Measuring Total Naphthalene Hydrocarbons in Aviation Fuels by UV-Vis Spectroscopy

Significance of the Topic

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene impact soot production fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions in aviation engines Quantifying their concentration is essential for fuel quality assessment environmental compliance and combustion performance evaluation

Study Objectives and Overview

This study demonstrates a streamlined UV Vis spectroscopy workflow for measuring total naphthalene hydrocarbon content in three Jet A 1 samples using Agilent Cary 3500 and Cary UV Workstation software The aim is to develop a precise rapid and integrated method for routine fuel analysis

Methodology and Instrumentation

Samples were diluted in spectroscopic grade isooctane and transferred to quartz cuvettes The Cary 3500 Multicell UV Vis spectrophotometer collected absorbance spectra from 240 to 350 nanometers with 1 nanometer bandwidth 0.1 second averaging time and 1 nanometer data interval The multicell module enabled simultaneous measurement of up to seven samples Three custom calculations were configured in the software to compute absorbance at 285 nanometers mass percent and volume percent of naphthalenes

Instrumentation Used

Agilent Cary 3500 Multicell UV Vis spectrophotometer Agilent Cary UV Workstation version 1.6 Agilent quartz cuvettes 10 millimeter pathlength

Main Results and Discussion

Calculated volume percent of naphthalene hydrocarbons ranged from 1.00 to 1.36 percent across the three fuel samples Repeatability tests over twenty runs showed variation within ±0.18 to ±0.21 percent with absorbance standard deviations below 0.002 Reproducibility tests across a second instrument and operator yielded variation within ±0.24 to ±0.29 percent and standard deviations below 0.0012 These results confirm the method delivers high precision stability and consistency without offline calculations or data export

Benefits and Practical Applications

The integrated workflow eliminates manual data handling and accelerates method setup Users gain rapid quantitation of naphthalenes with reliable photometric accuracy The automated report generation in PDF and CSV formats streamlines quality control in fuel laboratories and supports regulatory compliance

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Advancements may include online inline monitoring of fuel streams expansion to other aromatic and polycyclic compounds and integration with chemometric models to predict combustion properties coupling with environmental sensor networks for real time emissions tracking

Conclusion

The described UV Vis spectroscopic approach using Agilent Cary 3500 and Cary UV Workstation provides a fast robust and precise solution for total naphthalene hydrocarbon analysis in aviation fuels Its reproducibility and ease of use make it suitable for routine fuel quality assessment and research applications

References

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3 ASTM International Standard Test Method for Naphthalene Hydrocarbons in Aviation Turbine Fuels by Ultraviolet Spectrophotometry ASTM D1840-24 ASTM Volume 05 01 Petroleum Products Liquid Fuels and Lubricants 2024 doi 10.1520 D1840-24
4 Yeh C-K Tzu F-M Chen P-Y Shen H-C Yuan C-S Lin C Pu H-P Ngo H-H Bui X-T Emission Characteristics of Naphthalene from Ship Exhausts Under Global Sulfur Cap Science of The Total Environment 2023 902 166172 doi 10.1016 j scitotenv 2023 166172
5 BP Australia Jet A-1 Safety Data Sheet 2024 Site retrieved from airbpmsds bp com 3075780 EN