ABSTRACT
Petroleum exhibits a wide range of physical properties and several relationships can be made between various physical properties (Speight, 2001). Whereas the properties such as viscosity, density, boiling point, and color of petroleum may vary widely, the ultimate or elemental analysis varies, as already noted, over a narrow range for a large number of petroleum samples. The carbon content is relatively constant, while the hydrogen and heteroatom contents are responsible for the major differences between petroleum. Coupled with the changes brought about to the feedstock constituents by refinery operations, it is not surprising that petroleum characterization is a monumental task.
