Sulfur Content in Petroleum Products

Description

Determination of sulfur mass fraction by X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) method for environmental compliance and protection of exhaust aftertreatment systems.

Sulfur is the main enemy of the environment and modern engines. Its excess in fuel or base oil leads to the formation of aggressive sulfuric acid during combustion, rapid depletion (drop in base number) of motor oil, and instant failure of expensive catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters (DPF). Sulfur content analysis at the RENA laboratory is the fastest and most accurate way to check whether your diesel fuel meets strict Euro-5 standards or to evaluate the quality of crude oil before refining. The test is performed using the advanced Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry method according to ASTM D4294. A sample of the petroleum product is placed in a special disposable cup, the bottom of which is covered with an ultra-thin, X-ray transparent polymer film, and placed into the spectrometer chamber. The instrument irradiates the sample with a beam of primary X-rays from an X-ray tube. This irradiation excites the sulfur atoms in the sample, causing them to emit their own secondary (fluorescent) X-rays at a specific wavelength. A sensitive solid-state detector measures the intensity of this secondary radiation, which is strictly directly proportional to the concentration of sulfur atoms. The method does not require burning the sample (it is non-destructive) and provides the highest accuracy in the range from a few ppm to high percentages.