ASTM_D_6159_-_17.pdf

Designation:D615917Standard Test Method forDetermination of Hydrocarbon Impurities in Ethylene by GasChromatography1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6159;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This test method covers the determination of methane,ethane,propane,propene,acetylene,iso-butane,propadiene,butane,trans-2-butene,butene-1,isobutene,cis-2-butene,methyl acetylene and 1,3-butadiene in high-purity ethylene.The purity of the ethylene can be calculated by subtracting thetotal percentage of all impurities from 100.00%.Since this testmethod does not determine all possible impurities such as CO,CO2,H2O,alcohols,nitrogen oxides,and carbonyl sulfide,aswell as hydrocarbons higher than decane,additional tests maybe necessary to fully characterize the ethylene sample.1.2 Data are reported in this test method as ppmV(parts permillion by gaseous volume)and ppmMol(parts per millionMol).This test method was evaluated in an interlaboratorycooperative study in the concentration range of 4 ppmV to340 ppmV(2 mgkg to 204 mg kg).The participants in theinterlaboratory cooperative study reported the data in non-SIunits.Wherever possible,SI units are included.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D2504 Test Method for Noncondensable Gases in C2andLighter Hydrocarbon Products by Gas ChromatographyD2505 Test Method for Ethylene,Other Hydrocarbons,andCarbon Dioxide in High-Purity Ethylene by Gas Chroma-tographyD5234 Guide for Analysis of Ethylene Product3.Summary of Test Method3.1 A gaseous ethylene sample is analyzed as received.Thegaseous sample is injected into a capillary gas chromatograph.Sample may be introduced by direct valve injection or by splitvalve injection.The gas chromatograph is provided with a6-port sampling valve and two wide bore capillary columnsconnected in series.These columns are a dimethyl polysilox-ane column and a porous layer open tubular column(PLOT)Al2O3/KCl column.(See Note 1.)Aflame ionization detector isused for detection.The integrated detector signal(peak areas)are corrected for detector response.The hydrocarbon impuri-ties are determined and the total impurities are used todetermine the ethylene content.NOTE1This column is supplied by major column manufacturers.4.Significance and Use4.1 High-purity ethylene is required as a feedstock for somemanufacturing processes and the presence of trace amounts ofcertain hydrocarbon impurities can have deleterious effects.This test method is suitable for setting specifications,for use asan internal quality control tool,and for use in development orresearch work.4.2 This test method does not detect such impurities as H2O,CO,CO2,and alcohols that may be present in the sample.Hydrocarbons higher than n-decane cannot be analyzed by thistest method,if present in the sample.Test Method D2504addresses the analysis of noncondensable gases and TestMethod D2505 addresses the analysis of CO2.Guide D5234describes all potential impurities present in ethylene.Thesestandards should be consulted when determining the totalconcentration of impurities in ethylene.5.Apparatus5.1 Gas Chromatograph(GC),a gas chromatographic in-strument provided with a temperature programmable columnoven and a flame ionization detector(FID).Carrier gas isregulated by pressure control.5.2 DetectorA flame ionization detector(FID)having asensitivity of approximately 2.0 ppmV(1.2 mg kg)or less forthe compounds listed in 1.1.An FID was exclusively used inthe interlaboratory cooperative study.1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D02 onPetroleum Products,Liquid Fuels,and Lubricants and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee D02.D0.02 on Ethylene.Current edition approved Jan.1,2017.Published February 2017.Originallyapproved in 1997.Last previous edition approved in 2012 as D6159 97(2012).DOI:10.1520/D6159-17.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guid