GB2089834A - Odorant for odorization of odourless gaseous fuels - Google Patents

Odorant for odorization of odourless gaseous fuels Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2089834A
GB2089834A GB8138496A GB8138496A GB2089834A GB 2089834 A GB2089834 A GB 2089834A GB 8138496 A GB8138496 A GB 8138496A GB 8138496 A GB8138496 A GB 8138496A GB 2089834 A GB2089834 A GB 2089834A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
odorant
gas
mixture
odorization
mercaptan
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GB8138496A
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Magyar Asvanyolaj es Foldgaz Kiserleti Intezet
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Magyar Asvanyolaj es Foldgaz Kiserleti Intezet
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Publication of GB2089834A publication Critical patent/GB2089834A/en
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    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10LFUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
    • C10L3/00Gaseous fuels; Natural gas; Synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by subclass C10G, C10K; Liquefied petroleum gas
    • C10L3/003Additives for gaseous fuels
    • C10L3/006Additives for gaseous fuels detectable by the senses
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17DPIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D5/00Protection or supervision of installations
    • F17D5/02Preventing, monitoring, or locating loss
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01MTESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01M3/00Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
    • G01M3/02Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
    • G01M3/04Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
    • G01M3/20Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
  • Disinfection, Sterilisation Or Deodorisation Of Air (AREA)
  • Liquid Carbonaceous Fuels (AREA)

Abstract

Odorant mixtures for odorizing fuel gases comprise -30 to 70% of at least one C1-4 alkyl mercaptan, at least one di- (C1-2 alkyl)-sulfide, or any mixture of these substances, -0 to 60% of tetrahydrothiophene, and -10 to 30% of n-butyric acid, isobutyric acid, n-valeraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde or any mixture of these substances. The odorant mixtures can be added to fuel gases in ratios of 5 to 40 mg/Nm<3>.

