MASS-SPECTROMETER COMPOSITION PROBE FOR BATCH CELL STUDIES OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUID PHASE-EQUILIBRIA

A batch cell coupled with a mass spectrometer (MS) composition probe i s demonstrated for the first time for measuring high-pressure fluid-ph ase equilibria at temperatures up to 200-degrees-C and pressures up to 600 bar. Compared to gas chromatography (GC), this MS composition pro be requires a much smaller sample that is taken from the cell into the spectrometer. Its application is illustrated for 1-butene + ethylene. The apparatus is also tested on two additional systems, supercritical carbon dioxide + decane and supercritical propane + polyisobutene.