Detection of drag reducing agents (DRAs) in fuels using laser induced fingerprints

To streamline the flow of liquid hydrocarbon fuels, e.g., gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels in distribution pipelines, calculated amounts of a polymer based Drag Reducing Agent (DRA) is often injected into the pipelines at the pump stations. The mixing of the polymer based DRA with the hydrocarbon fuel has the effect of decreasing the friction between the turbulent flow of the fuel and the walls of the pipelines, and in turn, leads to considerable reduction in the pipeline shipping costs. Thus, an effective and fast method for detecting traces of DRA in fuels is needed. The laser fingerprinting technology is very effective in detecting the DRA polymer. All tests show a systematic pattern change in the blank fuel fingerprint as the DRA concentration is increased. The technology is well established is able to detect DRA concentrations in the sub-level ppm range; The DRA polymer can be effectively washed out of gasoline pipelines by flushing with clean fuels. There is no alternative to measuring the spectral fingerprints of the original blank fuel samples along with those of the samples collected from the field to perform the comparison.