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The largest product range of gas odorants on the market place

Discover Efficiency: Our Gas Odorant Product Selector Now Available!

Our Product Selector for Gas Odorants ranges is now live. Enhance your product selection and comparison process with these powerful tools designed to simplify decision-making. 

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To ensure the safe transport and distribution of odorless gases such as Natural Gas, LPG or industrial gases, Arkema has developed a comprehensive gas odorants range:

  • THT or Spotleak® for natural gas 
  • Ethyl Mercaptan or Vigileak® blends for LPG 
  • Codetect® blend for industrial gases
Arkema follows specific market evolution To ensure the most adapted odorant is proposed to customers, to increase safety around gas uses.

DISCOVER OUR COMPLETE RANGE

Arkema, more than a provider of gas odorants

Odorflex®, your one stop shop for odorization

Arkema brings you more than gas odorant. Our Odorflex® services include the following various offers.
  • Odorant handling training, from basic information about odorization to spill drills
  • Technical recommendations /auditing for new installations
  • On-site operations for sampling, repacking, redistribution, odor control, odorant analysis
  • Odorflex® OED: odorant equipment decommissioning or cleaning before inspection
  • Assistance for new pipeline conditioning
To know more about our services

Gas leak detection: what is the science behind gas odorization?

As experts in the field of gas odorization, our Arkema Thiochemicals team has written an article exploring the science and regulatory requirements behind this process, as well as the various challenges that can arise.
In this article, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of gas odorization expertise, covering everything from:

  • the types of gas odorants used and the challenges associated with implementing odorization systems effectively,
  • practical advice and recommendations for odorization system design, operation, and maintenance,
  • insights about how gas odorization is evolving with the emergence of CCS (carbon capture and storage), CO2 odorization, and hydrogen technologies.

Read the article

Arkema: the most innovative gas odorant supplier

To stay ahead of gas markets’ evolving needs, Arkema recently developed new gas odorants to match specific requirements. For instance:
  • Vigileak® Z can be used when minimized fuel sulfur content is required.
  • Codetect® can be used for industrial gases where CO toxicity risk is to be monitored. 
The emergence of hydrogen and CCS creates new opportunities for the odorant industry. As the energy landscape evolves, ongoing research and development will be essential to adapt odorant technologies and ensure the safety of energy distribution networks. The future development of mercaptan gas odorants with hydrogen and CCS includes the creation of hydrogen-specific odorants, advancements in detection technologies, the establishment of safety regulations, research collaboration, and customized odorization solutions for different applications. These developments aim to ensure the safe and efficient utilization of hydrogen as a clean energy source, as well as contributing to a safer, more sustainable, and technologically advanced energy landscape.

Gas Odorants Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Welcome to our Gas Odorants Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Here, we aim to provide you with essential information about gas odorants and their importance in enhancing safety measures. Gas odorants play a crucial role in detecting gas leaks by adding a distinct scent to odorless or low-odor gases, such as natural gas or propane. We hope this FAQ section helps clarify any questions you may have had about gas odorants. By understanding their role and importance, we can all contribute to safer environments when it comes to gas detection and prevention.

Q1: What is a gas odorant?

A gas odorant is a chemical additive specifically designed to give a noticeable scent to otherwise odorless or low-odor gases. By incorporating a unique smell, gas odorants serve as a safety measure, alerting individuals to the presence of gas leaks.
 

Q2: How do gas odorants work?

Gas odorants are typically added to the gas supply during production, distribution, or storage. When a gas leak occurs, the added odorant creates a noticeable smell that alerts individuals to the presence of gas, allowing them to take appropriate action.
 

Q3: What should I do if I detect a gas odor?

If you detect a gas odor, it is crucial to take immediate action. Follow the established procedures and guidelines provided by your gas supplier or local authorities. This typically involves leaving the area, avoiding potential ignition sources, and promptly reporting the gas leak.
 

Q4: What type of gas is typically odorized?

Odorants are commonly used to add scent to natural gas or propane/butane/LPG. However, they are also utilized to odorize other gases for safety reasons or to prevent economic losses. These gases could include CO in steel manufacturing and industrial gases like N2 and O2 used for welding or fire extinguishing.
 

Q5: How is the concentration of odorant in gas determined?

The concentration is determined by two main factors. First, the odorized gas should be detectable for leak detection at 20% of the lower explosion limit of the gas in air. The second factor is the intensity of the odorant. Intensity curves are established for each odorant, which help determine the odorant concentrations at different smell levels on the Sales scale. The recommended concentration corresponds to Sales scale level 2, ensuring that the odorant is easily detectable by most people as a gassy smell.

Q6: What are the different types of gas odorizers available, and what are the differences between them?

In general, there are two types of gas odorizers: direct odorant injection using a pump with a drop-by-drop method into the main gas pipeline, and bypass odorizers where a portion of the gas is directed through an odorant-filled vessel that is more or less saturated with odorant. Bypass odorizers are typically used for smaller gas volumes.
 

