Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons. (HS code(s): 2711); Fuels (ICS code(s): 75.160), Natural Gas, Gaseous Fuels.

DUS 2529:2022, Standard Test Method for Simultaneous Measurement of Sulfur Compounds and Minor Hydrocarbons in Natural Gas and Gaseous Fuels by Gas Chromatography and Atomic Emission Detection, First Edition

This Draft Uganda Standard is for the determination of volatile sulfur-containing compounds and minor hydrocarbons in gaseous fuels including components with higher molar mass than that of propane in a high methane gas, by gas chromatography (GC) and atomic emission detection (AED). Hydrocarbons include individual aliphatic components from C4 to C6, aromatic components and groups of hydrocarbons classified according to carbon numbers up to C12 at least, such as C6-C7, C7-C8, C8-C9 and C9-C 10, etc. The detection range for sulfur and carbon containing compounds is approximately 20 to 100 000 picograms (pg). This is roughly equivalent to 0.04 to 200 mg/m3 sulfur or carbon based upon the analysis of a 0.25 mL sample.

This test method describes a GC-AED method employing a specific capillary GC column as an illustration for natural gas and other gaseous fuel containing low percentages of ethane and propane. Alternative GC columns and instrument parameters may be used in this analysis optimized for different types of gaseous fuel, provided that appropriate separation of the compounds of interest can be achieved.

This test method does not intend to identify all individual sulfur species. Unknown sulfur compounds are measured as mono-sulfur containing compounds. Total sulfur content of a sample can be found by summing up sulfur content present in all sulfur species. This method is not a Detailed Hydrocarbon Analysis (DHA) method and does not intend to identify all individual hydrocarbon species. Aliphatic hydrocarbon components lighter than n-hexane, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, m,p-xylenes and o-xylene (BTEX) are generally separated and identified individually. Higher molar mass hydrocarbons are determined as groups based on carbon number, excluding BTEX. The total carbon content of propane and higher molar mass components in a sample can be found by summing up carbon content present in all species containing carbon.