Chlorinated Compounds in Hydrocarbon Streams Using a Halogen Specific Detector (XSD)

There has been an increase in concern for the detection and removal of organic chloride species from crude aromatic, naphtha, and other hydrocarbon streams. One process called catalytic reforming uses organic chloride to condition the catalyst, which results in lowlevel chloride contamination downstream. This can take the form of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and organic chlorides. The chloride species can cause a number of problems in the various refining processes including formation and deposition of ammonium chloride, corrosion, poisoning of catalysts, and fouling of product. Since reformates and other aromatic and naphtha streams are used to make gasoline blending stock, aromatic bulk chemicals, and raw materials for plastics, determining and removing contaminants is essential. Chlorides can also be introduced by sample handling and equipment degreasers, so identifying the specific chlorinated species is important to pinpoint the source of the contamination. Analysis by the halogen specific detector (XSD) can be useful in the detection of organic chlorides. This detector offers advantages over other halogen selective detectors such as it contains no radioactive source, doesn’t use organic solvents, and is simple to operate. This application note will show a method for organic chloride analysis with a representative compound list with a calibration range of 0.1 to 10 ppm.