ASTM D5291-01

An American National Standard
Designation: D 5291 – 01
Standard Test Methods for
Instrumental Determination of Carbon, Hydrogen, and
1
Nitrogen in Petroleum Products and Lubricants
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 5291; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope D 6299 Practice for Applying Statistical Quality Assurance
Techniques to Evaluate Analytical Measurement System
1.1 These test methods cover the instrumental determination
3
Performance
of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen in laboratory samples of
petroleum products and lubricants. Values obtained represent
3. Summary of Test Methods
the total carbon, the total hydrogen, and the total nitrogen.
3.1 In these test methods, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen
1.2 These test methods are applicable to samples such as
are determined concurrently in a single instrumental procedure.
crude oils, fuel oils, additives, and residues for carbon and
With some systems, the procedure consists of simply weighing
hydrogen and nitrogen analysis. These test methods were
a portion of the sample, placing the portion in the instrument,
tested in the concentration range of at least 75 to 87 mass % for
and initiating the (subsequently automatic) analytical process.
carbon, at least 9 to 16 mass % for hydrogen, and <0.1 to 2
In other systems, the analytical process, to some degree, is
mass % for nitrogen.
manually controlled.
1.3 The nitrogen test method is not applicable to light
3.2 The actual process can vary substantially from instru-
materials or those containing <0.75 mass % nitrogen, or both,
ment to instrument, since a variety of means can be utilized to
such as gasoline, jet fuel, naphtha, diesel fuel, or chemical
effect the primary requirements of the test methods. All
solvents.
satisfactory processes provide for the following:
1.4 These test methods are not recommended for the analy-
3.2.1 The conversion of the subject materials (in their
sis of volatile materials such as gasoline, gasoline-oxygenate
entirety) to carbon dioxide, water vapor, and elemental nitro-
blends, or gasoline type aviation turbine fuels.
gen, respectively, and
1.5 The results of these tests can be expressed as mass %
3.2.2 The subsequent, quantitative determination of these
carbon, hydrogen or nitrogen.
gases in an appropriate gas stream.
1.6 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the
3.3 The conversion of the subject materials to their corre-
standard.
sponding gases takes place largely during combustion of the
1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the
sample at an elevated temperature in an atmosphere of purified
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
oxygen. Here, a variety of gaseous materials are produced,
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
including the following:
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
3.3.1 Carbon dioxide from the oxidation of organic and
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
elemental carbon,
2. Referenced Documents 3.3.2 Hydrogen halides from organic halides (and organic
hydrogen, as required),
2.1 ASTM Standards:
3.3.3 Water vapor from the oxidation of (the remaining)
D 4057 Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and
2
organic hydrogen and the liberation of moisture,
Petroleum Products
3.3.4 Nitrogen and nitrogen oxides from the oxidation of
D 4177 Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and
2
organic nitrogen, and
Petroleum Products
3.3.5 Sulfur oxides from the oxidation of organic sulfur. In
some systems, sulfurous and sulfuric acids can also be obtained
1
These test methods are under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D02 on
from a combination of the sulfur oxides and the water vapor.
Petroleum Products and Lubricants and are the direct responsibility of Subcommit-
3.4 There are several accepted ways of isolating the desired
tee D02.03.0B on Spectrometric Methods.
Current edition approved Nov. 10, 2001. Published January 2002. Originally
published as D 5291 – 92. Last previous edition D 5291 – 96.
2 3
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 05.02. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 05.04.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
1

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
D 5291
gaseous products and quantitatively determining them. These concentration can be used to predict performance. Some
are as follows: petroleum products also contain naturally occurring nitrogen.
4
3.4.1 Test Method A —From the combustion product gas Knowledge of hydrogen content in samples is helpful in
stream, oxides of sulfur are removed with calcium oxide in the addressing their performance characteristics. Hy
...