Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Experimental Procedure for Laboratory Studies of In Situ Burning : Flammability and Burning Efficiency of Crude Oil
Published on: May 1, 2018
Tank atmosphere perturbation: a procedure for assessing flashing losses from oil storage tanks
David Littlejohn1, Donald Lucas
1Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Abstract:
A new procedure to measure the total volume of emissions from heavy crude oil storage tanks is described. Tank flashing losses, which are difficult to measure, can be determined by correcting this value for working and breathing losses. The procedure uses a fan or blower to vent the headspace of the storage tank, with subsequent monitoring of the change in concentrations of oxygen or other gases. Combined with a separate determination of the reactive organic carbon (ROC) fraction in the gas, this method allows the evaluation of the total amount of ROC emitted. The operation of the system is described, and results from measurement of several storage tanks in California oil fields are presented. Our measurements are compared with those obtained using the California Air Resources Board (CARB) 150 method.
Related Concept Videos
Flame Photometry: Overview
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Interference
Spectral interference occurs when signals from other elements or molecules overlap with the analyte signal, falsely elevating or masking the analyte's absorbance. This interference can be corrected using Zeeman,...
Flame Photometry: Lab
Static, Stagnation, Dynamic and Total Pressure
Fast Reactions

