VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY – VNU HCMC

HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY – VNU HCMC

FALCULTY OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

LABORATORY OF PROCESS SAFETY REPORT

REID VAPOR PRESSURE

Instructor: Dr. Phan Ho My Phuong

Group: 5 – Class: CC05

Students’ name and ID:

1. Trần Minh Mạnh (1952837) 2. Đặng Thành Nguyên (1952880)

3. Lữ Thành Thiên (1952124) 4. Nguyễn Bá Thức (1953005)

5. Tran Le Minh (1811086)

Academic year 2023 - 2024

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. OBJECTIVE..............................................................................................................................3

2. LABORATORY EQUIPMENT SYSTEM..............................................................................3

3. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND.........................................................................................4

4. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE................................................................................................4

4.1. Sampling:..............................................................................................................................4

4.2. Preparation............................................................................................................................5

4.3 Measurement.........................................................................................................................5

4.4. Preparation for next experiments.........................................................................................6

5. CALCULATION.......................................................................................................................7

6. DISCUSSION.............................................................................................................................8

Question 6.1. Describe the effect of temperature to the Reid vapor pressure............................8

Question 6.2. How to select the coolant which is used in the bath?...........................................9

Question 6.3. Why should the sample be chilled before doing the experiment?.......................9

REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................9
1. OBJECTIVE

- One of the most important parameters to build a process safety analysis model is vapor
pressure.

- This test method covers procedures for the determination of the vapor pressure of
gasoline, volatile crude oil, and other volatile substances. Vapor pressure is the pressure that the
vapor of a liquid exerts when it is in equilibrium with the liquid in a closed container at a
specified temperature. Vapor pressure is an important physical property of a liquid and is used in
a variety of applications, such as: storage and transportation equipment design, predicting the
behavior of liquids in chemical processes, predicting VOC (volatile organic compound)
emissions.

- The mentioned procedure is applicable to gasoline and other petroleum products with a
vapor pressure of less than 180 kPa (26 psi).

2. LABORATORY EQUIPMENT SYSTEM

Description of experimental equipment system:

 Figure 2.1. Experimental setup

Key Description mm in

A Vapor chamber. 254±3 10

B, C, D Vapor and gasoline chambers. 51±3 2

E Coupling, ID min. 4.7

F, G Coupling, OD. 12.7 ½

H Coupling, ID. 12.7 ½

I Valve 12.7 ½

J Valve 6.35 ¼

3. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

One of the important physical properties of volatile compounds is vapor pressure. The
Reid vapor pressure method is performed to determine the vapor pressure of petroleum products
at a temperature of 37.8°C (100°F) and having an initial boiling point of 0°C (100°F).

Vapor pressure of petroleum products plays an important role in the design of storage and
transport equipment, predicting the behavior of liquids in chemical processes, and predicting the
emissions of VOCs.

4. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE

4.1. Sampling:

The sample chamber is first filled with the sample that has been pre-cooled to reduce the
evaporation rate. After connecting to the vapor chamber, the entire apparatus is immersed in hot
water heated to 37.8°C (100°F) until a constant vapor pressure is observed.

Careful handling is required for the extremely volatile test sample.

 The sample container should be filled with the sample to a volume of 70-80%.

The measurement sample is cooled to 0-1°C using a refrigerator and dried with a paper
towel before being poured into the sample container.

Reid vapor pressure measurements can only be performed once on a given test specimen.
A new sample must be used for each subsequent measurement.

In all cases, cool the sample container and contents to 0-1°C (32-34°F) before the
container is opened.

4.2. Preparation

The assembled apparatus is immersed in a bath at 37.8°C (100°F) within at least 10

minutes and the distance from vapor chamber to the liquid surface of the bath should not be
lower than 25,4mm.

4.3 Measurement

Sample Transfer— Remove the apparatus from the heating bath, open the sample
container, and pour all of the old sample into the waste sample container. Turn the sample
container upside down until all of the old sample has been removed, then use a paper towel to
dry off all of the old sample. Place a funnel on the mouth of the sample container and pour the
new, chilled sample in until it reaches the mouth of the sample container, then remove the
funnel.

