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Non-Invasive Optimisation – Overflash Mass Flow Measurement at 380°C using the Ultrasonic Clamp-On Technology
In petrochemical refineries, a multitude of measuring instruments monitor material transport and conversion. Flow measurement of the overflash volume, which is an important indicator for well-adjusted and efficient column operation, presents a special challenge. In the BP Oil Refinery Emsland in Lingen, a clamp-on ultrasonic measuring system measures non-invasively the heavy gasoil slowly flowing back during crude oil distillation.
An Oil Company Used Dual-modality ECT and ERT to Study the Flow of Multiphase Oil-water-gas Systems Reducing Energy Costs and Improving Plant Yields
Electrical tomography techniques provide the capability for flow visualisation, regardless of material opacity, to enhance the understanding of such complex flow processes.
QuantaRed Laser Technology Revolutionises Oil in Water Measurement
CFC-free measurements on site: the ERACHECK goes below 1 ppm The advent of Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) as a new, powerful mid-IR light source has opened the possibility to develop a fast and ecologically friendly method for quantifying oil in production water and wastewater. After extracting the hydrocarbons with cyclohexane or cyclopentane instead of ozone depleting freon, precise concentrations can be determined by means of mid-IR laser spectroscopy. The ERACHECK oil in water analyser...
High Performance Industrial Flame Detection
Optical flame detection has progressed to meet the ever-growing demands for maximum reliability, availability and minimal false alarm events and is widely employed in many high risk industries, such as those in oil & gas (onshore & offshore), petrochemicals, hazardous material handling and storage, etc., to protect both high-value plant and personnel. Flame Detectors are the favored solution for high risk areas and outdoors where smoke and heat detectors are not effective. Unlike s...
Total Sulphur and Total Chlorides in Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Samples
Over the last decade, the importance of detecting sulphur and chlorides in gas and LPG products has increased dramatically. This is likely related to the necessity of complying with increasingly stringent government regulations, protecting expensive catalysts, and ensuring product quality. Reasons for detection and control of sulphur and chlorides in different process streams have existed for the last fifteen years, but detection limits have been reduced dramatically in recent times. For exam...
A New Alternative Leak Survey Work Practice from The Environmental Protection Agency in the US
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in the US has recently added an alternative work practice to the Method 21 leak surveys that gas processing plants and the like must perform annually. In this section we render the new rules as it has implications to the work with FLIR’s Gas Detection Cameras.
Hazardous Substances in the Offshore Industry
The offshore industry operates in some of the most dangerous environments in the world. Hazards are expected in this environment and must be controlled.
Can Gas Detection Really Save You Time and Money?
Gas detection has come a long way since its inception nearly 60 years ago. Technology has permitted the emergence of a variety of sensing principles and has also enabled devices to become more user-friendly, more functional, easier to maintain and safer. Competition in the market place, born out of the mass commerciality of today’s global market, has helped to drive down the cost of gas detection, providing customers with more benefits for their money. But what does this really mean...
Liquid & Gas Flow Measurement For Oil/Gas FPSO Vessels
To meet the global demand for oil/gas production, Floating Production, Storage, & Offloading (FPSO) Vessels have been utilised for a number of years to access deep water deposits. They process oil from subsea wells and/or completions and store it until it can be offloaded onto waiting tankers or sent through a pipeline to other storage facilities onshore or refineries, etc.
Accurately Quantify Methanol and Ethanol in E85 Biofuel by D5501 with New Rtx®-DHA-150 Column
Ethanol and methanol levels in biofuels must be accurately determined as they impact fuel performance and influence sales price. Since fuel ethanol must be denatured with gasoline to render it nonpotable prior to transport, analysis is complicated by the presence of gasoline hydrocarbons. Testing is usually done according to ASTM Method D5501, which recommends either a 100m or a 150m column. This method currently targets the determination of ethanol at 93-97% and methanol at 0.1-0.6%, base...
Gas Chromatography Analysis Speeds LPG Distillation
This article describes the efficiency improvements that have resulted from automating the analytical instrumentation in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) columns at the Tamoil refinery in Collombey, Switzerland.
Ethanol Blending: How to Prevent Vapour Lock
GRABNER INSTRUMENTS vapour Pressure Testers allow versatile ramp measurements for gasoline-ethanol blends Imagine you are driving your car and the motor suddenly stops. You are lucky if this doesn´t happen on a crossing. When you try to restart the car, the hot motor stalls again. You call the breakdown service, but they cannot detect any problem with the engine, after they connected your car to their computer. You get your car towed away and contact the manufacturer, who gives a lot of...
