Determination of Total Sulfur Content in Fuels: A Comprehensive and Metrological Review Focusing on Compliance Assessment

Sulfur-containing compounds are naturally found in crude oil, and they can be partially removed during the refining process. The wide use of fossil fuels has a significant contribution to sulfur emissions into the atmosphere, and Governments are striving to reduce the amount of the fuels by environmental regulations. The reduction of sulfur levels in diesel and other transportation fuels is beneficial from economic and environmental points, but meeting this standard represents a major operational and economic challenge for the oil and gas industry. Quantitative measurement of the sulfur amount must be taken along the oil refining chains guided by standards of measurement and recommended analytical methods such as various American Society for Testing and Materials methods (ASTM D2622, ASTM D5453, ASTM D7039, and ASTM D7220). Advancement in the refining processes and environmental regulations also require reliable measurements and well-defined criteria for compliance assessment. This work presented a brief review of the ASTM Standards used in the laboratories of the Brazilian oil and gas industry to determine the total sulfur content in fuels. We also presented an approach based on the reproducibility of the measurement methods and the guard band concept to evaluate the conformity statement.

含硫化合物天然存在于原油中，可在炼油过程中被部分脱除。化石燃料的广泛使用是大气硫排放的重要来源，各国政府正通过环境法规管控燃料使用量以降低硫排放。降低柴油及其他交通燃料中的硫含量兼具经济与环境效益，但达到该标准对油气行业而言是一项重大的运营与经济挑战。炼油全流程必须依据计量标准与推荐分析方法开展硫含量定量检测，其中包括多项美国材料与试验协会（American Society for Testing and Materials）标准方法，如ASTM D2622、ASTM D5453、ASTM D7039及ASTM D7220。炼油工艺的进步与环境法规的更新，同样要求检测结果具备可靠性，并需明确合规评估的判定标准。本研究简要综述了巴西油气行业实验室中用于检测燃料总硫含量的ASTM标准。本研究还提出了一种基于检测方法重现性与警戒带（guard band）概念的合规性声明评估方法。