Q7: Do certain types of odorizers need specific odorants?/Are the odorants which particularly fit with certain odorizer types?

The type of odorizer determines the choice of odorant. For injection odorizers, any odorant can be used, while for bypass odorizers, pure odorants such as THT or odorant blends with constituents of similar boiling point/vapor pressure (e.g., MES and TBM in Spotleak 1007) should be used.
 

Q8: Why do odorants contain sulfur molecules?

In the past, town gas used before natural gas contained sulfur impurities, which gave gas its typical gassy smell. The currently used and proven odorants contain sulfur for this reason. They are blends based on TBM (mainly used in North/South America, Middle East, and Australia/NZ) or pure odorants based on THT (mainly used in Europe, Maghreb, China, Singapore). So far, no sulfur-free odorant has met the minimum specifications for typical odorants, including typical smell, chemical stability, and toxicity.

Natural gas odor: why it smells the way it does
(natural gas FAQ)

Natural gas is inherently odorless, which makes leak detection impossible without added odorants. Historically, gas used for lighting and heating came from coal (coal gas) and had a distinctive smell due to sulfur compounds naturally present during coal processing.

When natural gas replaced coal gas, safety protocols required reintroducing an artificial odor, reminiscent of the original coal gas smell. Today, odorants are tailored by region to match the olfactory memory of coal gas once used, using sulfur compounds in pure form or in blends for immediate and unmistakable detection.

What is the odorant in natural gas?

Natural gas is naturally odorless, which can pose a safety risk in the event of a leak. To mitigate this, odorants are added to make gas leaks easily detectable. At Arkema, we provide solutions such as Vigileak®, Codetect® and which impart a distinctive and not confusable smell to natural gas, in accordance with international safety standards

Natural gas odor: why it smells the way it does?

The distinctive smell often associated with natural gas comes from sulfur-based odorants. These substances are designed to be easily noticed by the human nose even in very low concentrations. Arkema’s gas odorants ensure reliable detection without being overwhelming or unpleasant, contributing to safer distribution and usage of natural gas.

Why do we use mercaptan as odorants?

Mercaptans, also known as thiols, are commonly used to odorize gases like natural gas or LPG. The technology based on TBM (Tertio butyl mercaptan) has been developed in North America and is used worldwide. Arkema offers blends such as Spotleak® or Vigileak®, which provide a strong and characteristic smell that can be detected well before gas concentrations reach hazardous levels. These compounds are particularly effective due to their high odor intensity and chemical stability.

Why do we use sulfides as odorants?

The technology based on THT has been developed in Europe. Very often it is used pure, in large parts of the world. Sulfides have less intensive smell versus mercaptans but are more stable as chemically more resistant.

Gas leak odor: how Arkema helps enhance safety

The typical smell people associate with a gas leak is the result of added odorants like THT or mercaptan blends. Arkema’s expertise ensures that these compounds are formulated for maximum detectability, long-term stability, and compatibility with gas distribution systems. This odor is a critical first-line warning system to prevent accidents.

Specific safety issue - Odor fade

Odorants are added as safety measure to prevent risks linked to a gas leak whether it is asphyxiation, fire, explosion, poisoning.
Be aware that the odorant chemical added to gas to make it detectable may not warn of a gas leak or the presence of gas to all persons in every situation.

Situations where the odorant in an odorized gas may be undetectable include:
  • Odor intensity may fade or be eliminated for a variety of chemical and physical causes, including the oxidation of odorant (mercaptans) on iron oxyde, adsorption onto the internal surface of pipes or appliances, or absorption into condensates.
Wide range of factors may influence such losses from gas quality to gas network construction material and process conditions (pressure, flowrate, temperature):
  • Contact with soil in case of underground leakages may de-odorize or remove odorant from the gas
  • Some people have a diminished ability, or inability to smell the stench of those odorants (anosmia). Factors that negatively affect a person’s sense of smell include age, gender, medical conditions, and alcohol/tobacco usage
  • The stench of odorized gas may not awaken sleeping persons
  • Other odors may mask or hide the stench. ( unusual impurity profiles from biogas or shale gas)
  • Olfactory adaptation or olfactory fatigue, when the exposure to the odorant lasts and person gets used to this level of intensity.
Gas detectors can be used as an extra measure of safety for detecting gas leaks, especially under conditions where the odorant alone may not provide an adequate warning. Gas detectors emit a loud, shrill sound when gas is present and do not depend on sense of smell.

Ask us for educational support to educate yourself, your employees, and your customers with the content of this warning and other important facts associated with the so-called “odor-fade phenomenon."

The Arkema group is signatory to the Responsible Care® Global Charter of the International Council of Chemical Associations. We are committed to Safety beyond our regulatory requirements. 

Arkema Odorants is also an active member in ISO committee TC193 WG 5 and of the American Gas Association (AGA), to promote odorization best practices.

Always refer to our Safety Data Sheet (SDS) when using our products.

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