Full Refinery Gas Analysis in 200 seconds using the 19\" Flash RGA
The Refinery Gas Analyser (RGA) analyses various streams of gases that are normally produced in an oil refinery. Examples are LPG, stack gases, flare gases, reformer gases and by-products of cracking and catalytic processes. The composition of these samples can vary considerably; it is a challenge to analyse different components like permanent gases, hydrocarbons and sulphur components in one sample correctly. An exact measurement is essential in reaching optimal control of refining proces...
Determination of Total FAME and Linolenic Acid Methyl Ester in Pure Biodiesel (B100) by GC in Compliance with EN 14103
Interest in biodiesel as a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from renewable sources such as vegetable oils has risen considerably over the last few years. It is the only alternative fuel to be legally registered with the US EPA and to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. ?Pure? biodiesel (B100) has been designated as an alternative fuel by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
FLEXIM Technology Addresses Oil and Gas Flow Measurement Needs
FLEXIM Technology and the Worldwide Market for Ultrasonic Flow Meters On the occasion of its 20th anniversary FLEXIM looks back on an impressive history. The company has grown from humble beginnings to a network of subsidiaries spanning the globe, and so has its core business of engineering and manufacturing clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters (USFMs). FLEXIM started by offering a single portable meter model in the early 90?s, and now offers comprehensive liquid and gas flow meters applying s...
New PLOT Column Technology Stabilises Flow and Improves Analysis of Light Hydrocarbons, Solvents and Permanent Gases
PLOT columns are widely used in petroleum and other industries because their retention and selectivity characteristics allow gases and volatiles to be separated with high resolution at above ambient temperatures. However, the utility of PLOT columns, particularly of the porous polymer columns, is significantly limited by the mechanical instability of the particle layers. One of the biggest challenges with conventional PLOT columns is that vibrations or any change in gas velocity, pressure,...
Set It and Forget it Long-term Stability of Sulphur Analysis by XRF
Precision over time is a must-have in petrochemical analysis, and PANalytical?s high-throughput wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry solution can deliver the certainty that the oil industry needs. Industry methods, such as ISO 20884:04 and ASTM D2622-08, are utilized to monitor sulphur in road fuels within strict limits. Importantly, these methods also scet the standard for analytical repeatability and reproducibility. In this article, we take a look at the performan...
Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor Fuels Refining Productivity
As oil prices rise and regulations mandate the production of cleaner, high value fuels, petrochemical and refining companies are seeking breakthrough catalysts and processes to power their productivity and margins.
Evaluation of the i-SPEC Q 100 Handheld Biodiesel Analyser in Ten Laboratories
A new handheld biodiesel analyser was introduced in 2009 to screen for key critical parameters in biodiesel quality, both for B100, as well as for blends. Fuel quality is the key issue faced by any biodiesel producer, distributor, fleet manager, or fueling station. Fuel is transported through numerous channels before it gets to the consumer, creating many points along the supply chain at which fuel quality may be compromised. Biodiesel quality can deteriorate as it is introduced, stored, d...
New Analyzer Provides Measurement of % Biodiesel (% FAME) in Petrodiesel from 0.025% to 20% Range
A2 Technologies has developed a new FTIR analyzer and a new sampling methodology which enables the measurement of % FAME present in diesel fuel in the analytical range from 0.025% to 20%. This new technology is fast, easy-to-use and exceptionally reliable for on-site measurement of % FAME in blended fuels, as well as a highly accurate meter for determining ppm levels of FAME contamination in petrodiesel. The analyzer can also be configured to measure % FAME in diesel fuel from 1% to 100%, fo...
Aspects of ATEX and IECEx
READING THE (ATEX) INSTRUCTIONS A question we regularly get asked at Baseefa, and one which directly affects both manufacturers and installers of Ex Equipment, is about the permissible form in which the manufacturer may pass instructions to customers. First of all, let me emphasise that no Notified Body is in a position to give a legal interpretation of the ATEX Directive, or of any other directive. Therefore, in what follows, I am trying to present information that I believe is already,...
Versatile, Cost-Effective Solutions for Your Sulphur Analysis Needs ? Introducing Petro-Pak?