Description

SPECIFICATION Odorant for odorization of odourless gaseous fuels The invention relates to an odorant for odorization of odourless gaseous fuels.
The qualitative and quantitative changes of gas production resulted in a need for odorization of gases.
Initially, fuel gas for common use was obtained by the gasification of coal. In this period one did not have to deal with odorization, since this coal-gas had a considerably strong, characteristic smell.
In the last few decades new technologies, such as methods based on the condensation of hydrocarbons under pressure and thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons, have become increasingly widespread in gas production, and the share of natural gas consumption increased simultaneously.
Natural gas and fuel gases produced by highly effective purification methods have no characteristic smell. Thus if such gases are fed into the grid or network, the escape of gas cannot be detected in due time, which involves the risk of serious damage. It is very important that everyone exposed to such risk could realize immediately the presence of gases. The artificial odorization of gases serves just this purpose, i.e. to attain the required safety when gases with less unpleasant smell are used.
Initially ethyl mercaptan was used as a general odorant of characteristic "gas smell"; attempts were made later to exclude the deficiencies of ethyl mercaptan, originating primarily from its reactivity, by applying tetrahydrothiophene (THT).
The research publication No. GC 1 78 of Gas Council reports on the deficiencies of odorization with THT, and describes four odorant mixtures with the following compositions: Colodorant F: crude dimethyl sulfide 90% mixture of mercaptans 10% Scentinel GT: ethyl-isopropyl sulfide 22% diethyl sulfide 48% other sulfides and disulfides 8% ethyl mercaptan 12% tert.-butyl mercaptan 6% other mercaptans 4% Odorant B: diethyl sulfide 82 v/v% ethyl mercaptan 12% tert.-butyl mercaptan 6% Odorant BC: diethyl sulfide 82 + 5 v/v% ethyl mercaptan 6 + 2% r 7 (Unless stated otherwise, the percentages are percents by weight).
Bulletin No. 525 of Phillips Petroleum Co. describes 23 odorants, which are mixtures containing tert.-butyl mercaptan, isopropyl mercaptan, n-propyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, sec.-butyl mercaptan and diethyl sulfide in varying ratios.
Published Japanese Patent Application No. 73-79.804 discloses an odorant consisting of 10-50% of butyric acid, 90-50% of ethyl acrylate and triethyl amine. This mixture is added to odorless fuel gases. Thus e.g. one of the odorants, consisting of 20% of butyric acid, 60% of ethyl acrylate and 20% of triethyl amine, is added to the gas in a concentration of 10 mg/m3.
US Patent Specification No. 3,404,971 describes a mixture for odorizing fuels. This mixture, consisting of ethyl thioglycol and a monomercaptane or a sulfide, is added to the gas together with a basic odorant, consisting of dimethyl sulfide and purified mercaptan. Natrural gas odorized in this way contains e.g. 30 mg/m3 (95%) of the basic odorant and 1.5 mg/m3 (5%) of ethyl thioglycol.
The odorant compositions described in published Japanese Patent Application No.
74-37.081 consist of 10-60% of one or more sulfur compound(s) boiling below 120"C and 90-40% of a paraffinic or naphthenic oil boiling below 120"C. One of these odorant mixtures contains e.g. 20% of a 9:1 mixture of ethyl thioether and ethyl mercaptan as odorizing component, together with 80% of a light oil fraction which distils at temperatures up to 100"C.
It is suggested to use 1 6 g of this mixture for odorizing 1 m3 of condensed propanebutane gas.
According to published Japanese Patent Application No. 76-126.004 mixtures of sulfur compounds and C47 aldehydes are applied as odorants for fuel gases. Thus e.g. 50b mg of a 40:60 mixture of butyl mercaptan and valeraldehyde are added to 1 kg of propane. 2 Methylvaleraldehyde is also applied for similar purposes.
Published Japanese Patent Application No. 76-23.502 discloses an odorant mixture for odorization of fuel gases, which comprises a compound of the general formula R-HC(SR1)2 (R, R, = methyl or ethyl) and a sulfur-containing odorant selected from mercaptans and sulfides.
Thus e.g. 25% of acetaldehyde-dimethyl mercaptan are admixed with 45% of ethyl mercaptan and 30% of methanol, and the mixture is dehydrated. This odorant is added to liquid propanebutane gas in a ratio of 40 mg/kg.
Although the odorants listed above are able to odorize fuel gases to an appropriate degree, some of them, however, do not have the well-known characteristic "gas smell" that the consumers had already got used to. A common disadvantage of these known odorants is that the higher hydrocarbons generally present in fuel gases, i.e. compounds containing 5 carbon atoms or more, suppress the usual odour, thus the gas will have only a weak hydrocarbon smell.
This involves the risk that the escape of gas cannot be observed in due time. Thus when the escaped gas accumulates in a closed space, explosions may occur. The analyses of several accidents also prove this fact.
Our aim was to elaborate an odorant which has the characteristic usual "gas smell" and does not differ in properties significantly from those applied so far, but resists the odour-suppressing effect of higher hydrocarbons.
The theoretical basis of the invention is the known rule that the odour characteristics of a mixture of substances, each having their own smell, are not proportionally composed of the odour characteristics of the individual components but may be different in character.
Accordingly, the odorant of the invention is a multicomponent mixture: it contains at least one C14 alkyl mercaptan (thiol) and/or at least one di-C,2 alkyl sulfide, together with n-butyric acid, isobutyric acid, n-valeraldehyde and/or isovaleraldehyde and optionally tetrahydrothiophene.
More particularly, the odorant according to the invention comprises -30 to 70% of at least one C14 alkyl mercaptan, at least one di-C,2 alkyl sulfide, or any mixture of these substances, -O to 60% of tetrahydrothiophene, and -10 to 30% of n-butyric acid, isobutyric acid, n-valeraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde or any mixture of these substances.
Thus e.g. a characteristic odorant mixture according to the invention consists of 30% of ethyl mercaptan, 10% of tert.-butyl mercaptan, 10% of dimethyl sulfide, 30% of tetrahydrothiophene and 20% of isovaleraldehyde. This mixture is added to the fuel gas e.g. in a ratio of 20 mg/m3.
The invention also relates to a method for odorizing fuel gases. According to the method of the invention 5 to 40 mg/Nm3 of the above odorant mixture is introduced into the gas to be odorized.
The odorant mixtures according to the invention can be applied to odorize fuel gases containing higher hydrocarbons as well, since they resist the smell-suppressing effects of these substances. At the same time, the odorant mixtures according to the invention have a characteristic odour which, in contrast to that of the mixtures described e.g. in published Japanese Patent Applications Nos.73-79.804 and 76-126.004 cited above, differs only insignificantly from the characteristic "gas smell" observable when applying ethyl mercaptan as odorant.
The resistance to heavier hydrocarbons was tested on three odorants. Ethyl mercaptan, the commonly used odorant, Scentinel E, the odorant recognized as the best one (produced by Phillips Petroleum Co.), and an odorant according to the invention were involved in the tests. In order to avoid prejudice coded samples were used in the tests.
A panel of 11 members, 6 men and 5 women, performed the tests by self-control. Their ages varied between 1 9 and 39 years, none of them suffered any nasal disorder, and none of them participated in such test before. Thus the panel represented the average population.
Gasoline, present in fuel gases, was applied as a model substance of heavier hydrocarbons, which fits the real conditions.
These tests revealed an antagonism between gasoline, representing the heavier hydrocarbons, and the odorants used. An increase in odour threshold could be observed in the presence of gasoline in all of the tests, the degree of increase was, however, different for the individual odorants. The increase in odour threshold was the lowest with the odorant according to the invention, which involves that this mixture is more resistant to the odour-suppressing effect of heavier hydrocarbons than ethyl mercaptan or Scentinel E. Thus the odorant according to the invention can be applied more effectively for odorization of fuel gases containing heavier hydrocarbons than the comparative substances tested.
The odorants were also tested for applicability under plant conditions. The tests were performed with natural gas and fuel gas obtained from the decomposition of petrol. The gas obtained from the decomposition of petrol was odorized originally with about 30 mg/m3 of ethyl mercaptan. This gas had only a "petrol smell". Upon introducing the odorant according to the invention, however, a characteristic, well realizable "gas smell" could be observed at all of the sampling points, which remained detectable even in the prescribed hundredfold dilution. Natural gas was odorized initially also with ethyl mercaptan, but its smell was suppressed by gasoline, an ordinary component of natural gas. The odorant according to the invention provided a good odour effect in this case as well.
The odorants according to the invention and their use are illustrated in detail in the following non-limiting Examples.
Example 1 The odorant consisted of 50% of ethyl mercaptan, 30% of tetrahydrothiophene and 20% of n- and/or iso-valeraldehyde. This mixture was added in a ratio of 20 mg/m3 to a fuel gas with strong hydrocarbon smell, originating from the decomposition and carbonization of petrol. The odorant suppressed the hydrocarbon smell and provided a well observable "gas smell".
Example 2 Odorization was performed as described in Example 1 with the difference that an odorant consisting of 50% of ethyl mercaptan, 30% of tetrahydrothiophene and 20% of n- and/or isobutyric acid was applied.
Example 3 Odorization was performed as described in Example 1 with the difference that an odorant consisting of 60% of ethyl mercaptan, 25% of tetrahydrothiophene and 15% of n- and/or isovaleraldehyde was applied.
Example 4 Odorization was performed as described in Example 1 with the difference that an odorant consisting of 60% of ethyl mercaptan, 25% of tetrahydrothiophene and 15% of n- and/or isobutyric acid was applied.
Example 5 The method described in each of Examples 1 to 4 was followed with the difference that the odorant was applied in a ratio of 1 6 mg/3.
Example 6 Odorization was performed as described in Example 1 with the differece that an odorant consisting of 50% of tert.-butyl mercaptan, 30% of tetrahydrothiophene and 20% of n-and/or iso-valeraldehyde was applied.
Example 7 The method described in each of Examples 2 to 5 was followed with the difference that tert.butyl mercaptan was substituted for ethyl mercaptan in all of the odorants.
Example 8 The odorant described in Example 1 was added to natural gas in a ratio of 20 mg/m3. The gas containied 0.8% by volume of gasoline, therefore it had only a hydrocarbon smell upon conventional odorization. The odorant according to the invention suppressed the hydrocarbon smell, and a characteristic 'gas smell' could be observed.
Example 9 The method described in each of Examples 1 to 7 was also applied for the odorization of natural gas.
Example 10 The method described in each of Examples 1 to 7 was applied for the odorization of fuel gas containing 0 to 1.8% by volume of heavy hydrocarbons and/or gasoline.
Example 11 The method described in each of the preceding Examples was repeated with the difference that ethyl mercaptan or tert.-butyl mercaptan was replaced in the odorant by mixtures of C14 alkyl mercaptans, mixtures of di-(C,2 alkyl)-sulfides or mixtures of the above mercaptans and sulfides, respectively.

