SULPHUR DETERMINATION METHOD IN HYDROCARBON FLUID Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC G01N23/223 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention is referred to a method for the determination of heavy sulphur compounds and molecular sulphur in a hydrocarbon fluid, in particular, in liquefied hydrocarbon gases (LPG), including natural gas liquids (NGL), and it may be used in the gas and oil industry providing an expanded range of usage for sulphur determination by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The method includes LPG sampling to a metal sampler preliminarily filled with absorption liquid partially, and LPG sampling is made up to filling the remaining space in the sampler at the pressure ensuring the presence of the sample in a liquid phase. Both liquids in the sampler are mixed up, LPG is evaporated by reducing the pressure in the sampler up to atmospheric pressure and maintaining the temperature of 20-25°C. The sampler is shaken up, the volume of the liquid with absorbed components is measured and a sample is taken to a measuring cell treated in an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and the total sulphur content is defined for this liquid. The content of sulphur compounds is also defined for this liquid by a chromatographic method. The content of molecular sulphur in the liquid with the absorbed components as well as the content of molecular sulphur in LPG is defined by calculations according to formulas.

EFFECT: expanded range of usage for the sulphur determination method in hydrocarbons fluids by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy due to the potential determination of molecular sulphur using this method for hydrocarbons fluids transiting to a gaseous or two-phase condition at a reduced pressure.

2 cl, 4 dwg, 2 ex