An overview of the standard methods for hydrocarbon type detection of fuels

Generally, burning fossil fuels release large amounts of harmful air pollutants such as carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the air. Consequently, detection of feedstock’s and petroleum products’ specification could be essential to utilize the appropriate fuel. The detection of hydrocarbon types provides an insight to predict their performance. There are different gas chromatography based methods to identify the amount of aromatics, naphthenes, olefins and paraffins in the petroleum cuts. This investigation reviews the standard methods to compare the interfering substances, benefits and drawbacks of methods and their precision. Confirming the results of some methods need considering whole physical and chemical parameters as well as monitoring and verifying the method with higher sensitivity. Somewhat, the operative method should be selected regarding the precision of the method and considering the implications of inaccurate measurements. The identification of components contain some compromises and the best results are achievable just by conducting the optimum amounts of effective parameters, for instance the length and polarity of column or temperature programs in gas chromatography methods.