Assembly of Apparatus—After connecting the sample container to the vapor chamber,

check the connections on the entire device to ensure that the device is sealed. Avoid excessive
movement that could cause the sample container to come into contact with air, which could
affect the measured sample temperature. Then immerse the entire device in a heating bath to
37.8°C (100°F). The entire process of installing the sample and placing it in the bath should not
take more than 10 seconds.

Introduction of the Apparatus into Bath— Remove the apparatus from the bath and
invert it (allowing the liquid sample to drain into the vapor chamber) and shake it vigorously up
and down eight times. Then return the apparatus to its upright position and check for leaks. If no
leaks are observed, immerse the apparatus in the temperature bath. Continue to observe the
apparatus for leaks throughout the test.
 Measurement of Vapor Pressure—After the apparatus has been placed in the water
bath, read the pressure reading once every 5 minutes. Stop when the pressure gauge displays a
stable value between two consecutive readings. Record this vapor pressure as the "uncorrected
vapor pressure of the sample".

4.4. Preparation for next experiments

Clean the sample chamber if necessary with warm water, then rinse it with petroleum
naphtha and acetone several times and dry it. Or, invert the sample container on a paper towel
until all of the sample has drained out, then use the paper towel to wipe dry any remaining
sample in the sample container. Discarded sample containers should be refrigerated to prepare
for the next test batch.

5. CALCULATION

Because the experimental equipment was not good, the experimental results could
not be obtained after repeated attempts. Therefore, the experimental data table was taken
from another group to perform the calculations for this report.

Table 5.1. Raw data

T 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
(min)

P1 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.04
(MPa 4 7 9 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
)
 P2 3.8 4.2 4.5 4.8 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.7
(lb/in
2
)

Table 5.2. Unit conversion

T 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
(min)

P1 24 27 29 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
(kPa)

P2 26. 28.9 31.0 33.0 33.7 35.1 36.5 37.2 37.9 37.9 38.6 38.6 39.2
(kPa) 197 55 23 91 81 59 38 28 17 17 06 06 96

With: 1 MPa = 1000 kPa

1 lb/in2 = 6.895 kPa

Table 5.3. Summarized data

Experiment Reid Pressure (kPa)

1 41
 2 39.296

Average 40.148

Conclusion for experiments:

The sample used in this experiment was gasoline, with a vapor pressure lower than 180
kPa and a boiling point above 0°C. Therefore, the Reid vapor pressure measurement was a
suitable choice for the experiment. The measured result of 40.148 kPa is within the range of 35-
100 kPa, and is considered to be accurate (TCVN 5731:2010).

Although the results between the two repeated experiments are only 3.2 kPa apart, which
is within the permitted range, the reliability is still low because two different measuring devices
were used. The cause of this error may be due to instrument errors and the effects of
experimental manipulations.

6. DISCUSSION
Question 6.1. Describe the effect of temperature to the Reid vapor pressure

Reid vapor pressure is the vapor pressure of fuels at a temperature of 37.8°C (100°F). It
can be used to compare the evaporation rate of different fuels. When the temperature increases,
the fuel molecules have more energy, making them easier to escape from the liquid surface and
evaporate more easily. This lowers the Reid vapor pressure. Conversely, when the temperature
decreases, the fuel molecules have less energy, making them harder to escape from the liquid
surface and evaporate more slowly. This raises the Reid vapor pressure.

Question 6.2. How to select the coolant which is used in the bath?

Because water has a high thermal conductivity, it can effectively transfer heat to
the device. Water has a freezing point of 0°C and a boiling point of 100°C, making it
suitable for use as a heat transfer medium in the Reid vapor pressure test. The cost of
water is low and water is non-toxic and non-flammable, making it relatively safe.
Question 6.3. Why should the sample be chilled before doing the experiment?

The measurement sample has a very high evaporation rate at room temperature, so the
measurement sample needs to be cooled to 0°C to limit the evaporation rate of the measurement
sample.

REFERENCES

[1] Daniel A. Crowl; Joseph F. Louvar. (2011). Chemical Process Safety: Fundamentals and

Applications, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall PTR.