Introducing the Rigaku ?Energy Suite? of total petro refinery solutions, designed to meet your every sulphur analysis and elemental characterisation need. Hallmarks of Rigaku products are well-engineered instruments with high reliability and long-term stability. The easy-to-use and easy-tolearn, intuitive software interface controls elegantly designed, sophisticated underlying programs that seamlessly model complicated physical phenomena and deliver net intensity data that allows you to d...
Low-Power WDXRF To Meet Changing Petroleum Demands
Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) analysis is a well-known laboratory technique for the measurement of a wide range of elements in petroleum industry products. Elements tested include contaminants such as sulfur and chlorine in fuels, additive elements such as zinc, phosphorous and calcium in lubricants, as well as poisons such as nickel and vanadium in used catalysts. For petroleum applications, WDXRF instruments are traditionally operated at high power, 3000 Watts or more,...
Tighten Control of Distillation Processes with the New MXT? - 1HT Sim Dist Column
High temperature crude oil simulated distillation using ASTM methods D6352 and ASTM D7500 presents many challenges to refineries and contract laboratories for the determination of petroleum distillates in the boiling range of 174?C to 720?C. Both the column construction and the polydimethylsiloxane polymer must be robust enough to withstand the high method temperatures without significant degradation. In addition, columns must yield a C50/C52 resolution value between 2 and 4, exhibit accep...
Leaktight Couplings, The Final Detail For Robust GC Analysis
?There are many situations in petrochemistry, including large volume injection systems, where capillary GC would benefit from coupling an additional column or a pre-column to the analytical separation column. As a result of the difficulties associated with the use of existing column connectors, however, analysts are reluctant to use coupled column systems. According to Wim Broer, Production Development Chemist from Alcontrol, Hoogvliet, the Netherlands, the new melt-fit technology develope...
Matrix-Optimised Analysis of Gases and LPG Samples
Determination of nitrogen, sulfur and chlorine content in a broad concentration range. The analysis of gaseous matrices in routine analytics still presents a real challenge even today. No matrix type is so versatile in its behavior and the requirements for the sample feed and the combustion process. This makes it difficult to quickly gain precise and reliable analysis results. Thanks to the outstanding flexibility of the elemental analyzer multi EA 5000, combined with application-optimised...
Biofuel Development and Standardisation
Currently, Biodiesel and Bioethanol are the two major forms of Biofuels being sold and distributed around the world. These fuels however, only represent a fraction of renewable fuel necessary to make an impact on the global energy crisis. There are multiple obstacles that still need to be overcome in order for these Biofuels to become a mainstream energy source. A major challenge originates from issues dealing with international trade and transportation of Biofuels. These issues range from...
In-Process Measurement of Kinematic Viscosity
Viscosity is an important product property and a decisive measurement parameter in the production and quality supervision of petrochemical end products such as heating oils and lubricants and of their feedstocks. For the control of production processes, efficient and robust process analysers are required to measure the viscosities of such liquids. As to the determination method for viscosity, the primary norms for these petrochemical products (e.g. heating oil DIN 51603, diesel DIN EN 590,...
New D3606 Column Set Outperforms TCEP Columns for Benzene Analysis
Demand for finished gasolines containing ethanol continues to increase, as these fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions and can be used to help control air pollution. Ethanol is a cost-effective additive for production; however, its presence significantly complicates the analysis of benzene, a regulated carcinogen which is added to increase octane levels. Accurate benzene and toluene analysis is critical because incorrect data can result in inaccurate octane levels and out-of-specification...
Danger and Detection of Hydrogen Sulphide Gas in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
A rig worker smells rotten eggs near the well head, rubs his itchy eyes as he investigates the frosty pipe connections. After a few moments, he believes all is fine as he no longer smells the tell-tale hydrogen sulphide odour. In this scenario, we can only hope the worker recognises the danger and quickly leaves the site. Oil fields, especially mature ones, can produce hydrogen sulphide gas ? deadly at relatively low concentrations. On average, a person takes 12 breaths per minute, so if a...
Efficient Biodiesel Analysis Using ICP Emission Spectrometry
Due to the increasing cost of petroleum, depleting reserves and the growing environmental concerns surrounding the use of petroleum, many governments, companies and increasingly consumers, are investing in renewable energy sources such as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a more environmentally friendly alternative to diesel fuel, commonly produced through the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel can be used in its pure format (B100) or blended with petroleum diesel at var...