Claims (4)

1. An odorant for odorizing fuel gases, which comprises -30 to 70% of at least one C14 alkyl mercaptan, at least one di-(C, 2 alkyl)-sulfide, or any mixture of these substances, -O to 60% of tetrahydrothiophene, and - 1 0 to 30% of n-butyric acid, isobutyric acid, n-valeraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde or any mixture of these substances.
2. A method for odorizing gaseous fuels, characterized by introducing 5 to 40 mg/Nm3 of the odorant defined in claim 1 into the gas.
3. An odorant for odorizing fuel gases as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described in any one of the Examples.
4. A gaseous fuel when odorized by a method as claimed in claim 2.
GB8138496A 1980-12-23 1981-12-22 Odorant for odorization of odourless gaseous fuels Withdrawn GB2089834A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
HU310180 1980-12-23

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GB2089834A true GB2089834A (en) 1982-06-30

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DD (1) DD201913A5 (en)
DE (1) DE3151215A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2496838A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2089834A (en)
IT (1) IT1200582B (en)
NL (1) NL8105764A (en)
PL (1) PL234385A1 (en)
RO (1) RO83520B (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6581404B2 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-06-24 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Refrigerant
US9587191B2 (en) 2013-10-01 2017-03-07 Aygaz Anonim Sirketi Sulphur-free gas odorant

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5766276A (en) * 1989-06-27 1998-06-16 Radiamon S.A. Method for supplying natural gas to a catalytic burner and device for implementing said method
CH678972A5 (en) * 1989-06-27 1991-11-29 Confotec Sa
JP4333112B2 (en) 2002-10-11 2009-09-16 トヨタ自動車株式会社 Fuel cell system

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6581404B2 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-06-24 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Refrigerant
US6644064B2 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-11-11 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Refrigerant and refrigerating device
US9587191B2 (en) 2013-10-01 2017-03-07 Aygaz Anonim Sirketi Sulphur-free gas odorant

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2496838B3 (en) 1983-10-28
PL234385A1 (en) 1982-08-16
FR2496838A1 (en) 1982-06-25
NL8105764A (en) 1982-07-16
IT1200582B (en) 1989-01-27
DD201913A5 (en) 1983-08-17
RO83520B (en) 1984-08-30
IT8125750A0 (en) 1981-12-22
DE3151215A1 (en) 1982-07-15
RO83520A (en) 1984-06-21

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