Assessment of the Equivalence of Methods for the Determination of the Vapor Pressure of Oil and Oil Products

Abstract

Current regulatory documents in Russia establish the need for testing laboratories to determine such parameters as saturated vapor pressure using the Reid method, air saturated vapor pressure, total vapor pressure of crude oil. In analytical practice, appropriate reference materials are used for measurement quality control, method validation, metrological traceability establishment, and other purposes. In addition, the calculation of various vapor pressure equivalents using correlation equations (DVPE – dry vapor pressure equivalent, RVPE – Reid vapor pressure equivalent, etc.) is regulated by appropriate methods for determining vapor pressure. Vapor pressure is a method-dependent parameter; so many producers of reference materials use interlaboratory experiment as a way to establish a certified value. Thus, when conducting an interlaboratory experiment in the process of certification of reference materials, it was revealed that laboratories can incorrectly interpret the obtained experimental data – consider values of the air saturated vapor pressure, total vapor pressure and even calculated vapor pressure equivalents as the Reid vapor pressure. To solve this problem, the authors of this work set the goal of assessing the equivalence of methods for determining the vapor pressure of oil and oil products used in testing laboratories in order to identify the key characteristics of the stated methods and assess their equivalence. The article discusses methods the vapor pressure determination using an automatic vacuum chamber and a Reid bomb. Various matrices of reference materials (hydrocarbons, gasoline, commercial oil, gas condensate) were investigated, and the calculated vapor pressure equivalents were obtained and compared. It was shown that the air saturated vapor pressure, dry vapor pressure equivalent, Reid vapor pressure equivalent, and total vapor pressure cannot be equated to the saturated vapor pressure values determined by the Reid method. A comparative assessment of methods for determining the vapor pressure of oil and oil products used in testing laboratories can be of assistance to developers of regulatory documents for oil, gas condensate, and motor gasoline, revealing the need to separate the requirements for vapor pressure parameters of the considered objects of analysis and providing empirical material.