SYNTHESIS OF BUTHYL BROMIDE LABELED 82Br FOR LEAKAGE DETECTION APPLICATION IN INDUSTRIAL PIPELINE SYSTEM

Abstract

The detection of a leakage in an installation or pipeline in industrial complex is difficult to be done because related to security, safety, and operation condition. With expanded radioisotope application as a tracer in industry, hence a leakage in a pipe can be detected easily and qiuickly without needed excavation or stop the production process. The selection of radioisotope labeled compound as radiotracer should be examined carefully to determine the appropriate and well mixed radiotracer with the material passing through the pipeline system. Radioisotope labeled compound butyl bromide-82 (C₄H₉⁸²Br) as a radiotracer can be synthesized by reacting K⁸²Br with 1-butanol and sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) as a catalyst. The experiment result shows that synthesized C4H982Br by composition of 15 mL K⁸²Br solution (0.1 gr/mL KBr) and 10 mL 1-butanol gave the highest percentage of reactions amount 50,00% and 40,95%. Characterization by FTIR showed that the product has absorption band for C-Br at 514,99-738,74 cm-1. GCMS analysis showed the peak of C₄H₉⁸²Br together with other 7 peaks of impurities with 43.03% percentage of C₄H₉⁸²Br peak. In distribution coefficient determination of C₄H₉⁸²Br in the test solution from industry (ethylene dichloride), Kd value of 5,1350 was obtained and more than 98% C₄H₉⁸²Br distilled together with ethylene dichloride in 110°C distillation process whereas no radioactivity detected in distillation flask if K⁸²Br was used. Based on these results, C₄H₉⁸²Br is suitable to be applied as radiotracer for leakage detection in pipeline system with organic compounds as passing liquid including ethylene dichloride.