Since the creation of oil refining, a variety of treatment methods have been used to remove non-hydrocarbon impurities and other constituents. These compounds reduce the efficiency of the conversion processes and reduce the quality of the finished products. It is necessary to remove impurities from blending stocks in several processes such as treatment, drying and sweetening. There are many analytical methods used in industrial settings for the quantitative analysis of impurities, but not all are efficient and cost effective. Companies need methods that are fast, precise, versatile and virtually interference-free. One technique that fulfills these demands is the dry colorimetric method. This technique can measure at ultra-low detection ranges from parts per million (ppm), to parts per billion (ppb). In addition to meeting ultra-low-levels, it is considered safe and non-toxic. For the user, simple care as you would for household cleaners would suffice. The dry colorimetric method is a simple and easy way to measure impurities in reactions where hydrocarbons are used as reactants. This method is suited for elemental analysis as well as total analysis in process or in a laboratory setting depending on the application. Many chemical and petrochemical processes require expensive catalysts to materialize their final product, however, their catalyst can be destroyed by impurities or by-products contained in the reaction.
Dry Colorimetric Detector Technique to detect impurities in samples, is still the most widely used and reliable technique. It utilises an impinger to collect gas in a liquid medium. Chemical reagents are then added to the medium to cause it to change colour in proportion to the concentration of gas present. The resulting colour change is measured by a laboratory spectrophometer and compared to standards. While the Tape Detection System is extremely sensitive to its target gas, it is also very specific to that gas. It will not react to other substances (solvents, hydrocarbons, etc.) often found in process streams. Thus, expensive downtime due to false alarms is virtually eliminated.