Screening Industrial Fluids for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content: A New Vapor Pressure Method

摘要

Until recently, industrial fluids with vapor pressures less than 0.1 mm Hg (0.013 kPa) were not treated as sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although the definition of VOCs is currently in transition, a quick method to screen the vapor pressure of industrial fluids and/or ingredients in those fluids is needed. Traditional vapor pressure methods cannot be used because they cannot handle the low vapor pressure, high water content, and complex chemistry of many industrial fluids. A vapor pressure method was developed to allow screening measurements on industrial fluids that could not be measured by other methods. The new method was validated using pure compounds that covered a wide range of vapor pressures. The vapor pressure of several industrial fluids used by General Motors, including machining fluids, forming compounds, and detergents, were tested using the new method. All those fluids tested were shown to have vapor pressures below 0.1 mm Hg. Based on this analysis, these fluids are not considered to be significant sources of VOCs.