Effective characterization of petroleum C7+ fractions

► Characterization methods for petroleum fractions by substitute mixtures are studied. ► Establishment and usage of Substitute Mixtures of Real Components (SMRCs) is shown. ► Comparison of SMRC and substitute mixtures of pseudocomponents is provided. ► Examples of separation processes in petroleum refining show the potential of SMRC. ► Example shows that SMRC can be used also in the prediction of pyrolysis yields.