Particle Size Analysis for Drilling in Petroleum Industry
In order to drill a successful oil well, most drilling operators will use a good drilling fluid or mud. Mud cools and lubricates the drilling tool, helps to attack the rock by injection under pressure, and cleans out the hole, carrying away the pieces of crushed rock [1]. These mud systems are usually WBM (Water-Based Mud), OBM (Oil-Based Mud) or SOBM (Synthetic Oil-Based Mud). One of the major problems with these systems, particularly when reused on different wells, is the build-up of ver...
Higher DHA Sample Throughput for PONA Analysis: Options for Helium and Hydrogen
Accurate information about the concentrations of the individual components in gasolines is critical for evaluating raw materials and controlling refinery processes. A high-resolution GC method for detailed hydrocarbon analysis (DHA) of gasolines is outlined in American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Method D6730-01?often referred to as the PONA (paraffins, olefins, naphthenes, aromatics) or PIANO (paraffins, isoparaffins, aromatics, naphthenes, olefins) analysis. ASTM D6730-01 is...
Elemental Analysis for Petrochemical Applications - The EasyWay!
In the last two decades elemental analysis has become one of the most important tasks in process and quality control in petrochemical production: Sulphur in automotive fuels has been a source of toxic air pollutants like sulphur dioxide and sulphates. Actual legislation enforces lower residual sulphur concentrations in fuels, like the today?s limit of 10 ppm. Future regulations may drive these limits down even further. Therefore in all kind of fuels the sulphur concentration must be contro...
Unlimited Possibilities with the new Multi-Element Analyser multi EA? 5000: Determination of sum Parameters and Element Contents from PPB to Mass Percent
The precise, fast and user-friendly determination of quality determining elements, such as sulfur, nitrogen, chlorine and carbon but also the analysis of environmentally relevant sum parameters, is continually gaining significance in modern analysis laboratories in the chemical, petrochemical and many other industry branches. The analysis system multi EA? 5000 is able to determine the contents of the elements sulfur, nitrogen, carbon and chlorine in a single sample cycle. With only one ins...
ASTM Methods for Sulphur Analysis in Petrochemicals using a Pulsed Flame Photometric Detector (PFPD)
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for the development and publication of voluntary consensus standards. The ASTM is divided into 129 technical committees devoted to specific areas of interest. Several ASTM committees (e.g. D02, D03, and D16) develop standards related to measuring the physical and chemical properties of petrochemical products, including measurement of their sulphur content using gas chromatography (G...
RKA 5 Automated Ring and Ball Tester with Extended Temperature Range
Innovative materials research represents a vital foundation for high technologies and cutting-edge products. Today more than ever, performance, economy and acceptance decisively depend on the materials used. Petrotest Instruments?, a company with over 50 employees, is one of the world?s leading manufacturers of standardized automatic, semi-automatic and manual devices for materials testing, primarily in a petrochemical environment, and has representatives in over 120 countries.
Dependable Ultra Low Sulphur Analysis According to ASTM D5453 Using Advanced Ultraviolet Fluorescence Technology
High concentration of sulphur in basic and finished petrochemical products has a negative impact on the refinery process, health and the environment. The life time of specific process catalysts used in petroleum and chemical refining is very much dependent on the trace amounts of sulphur-bearing materials contained in the feedstocks. In addition, when automotive fuels containing high levels of sulphur are burned, sulphur dioxide (SO2) gases are formed causing a range of health issues inclu...
Fit For Biofuels and Blends
As the content of biofuels within Gasoline and Diesel is on the rise, manufacturers of analytical instrumentation are driving to meet the standards for analyzing biofuels. Biofuels used for combustion engines are Biodiesel and Bioethanol. Here we want to list some of the instruments amenable to ensure regulatory specifications and new standards evolving around the new applications.
An On-line Fluid Property Analyzer Reduces World Demand for Oil and Improves Operating Profits
Conservative oil drain intervals protect the performance and health of engines, transmissions, hydraulic fluid systems, gear boxes and other lubricated operating equipment. Yet, the world demand and dramatic price increase of oil are stressing maintenance budgets and eroding the operating profits of vehicle and equipment owners. To reduce demand, while still protecting machinery and improving operating profits, we must make smarter use of the world?s limited oil supply. Drain intervals sho...
