussed some concept of sedimentation process of de-asphaltisation caused by mixing to incompatible cuts. Despite lacking novelty in this paper, due to some industrial applications of results obtained in this research work, I am in favors of accepting this paper.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer, thank you for your manuscript review. Please find the answers to the questions in the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
1. The effects of deasphalting marine residual fuels on sulfur reduction were investigated in this article. The deasphalting reaction of marine fuel oil is not clearly demonstrated. The results of deasphalting marine residual fuels are not clearly presented. Moreover, the effects of deasphalting residual marine fuels on sulfur reduction are not obviously correlated as yet. In addition, the manuscript is poorly prepared and there are too many syntax and typo errors to refrain from better understanding of the meaning of this manuscript.
2. The important points of this study are; (1) how to process deasphaltisation? and (2) how to judge the effects of deasphalting marine residual fuels on sulfur reduction?
3. Many typo and syntax errors appear in the manuscript, for example: in Abstract, desphaltisation at line 1 of Abstract; “4,5 times”; and “increased from 0.9 to 1.02%” etc.; Figure 1 instead of Picture 1 on page 4; CH3 on page 5; on page 6, what is the whole words corresponding to abbreviation TSP, syntax error in the sentences “This approach basically similar to…” on page 6 and “Samples mixing in the laboratory…” on page 7; syntax errors in “In the act of TSP evaluation analysis accomplishment… fuels heavy components…” on page 7, “marine fuels examined samples hydrocarbon composition definition” on page 11, and “Such upgrade initiates …the depressant properties increase..” on page 14, etc.
4. There are 5 fuel samples in Table 1, could the other hydrocarbon compositions of the other three fuel samples be provided in Table 5?
5. About 1:1 ratio for mixing fuel samples 1 and 2 to form fuel mixture 1, why the aromatic hydrocarbon of fuel mixture 1 reaches 15.63% while the aromatic hydrocarbon of fuel samples 1 and 2 are only 1.55 and 14.12 in Table 5? Similar concern exists for iso-paraffins.
6. More detailed discussion for the figures particularly Figs. 7-9 is encouraged.
7. Fuel sample number (for example fuel sample No.1) and fuel mixture number (for example fuel mixture No.1) are prone to confusing. What is the fuel sample number or fuel mixture number in Table 7?
8. What are the meanings of “which boiling up to… complex mixture could be stated“, “The mixture entered the column” on page 11, etc. ?
Author Response
Dear Reviewer, thank you for your manuscript review. Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The revised manuscript is thus considered acceptable.
