Clora

When measuring aromatics, precision and accuracy at low concentrations are critical. In this application note, XOS demonstrates how MWDXRF analyzers, particularly Clora, demonstrate excellent accuracy when measuring samples against microcoulometry.

Russia’s Druzhba Pipeline contamination case is a globally relatable example of the ill effects of organic chlorides in crude oil. This application note shows that though other methods are available, ASTM D4929C, GOST 33342, and similar XRF methods allow refineries to obtain organic chloride concentrations in crude oil with increased precision and efficiency.

In this application note, XOS discusses the most popular Clora benchtop and online procedures utilized by petroleum laboratories around the world to measure total chlorine for corrosion mitigation.

Monitoring chlorine for corrosion mitigation is critical during refining processes. In this application note, XOS demonstrates their range of benchtop and online chlorine analysis solutions, specifically the Clora®, Clora® 2XP, Sindie +Cl® and Clora® Online analyzer, designed to offer breakthrough analytical solutions for the determination of chlorine in liquid hydrocarbon samples such as aromatics, distillates and heavy fuels, and aqueous solutions.

X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, while widely used for total sulfur testing, has traditionally been an ineffective tool for the direct measurement of total chlorides in crude oil due to the settling effects of inorganic chloride salts during the measurement process. This settling leads to poor precision and an industry preference for other measurement or sample extraction techniques.

Corrosion at petroleum refineries is a critical problem all over the world. In the United States alone, NACE International, a professional association dedicated to reducing the economic impact of corrosion, has shown that $3.7 billion in direct costs are realized annually from maintenance, vessel expenditures, and fouling as a result of corrosion. This huge figure does not take into account the estimated loss of as much as $12 billion in profits due to decreased capacity, unit outages, and premature turnarounds that result from corrosion.

Refinery corrosion is a critical and very expensive problem. Leading refiners have found that by lowering the chloride content of desalted crude oil and process streams, they can significantly extend turnaround times, lower the costs of corrosion, and decrease related safety hazards.

On October 15, 2017, ASTM approved the addition of Procedure C to D4929 Standard Test Method for Determination of Organic Chloride Content in Crude Oil. Procedure C uses X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) to determine the chlorine content in the crude oil naphtha fraction. This is an important step forward, as users will be able to officially use XOS’ Clora, Clora 2XP, and Sindie +Cl analyzers for organic chloride analysis in crude oil without ASTM method modification.

Clora® is a compact analyzer to measure total chlorine in liquid hydrocarbons such as aromatics, distillates, heavy fuels, crude oils, and aqueous solutions. Clora delivers unprecedented accuracy and precision for petroleum and petrochemical applications where ease-of-use, reliability and measurement speed are critical.