Injectors

A gas chromatograph is composed of three elements an injector, a capillary column situated in an oven, and a detector. Among the several types of detectors including the well-known flame ionization detector (FID), the electron capture detector (ECD), and the specific nitrogen and phosphorus detector (NPD), the mass spectrometer tends to be favored above all because it is the only one to provide structural information on analyzed compounds and allow the quantification of compounds not separated by chromatography. 

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The necessity of carrying out injection at high pressure and the atomization into fine droplets using an injector imposes very precise volatility characteristics for the diesel fuel. French and European specifications have established two criteria for minimum and maximum volatility therefore, the distilled fraction in volume % should be ... 

This property should also be within precise limits. In fact, a too-viscous fuel increases pressure drop in the pump and injectors which then tends to diminish the injection pressure and the degree of atomization as well as affecting the process of combustion. Inversely, insufficient viscosity can cause seizing of the Injection pump. 

Gasoline engine equipment such as carburetors, injectors, intake manifolds, valve systems and combustion chambers, are subject to fouling by the fuel itself, the gases recycled from the crankcase, or even dust and particulates arriving with poorly filtered air. Three types of problems then result ... 

The level of injector fouling is most often illustrated in terms of residual flow (RF) expressed as a percentage of the flow under new conditions for a given needle lift. An RF on the order of 20% for a lift of 0.1 mm is a good compromise. This level may not be achieved with certain aromatic or naphthenic diesel fuels. The best recourse is then detergent additive addition. 

Flow measurements for diesel injectors under a pressure drop of 0.6 bar. 

Diesel engine injector fouling. Residual flow (RF) for different additive levels. ... 

The role of detergent additives is to maintain clean injectors so as to insure good distribution of diesel fuel in the cylinder. The structure of these compounds is similar to that of detergents for gasoline engine admission systems. Commercialized compounds are from the succinimide family (see Figure 9.1). 

Montagne, X., D. Merrier and J.-C. Guibet (1987), "Fouling of automotive diesel injectors. Test procedure, influence of composition of diesel oil and additives". SAE paper No. 87-2118, International fuels and lubricants meeting, Toronto, Ontario. 

The number of injectors required may be estimated in a similar manner, but it is unlikely that the exploration and appraisal activities will have included injectivity tests, of say water injection into the water column of the reservoir. In this case, an estimate must be made of the injection potential, based on an assessment of reservoir quality in the water column, which may be reduced by the effects of compaction and diagenesis. Development plans based on water injection or natural aquifer drive often suffer from lack of data from the water bearing part of the reservoir, since appraisal activity to establish the reservoir properties in the water column is frequently overlooked. In the absence of any data, a range of assumptions of injectivity should be generated, to yield a range of number of wells required. If this range introduces large uncertainties into the development plan, then appraisal effort to reduce this uncertainty may be justified. 

Steam is injected into a reservoir to reduce oil viscosity and make it flow more easily. This technique is used in reservoirs containing high viscosity crudes where conventional methods only yield very low recoveries. Steam can be injected in a cyclic process in which the same well is used for injection and production, and the steam is allowed to soak prior to back production (sometimes known as Huff and Puff). Alternatively steam is injected to create a steam flood, sweeping oil from injectors to producers much as in a conventional waterflood. In such cases it is still found beneficial to increase the residence (or relaxation) time of the steam to heat treat a greater volume of reservoir. 

Flow measurements using tracers are performed in all piping systems carrying oil, gas or water including separators, compressors, injector systems, and flares. Calibration of elsewhere difficult accessible flow meters is regularly performed by the tracer methods, which are based on international standards. Tracer flow measurements are also well suited for special purposes... 

Instead of shifting the detector position, as indicated in figure B2.5.1 one often varies the location of the reactant mixing region using moveable injectors. This allows complex, possibly slow, but powerfril, analytical teclmiques to be used for monitoring gas-phase reactions. In combination with mass-spectrometric detection. 

Schematic diagram of an injector for packed coiumn gas chromatography.

Schematic diagram of a loop injector in the (a) load and (b) inject positions.

In the load position the sampling loop is isolated from the mobile phase and is open to the atmosphere. A syringe with a capacity several times that of the sampling loop is used to place the sample in the loop. Any extra sample beyond that needed to fill the sample loop exits through the waste line. After loading the sample, the injector is turned to the inject position. In this position the mobile phase is directed through the sampling loop, and the sample is swept onto the column. 

One advantage of an HPLC analysis is that a loop injector often eliminates the need for an internal standard. Why is an internal standard used in this analysis What assumption(s) must we make about the internal standard ... 

Kovat s retention index (p. 575) liquid-solid adsorption chromatography (p. 590) longitudinal diffusion (p. 560) loop injector (p. 584) mass spectrum (p. 571) mass transfer (p. 561) micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (p. 606) micelle (p. 606) mobile phase (p. 546) normal-phase chromatography (p. 580) on-column injection (p. 568) open tubular column (p. 564) packed column (p. 564) peak capacity (p. 554)... 

Example of a single-channel manifold for use in flow injection analysis where R1 is a reagent reservoir P is the pump S is the sample I is the injector B is a bypass loop ... 

Injector The sample, typically 5-200 )J,L, is placed in the carrier stream by injection. Although syringe injections through a rubber septum are used, a more common means of injection is the rotary, or loop, injector used in ITPLC and shown in Figure 12.28 of Chapter 12. This type of injector provides reproducible injection volumes and is easily adaptable to automation, a feature that is particularly important when high sampling rates are desired. 

Two examples of dual-channel manifolds for use In flow Injection analysis where R1 and R2 are reagent reservoirs P Is the pump S Is the sample I Is the Injector B Is a bypass loop W Is waste C Is the mixing and reaction coll and D Is the detector. 

Loop injector Sample in Chromatographic Detector Recorder... 

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