Kemtrak photometers have many uses throughout a refinery where precise in-line concentration measurements of liquids and gasses are required.

Kemtrak photometers use industrial grade fiber optics (steel jacketing) to pipe light from the analyzer to an industry standard flowcell manifold. All Kemtrak manifolds can be certified for explosive environments (ATEX group I). No heat or electricity is anywhere near the sampling point allowing safe operation in even the most hazardous of environments.

Efficient process control using in-line photometry can reduce environmental emissions and running costs. From a better understanding of the process, maintenance costs and downtime can also be reduced.

Petrochemical applications include:

• Color measurement (ASTM Saybolt)
• Crude carryover detection
• Interface detection
• Water in fuel

Petrochemical color measurements of liquids are a vital part of many operations where precise process control and high product quality standards are desired.

Color measurements are commonly used for number of purposes, including:

• color addition control
• color after distillation
• color in paraffin
• color removal control - optimize filtration or ion beds used to strip color
• color avoidance - leak & contamination detection
• diesel oil inking
• fuel color

A common color scale used in the petrochemical industry is the Saybolt (ASTM) color scale. The Saybolt (ASTM) color scale covers the determination of the color of refined oils such as undyed motor and aviation gasoline, jet propulsion fuels, naphthas and kerosene, and, in addition, petroleum waxes and pharmaceutical white oils.

The Kemtrak DCP007 in-line photometer can instantly detect minute changes in color that is beyond the sensitivity of the human eye and will furthermore eliminate operator interpretation errors.

The Kemtrak DCP007 photometer uses an absorbing wavelength to measure minute color changes in the process medium, while a second reference wavelength that is not absorbed by the process medium compensates for turbidity and/or fouling of the optical windows. The resulting measurements are very accurate with low drift and long-term calibration stability.

ASTM, Saybolt color information sheet

If two phases have any difference in either turbidity or absorbance between 250nm and 2500nm, then they can be separated by a Kemtrak process photometer. By monitoring either the absorbance or turbidity at strategic points in the process, immediate detection of product-product or product-water interfaces can be achieved. The benefits include:

• reduced product loss
• increased product quality
• faster product changeover
• reduced waste water contamination

The net benefit is a substantial cost reduction.

Kemtrak photometers are easy to install and require no maintenance. Use a Kemtrak DCP007 photometer for monitoring changes in color or a Kemtrak DCP007NIR for detecting any variation in the water or organic content between the phases. Please contact a Kemtrak sales representative for further information

The measurement of water in hydrocarbon solvents and gasses is an important measurement in the petrochemical industry. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for water analysis is common as NIR offers high sensitivity and measurements can be undertaken in-line providing immediate results.

A Kemtrak DCP007NIR photometer can be used for measuring water in oil, LNG and fuels such as petroleum and aviation gasoline.

Water has two regions of activity in the NIR region between 1000 - 2500nm. At 1400nm the O-H stretch in the water molecule is measured, while at 1900nm water has a unique peak due to a combination of O-H stretch and
H-O-H bending. The water peak at 1900 is about five times as large as the water peak at 1400.

The Kemtrak DCP007NIR photometer measures at two wavelengths. A primary wavelength is used to measure the water while a reference wavelength not influenced by water is used to compensate for the hydrocarbon background, turbidity, air bubbles and/or fouling.

Kemtrak offers a comprehensive range of flow-cell manifolds that can be certified for explosive environments (ATEX).