Fast Gasoline Characterisation Methodology Application Note Available for Download

Bruker’s Chemical and Applied Markets division (USA) has made available a new Application Note focusing on a fast PIONA methodology for hydrocarbon characterisation, which is now available online. The Application Notes describe how the methodology cuts down the analysis time for high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) of gasoline, from 115 minutes to just 70 minutes.

The petrochemical industry has demanded powerful separation capabilities for many years. Because of the complex composition of hydrocarbon mixtures, in particular spark-ignition fuels, analysis of such samples can be long. Bruker’s PIONA+ Analyser in O-PONA mode now completes this same analysis of gasolines, according to ASTM D-6839, in only 70 minutes. The architecture of the PIONA+ Analyser is such that it enables the various columns and traps to be optimised for elution sequence and time. By increasing the heating rate of the Molsieve 13x column the analysis time is dramatically reduced by cutting 20 minutes off the separation of saturates and olefin's time. A further reduction in time is achieved as the BR-1 column has sufficient resolution to separate toluene and benzene; this means additional separation on a PoraPak column is not needed.

Hans van den Heuvel, Product Marketing Manager for petrochemicals at Bruker CAM commented “The PIONA+ Analyser is configured for separation up to C11 and to report C12 and higher as >200°. In the gasoline O-PONA mode separation up to C10 is required and C11 and higher is reported as >185°C. It can optimise analysis per carbon group without any interference to the other groups as well as refining the sequence as a whole. We have managed to cut the analysis time significantly without sacrificing any other aspects of the process such as the separation or quantification”. Van den Heuvel went on to explain “We are confident that the fast methodology available for Bruker’s PIONA+ will begin to revolutionise the industry, in particular the spark-ignition fuel sector. Now, the PIONA+ Analyser lets you take better control of a much larger proportion of the process”.