Challenges for accurately predicting the solubilities of Hg0 in various solvents and their impact on modelling the distribution of Hg0 throughout oil and gas infrastructure
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: • Elemental Hg (Hg 0 ) solubilities were determined via a “purge and trap” method in several industrially relevant solvents. • Oxidation of Hg 0 to Hg 2+ readily causes an overestimation of Hg 0 solubility and likely has in previous studies. • Hg 0 solubility in solvents such as MEG highlighted the potential for major errors when extrapolating to high temperature • Solvents which show a change in heat capacity with temperature are not suited for modelling via the van’t Hoff approximation Oil and gas operators need to be able to understand how elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) is distributed throughout their infrastructure to be able to minimise the cycling of Hg 0 through their process systems. This is essential to be able to avoid Hg-induced corrosion, embrittlement and to guarantee the safety of their workers. However, determining Hg concentrations directly at high temperatures or pressures is difficult. An alternative is to model the mobility of Hg 0 by first experimentally determining equilibrium solubilities in relevant solvent mixtures under manageable conditions. The van’t Hoff approximation has often been applied to monitor the quality of produced experimental data. This is possible by plotting the equilibrium solubility against temperature producing an exponential relationship. If the fit is poor, it may suggest an error occurred in the experimental protocol, otherwise the data can be used to predict Hg solubilities at extreme temperatures. Here we present Hg solubility data in various solvents, including methanol, ethylene glycol (MEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), hexane, methylcyclopentane and water, with the aim of highlighting issues extrapolating to high temperatures based on laboratory measurements. To do this we compared the van’t Hoff plot (exponential fit) with a second approach (quadratic fit). This showed that when extrapolating to industrially relevant temperatures, for solvents such as MEG, the Hg 0 solubility can be 7.8 times higher when applying an exponential fit compared to the quadratic fit. Showcasing the potential for significant error when attempting to model the persistence of Hg across petrochemical infrastructure.
Source: Fuel
Authors: Martin Müller, Lhiam Paton, Eleni Panteli, Peter Crafts, Eva M. Krupp, Jörg Feldmann
Institutions: University of Aberdeen, University of Graz, Equinor (Norway)
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,330
Funder: Equinor
OpenAlex ID: W4409531324