ASTM_D_4059_-_00_2018.pdf

Designation:D405900(Reapproved 2018)Standard Test Method forAnalysis of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Insulating Liquidsby Gas Chromatography1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4059;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.Scope1.1 This test method describes a quantitative determinationof the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs)inelectrical insulating liquids by gas chromatography.It alsoapplies to the determination of PCB present in mixtures knownas askarels,used as electrical insulating liquids.1.2 The PCB mixtures known as Aroclors2were used in theformulation of the PCB-containing askarels manufactured inthe United States.This test method may be applied to thedetermination of PCBs in insulating liquids contaminated byeither individual Aroclors or mixtures of Aroclors.This tech-nique may not be applicable to the determination of PCBs fromother sources of contamination.1.3 The precision and bias of this test method have beenestablished only for PCB concentrations in electrical insulatingmineral oils and silicones.The use of this test method has notbeen demonstrated for all insulating fluids.Some insulatingliquids,such as halogenated hydrocarbons,interfere with thedetection of PCBs and cannot be tested without pretreatment.1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.5 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,health,and environmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.1.6 This international standard was developed in accor-dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-ization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recom-mendations issued by the World Trade Organization TechnicalBarriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D923 Practices for Sampling Electrical Insulating Liquids3.Symbols3.1 The following symbols are used in this test method:Cconcentration of PCB(ppm by weight)in the insulating test specimen.Ciconcentration of PCB(ppm by weight)found for the peak,i,in thechromatogram of the insulating liquid test specimen.ddensity of the test specimen at 25C,g/mL.firelative content of the PCB species associated with each individualpeak,i,in the chromatogram of the standard Aroclor solution,%.Mtotal amount of PCB in the standard test specimen injected into thechromatograph,g.Miamount of PCB represented by peak,i,in the chromatogram of thestandard Aroclor test specimen,g.Risresponse of the detector to PCB components with relative retentiontime,i,in the chromatograms of the standard,s,solutions,responsemay be expressed as peak height,peak area,or integrator counts.Rixresponse of the detector to PCB components with relative retentiontime,i,in the chromatogram of an unknown test specimen,may beexpressed as peak height,peak area,or integrator counts.Rpsresponse of the detector to PCB components in the largest or mostcleanly separated peaks,p,in chromatograms of standard solutions;may be expressed as peak height,peak area,or integrator counts.Rpxresponse of the detector to PCB components in the largest or mostcleanly separated peaks,p,in the chromatogram of an unknown testspecimen contaminated by a single Aroclor;may be expressed inpeak height,peak area,or integrator counts.svolume of the standard test specimen injected into thechromatograph,L.xvolume of the unknown test specimen injected into thechromatograph,L.Voriginal volume of the test specimen to be analyzed,L.Vstotal volume of the diluted standard,mL.Vxtotal volume of the test specimen to be analyzed,L.Wxweight of the test specimen to be analyzed,g.Wsweight of the initial standard Aroclor test specimen,g.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 The test specimen is diluted with a suitable solvent.Theresulting solution is treated by a procedure to remove interfer-ing substances after which a small portion of the resultingsolution is injected into a gas chromatographic column.Thecomponents are separated as they pass through the column with1This test method is under the jurisdiction of Committee D27 onElectricalInsulating Liquids and Gasesand is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeD27.03 on Analytical Tests.Current edition approved Dec.1,2018.Published December 2018.Originallypublished as a proposal.Last previous edition approved in 2010 as D4059 00(2010).DOI:10.1520/D4059-00R18.2Registered trademark of Monsanto Co.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceas