Comparison of Spectrometric Techniques for the Analysis of Liquid Gas Turbine Fuels

High-temperature corrosion and fuel system fouling are major concerns that confront gas turbine users. Fuel treatment is a critical requirement for gas turbine operators burning alternative fuels, and even so-called “clean fuels.” Spectrometric fuel analysis is used to determine the amount of treatment required as well as the efficiency of the treatment. In most cases, analytical techniques developed by chemists for use in laboratory environments have been adopted for field use. This paper describes the various spectrometric techniques available to the gas turbine user to analyze fuels for contaminants such as sodium, potassium, vanadium, lead, calcium, silicon, etc., and additives such as magnesium compounds. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and various atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) techniques will be discussed and compared.