Biotech, chemical, petrochemical & pharmaceutical - HiQ® Specialty ...

HiQ ® specialty gas program – Biotech, chemical, petrochemical & pharmaceutical
Odorization
Our nose is one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies. It is an important instrument that can warn us of unsafe
situations. But the nose can also be used to recognize individuals. Take for example a polar bear, which can smell a
seal already at a distance of more than 30 meters. Smells are also used to mark an animal’s territory, or as a signal by
parent animals to recognize their own calf in a herd.
Odors are very individual; some smells that is liked by one person but can make another person sick. Almost all humans dislike some
specific smells. This characteristic makes them perfect heralds of unsafe situations. They can be clear indicators of small leakages in
chemical plants. Where it can take considerable time before a small leak of the substance itself is detected, with an odorant added to the
process flow, the same leak can be detected in minutes. This helps to limit the leakage and the amount of substance that is released into
the environment. The clear result is that pollution of the environment can be prevented, helping to conserve our earth for future
generations.
Common odorants are often sulfur-based, such as methyl mercaptane or hydrogen sulfide. Concentrations as low as between 1 and 10
ppm are normally sufficient to trigger the human nose. It is therefore important that the concentration of the odorant is well controlled.
Online monitors control this process. These monitors must be calibrated at regular intervals with a calibration gas of a known
composition. Methyl mercaptane odocal 1, 5 and 10 are typical standardized products that are used in odorant measurements.