Sulphur Analysis in Petroleum Products by Benchtop WDXRF 

Rigaku (USA) is pleased to announce the publication of a new application report on Sulphur Analysis in Petroleum Products by Benchtop WDXRF. Application Note #5043 describes the performance of the new Rigaku Supermini 200, the world’s only benchtop WDXRF spectrometer and the latest in a series of revolutionary compact wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) systems from Rigaku. The report details the analysis of sulphur with complete information regarding sample preparation, method calibration and repeatability.

Sulphur is a critical element in the petroleum refinery process and in its final products. Since sulphur in petroleum-based fuels contributes to atmospheric pollution, its concentration, especially in automobile fuels, is strictly controlled. Sulphur also causes damage to components in refinery processes, impacting both environmental quality and production costs.

One of the benefits of using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for quantitative analysis of sulphur in petroleum products is its simple sample preparation requirements. Application Note XRF5043 demonstrates quantitative analysis of sulphur in petroleum products, according to American Society for Testing and Materials Method: ASTM D2622-10, on the Supermini 200.

The Supermini 200 features a unique air-cooled 200 W X-ray tube, two detectors, programmable environments of vacuum or helium, and three analysing crystals. It can analyse elements from fluorine to uranium and is designed specifically to deliver excellent performance while eliminating typical installation requirements, such as cooling water, special power supplies, and large floor space, combining all of the advantages of traditional WDXRF elemental analysis systems in a smaller, more economical package.

For this method, measurements were performed on the Supermini200 using a PET analysing crystal, included in the standard crystals, with the X-ray tube operating at 50 kV and 4.0 mA. The counting time for low sulphur concentration was 300 seconds for peak and 150 seconds for background; for high sulphur concentration, 50 seconds and 25 seconds. The results detailed in the report show that sulphur in petroleum products can be routinely analysed in both low and high concentrations, with excellent accuracy, sensitivity and repeatability using the benchtop WDXRF Supermini 200 with minimal site requirements.