Analysis of Sulphur Components in Hydrocarbon Processing

The analysis of sulphur compounds in hydrocarbon streams is an important application for refineries worldwide to undertake and the PIONA+ Analyser from Bruker (USA) is the machine to do it. A highly flexible GC analysis platform, PIONA+ characterises hydrocarbon group types with unparalleled flexibility. Refinery laboratories worldwide are increasingly coming under more stringent clean fuel initiatives to provide accurate, reliable and robust real-time chemical quantification at low parts per billion (ppb) levels. This enables adjustments to optimise the refinery processes and to ensure the continuous compliance to specifications of its products before they are shipped. Sulphur within intermediate (aromatics, olefins and others) and final products can seriously affect the longevity and performance as a result of their corrosive and toxic properties causing loss of catalyst activity, chemical reactions, and the lowering of yields. The refining process used to reduce the levels of sulphur changes the overall chemical composition and reduces the lubricating properties of spark-ignition fuels, which in turn causes the corrosion and destruction.