Chapter 8 The sulfur chemiluminescence detector

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a sulfur chemiluminescence detector (SCD). Many analytic techniques have been developed for the measurement of the sulfur content of petroleum and petroleum products. These techniques include methods for the determination of total sulfur content, including X-ray fluorescence, coulometric and radiometric techniques, and chromatographic techniques, which permit the quantification of individual sulfur-containing compounds. The most widely used chromatographic technique is gas chromatography (GC), which is usually coupled with sulfur-selective detectors. The combustion of sulfur compounds in a hydrogen-rich flame produces a number of different sulfur species, including H2S, HS, S, and S2, with ratios of the various species determined by the fuel/air ratio and other factors. Sulfur monoxide (SO) is one of the major species formed in the combustion of sulfur compounds in reducing flames and is present at 10 times higher concentration than atomic sulfur. In the study discussed in the chapter, SO went through a chemiluminescent reaction with ozone. Emission in the blue and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum was observed from the emission of electronically excited SO2 formed from the reaction of SO with O3. The SCD combines these reactions to provide sensitive and selective detection of sulfur compounds.