Standards Development

Scope

This International Standard describes the two procedures by four sampling apparatus and the precautions to be taken in drawing representative samples of ethylene in the liquid phase stored at -100 degrees C and in the gaseous phase, for the purpose of their analysis.

Purpose

Ethylene is one of the greatest products in the petrochemical industry, and the yield of ethylene indicates the level of the development of the petrochemical industry in a country. Ethylene is the most important basic raw materials of petrochemical industry, and extensively used in the manufacture of synthetic resins, rubbers, fibers and fine chemicals. According to IHS Market's handbook of Ethylene 2020, the global production capacity for ethylene in 2019 were reported to be 189 million tons, and over the past five years, it has grown at an average rate of 3.3% per year.

International standards for ethylene are playing important roles in ensuring product quality and facilitating global trade of ethylene. Sampling technique, as an essential prerequisite for accurate analysis, largely influences the manufacture and quality control of ethylene. While recently, the vast and growing ethylene market is facing with increasing challenges as the demand for environmental protection and for the requirements of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) aspects. However, the ISO standards for ethylene sampling: ISO 7382, has never been revised since published in 1986 and can’t meet the current technical and HSE requirements.

The current standard has 3 major problems that need to be revised. First, ISO 7382 only have nonclosed sampling which would cause emission of olefin chemicals during sampling. As the requirements level of HSE has increased, “closed sampling” has become more popular around the world nowadays and has been adopted by many countries.

Second, some of the purging procedures for sampling cylinder and connecting pipes are improper. This can lead to accumulation of heavy components at the bottom of sampling cylinder, and cause inaccuracy of the results.

Third, no passivation treatment for containers and pipes is provided and this would affect the determination of trace polar compounds, such as methanol and sulfide in ethylene. Moreover, current sampling standard is still referenced by ISO 8174 for sampling to determine the content of polar compounds.

Therefore in our proposal we would like to address the above problems. Closed sampling is recommended as an alternative to better satisfy HSE requirements. The purging procedure is also revised to avoid the accumulation to guarantee the accuracy of analytical results. And sample containers passivated with non-reactive and non-absorptive materials are added.

By revising the international standard, on the one hand, ISO 7382 can keep up to date with technological trends, largely improve the reliability of the samples and accuracy of the analytical results, and better serve quality control of ethylene product. On the other hand, it can normalize sampling technique for industrial use, meet current environmental protection and HSE requirements and facilitate international trade. 

Ethylene is one of the greatest products in the petrochemical industry, and the yield of ethylene indicates the level of the development of the petrochemical industry in a country. Ethylene is the most important basic raw materials of petrochemical industry, and extensively used in the manufacture of synthetic resins, rubbers, fibers and fine chemicals. According to IHS Market's handbook of Ethylene 2020, the global production capacity for ethylene in 2019 were reported to be 189 million tons, and over the past five years, it has grown at an average rate of 3.3% per year.

International standards for ethylene are playing important roles in ensuring product quality and facilitating global trade of ethylene. Sampling technique, as an essential prerequisite for accurate analysis, largely influences the manufacture and quality control of ethylene. While recently, the vast and growing ethylene market is facing with increasing challenges as the demand for environmental protection and for the requirements of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) aspects. However, the ISO standards for ethylene sampling: ISO 7382, has never been revised since published in 1986 and can’t meet the current technical and HSE requirements. The current standard has 3 major problems that need to be revised. First, ISO 7382 only have nonclosed sampling which would cause emission of olefin chemicals during sampling. As the requirements level of HSE has increased, “closed sampling” has become more popular around the world nowadays and has been adopted by many countries.

Second, some of the purging procedures for sampling cylinder and connecting pipes are improper. This can lead to accumulation of heavy components at the bottom of sampling cylinder, and cause inaccuracy of the results.

Third, no passivation treatment for containers and pipes is provided and this would affect the determination of trace polar compounds, such as methanol and sulfide in ethylene. Moreover, current sampling standard is still referenced by ISO 8174 for sampling to determine the content of polar compounds.

Therefore in our proposal we would like to address the above problems. Closed sampling is recommended as an alternative to better satisfy HSE requirements. The purging procedure is also revised to avoid the accumulation to guarantee the accuracy of analytical results. And sample containers passivated with non-reactive and non-absorptive materials are added.

By revising the international standard, on the one hand, ISO 7382 can keep up to date with technological trends, largely improve the reliability of the samples and accuracy of the analytical results, and better serve quality control of ethylene product. On the other hand, it can normalize sampling technique for industrial use, meet current environmental protection and HSE requirements and facilitate international trade.