Five key applications for the elemental analysis of petrochemical products are discussed in this report: From blending control of fresh lubricants and the control of additive packages to used oil analysis, sulfur in crude oil distillates as well as sulfur and other trace elements in crude oil and heavy fuel oil along with distillate burner fuels derived from waste mineral oils.
The new SPECTRO XEPOS was used for the analysis, and was set up with one single calibration to handle all of the petrochemical applications reported in this paper.
The excellent limit of detection (LOD) for sulfur (0.2 mg/kg) in combination with very long linear working ranges enabled an accurate determination of sulfur in all types of petrochemical products, ranging from gasoline up to fuel oil samples. By using a doubly curved HAPG crystal for monochromatization and polarization of the primary tube spectrum, in combination with direct excitation using Pd-K and Co-K radiation, the SPECTRO XEPOS attained a sensitivity that is unsurpassed for ED-XRF analysis and allowed an accurate trace element analysis for other applications such as used oil analysis, heavy fuel oil analysis, and recycled fuel oil analysis.
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