ASTM International recently developed a new standard to determine the level of harmful organic chlorides that contaminate crude oil.
Organic chlorides, which do not occur naturally in crude oil but result from contamination through the disposal of chlorinated solvents used to dewax pipelines or through other equipment operations, can be damaging to refinery processes, causing corrosion of equipment and damage to catalysts in the refining process.
"Most trade contracts specify that no organic chloride can be present in crude oil," notes Jay Sheffer, product specialist at Metrohm. "Companies that produce, refine or transport crude oil and refined petroleum products may use this method for monitoring organic chloride levels in their products."
The new test method utilizes distillation followed by detection using combustion ion chromatography. Compared to ASTM D4929, this new detection technology is able to speciate the halides, detecting not only chloride but fluoride as well, to better trace potential sources of contamination.
The new standard (D8150) was developed by the elemental analysis subcommittee of ASTM International’s committee on petroleum products, liquid fuels and lubricants (D02).
The test method can be used for internal monitoring of processes and crude feedstocks. In addition, laboratories that specialize in providing contract testing support for producers may also benefit from this method.
For more information, visit www.astm.org.