Ethylene detection
Ethylene – also known as ethene – is a sweet-smelling, colourless gas from the group of alkenes, unsaturated hydrocarbons with a double carbon bond. It is obtained by steam cracking, a petrochemical process in which long-chain hydrocarbons such as naphtha and gas oil, butane, propane or ethane are converted into short-chain hydrocarbons in the presence of water vapour. However, ethylene is also secreted by plants and fruits such as ripe bananas and apples and is important as a phytohormone and ripening gas.
Use of ethylene
Today, ethylene is the most frequently produced organic basic chemical and is used, for example, in the production of primary downstream products such as polyethylene, styrene, ethylene oxide and olefins. Overall, around three quarters of the ethylene produced is used for plastics production. In Europe, Germany is the largest producer, followed by France and England. Some of it is transported through pipelines between various chemical industry locations, for example from Rotterdam via Antwerp to the Cologne area, the Rhine-Main region and Ludwigshafen.
The gas is a component of some pesticides and is used in the food industry to ripen unripe stored fruit such as apples, tomatoes or bananas.
Properties of ethylene
Ethylene is only soluble to a limited extent in water, but is readily soluble in organic solvents. Its sweet odour is generally perceived as unpleasant by humans. The gas is highly flammable and burns in the open air with a bright, slightly sooty flame. It forms explosive mixtures at an air volume fraction of three to 36 per cent. It must always be stored in well-ventilated areas and kept away from sources of ignition. Measures must also be taken to prevent electrostatic charging. In high concentrations, ethylene has an anaesthetic effect. In earlier times, it was used in a similar way to nitrous oxide, but is no longer used in this area today due to its flammability and unpleasant odour.
Precise measuring devices from Compur for ethylene
A highly flammable and explosive gas such as ethylene poses a risk to human life and production facilities of all kinds if handled incorrectly. Permanent measurements of the content in the air are therefore essential wherever ethylene is used. Compur Monitors has precise measuring devices for this purpose – Statox 501 measuring heads.
Dr. Josef von Stackelberg
Managing Director COMPUR MONITORS GmbH & Co. KG
Contact us without obligation
Do you have any questions about our products or would you like a non-binding consultation? We look forward to hearing from you.