Oil Refineries with Cramped Retrofit Projects get out of a Tight Spot with Space-Saving Flow Technology
Although there are relatively few new oil/gas refineries being built today, there is a continuous stream of upgrade and retrofit projects to keep up with the strong demand for fuel. A large number of these projects are designed to increase plant efficiency or meet new environmental regulations, and these projects require new equipment of all types. Inevitably, problems arise when the amount of equipment fails to fit within the existing plant real estate available. Inaccurate fluid flow mea...
Testing of Biodiesel Products: Key Titration Applications
The U.S. Biodiesel industry currently represents less than 0.5% of the total diesel fuel market (approximately 239 billion liters) annually. Obviously there is quite a way to go before Biodiesel becomes a mainstream energy source. Various factors including the amount of available feedstock (including high feedstock costs), controlling fuel quality, building an infrastructure, and the food or fuel dilemma are some obvious obstacles along the way.
Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detection
Over the past several years there has been a quiet revolution in the art of gas detection with the steady introduction of a new technology to complement the existing methods of detecting gases. Conventional flammable gas detectors, either catalytic point, Infra red point or Infra red beam, all rely on two actions before they trip in to alarm, firstly, the gas leak cloud needs to actually reach and encompass the sensor or pass through the beam, secondly the gas concentration of the cloud ha...
Analysis of Biodiesel and Determination of Traces in New Oil by ICP-AES
Biodiesel refers to a non-petroleum-based diesel fuel consisting of short chain alkyl (methyl or ethyl) esters, made by transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats, which can be used (alone, or blended with conventional petrodiesel) in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles.
Analysis of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) Content and Distribution in Biodiesel Blends Using Heart-Cutting 2D Gas Chromatography
The analysis of the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content in blended biodiesel samples is described using a heartcutting two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatographic (GC) system. A Capillary Flow Technology Deans switch is used to interface a primary nonpolar capillary column to a secondary polar capillary column. The primary column separates most of the petroleum hydrocarbons from the FAMEs. The FAMEs are selectively transferred to the secondary column, where they are completely resolved fro...
Thermal Flow Switches For Water Treatment In Oil Refineries
Reliable monitoring and treatment of water in oil refineries is essential for the production of petroleum-based products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating oil, and byproducts for plastics and a variety of lubricants (Figure 1). There are three process areas within refineries that require large amounts of water: cooling units, desalter units and wastewater treatment.
Meeting the Challenges of Biodiesel Blend Measurements with Portable Mid-Infrared Analyzers
In a published paper on biodiesel blend quality submitted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory1, the chief problem found with biodiesel blends was inaccurate blend ratios. Retail customers and fleet managers do not typically worry about whether the blend ratio is correct until a problem occurs. For fleet managers, an incorrect blend can mean a total shutdown of operations. On the regulatory side, the increase in fuel costs combined with the financial rewards of tax rebates and credi...
On-Site, Low Level Quantitative FTIR Analysis of Water in Oil Using a Novel Water Stabilization Technique
Water is an important contaminant to monitor in all lubricating oil. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) provides an easy means to measure water; however, to this point infrared methods have not been able to provide the accuracy and range desired by the lubrication industry. A new method for the FTIR measurement of water in mineral oils has been developed which overcomes key technical difficulties. When used with an on-site FTIR spectrometer, this method measures the concentration of water in mi...
Analysis of Sulfur and Chlorine in Oil under Air Conditions, using EDXRF
This Application note describes the use of the Thermo Scientific ARL QUANT’X EDXRF spectrometer for the analysis of light elements like sulfur and chlorine in oil, at low concentration levels under air conditions. Equipped with a unique multi stage Si(Li) Peltier cooled detector, the ARL QUANT’X offers the best energy resolution and the highest peak to background ratio necessary for detecting ppm levels of S and Cl without the need for peripheral dependence, like helium or liquid nitrogen....
Challenges Facing the Biodiesel Industry: Focus on Biodiesel Testing Standards
At the present time there are multiple obstacles that need to be overcome in order for Biodiesel to become a mainstream energy source. These issues range from feedstock costs and availability of feedstock to fuel quality and the International Compatibility of Biodiesel Testing Standards. Unfortunately, these issues cannot be resolved overnight. The Road for getting Biodiesel to the Main Stage will be a long and treacherous one, taking possibly 5 to 10 years before significant changes take...