Hydrogen Sulphide in Qatar Marine Crude

One should ALWAYS assume crude oil has lethal amounts of H2S dissolved in it. The vapor space concentration may, or may not have enough to be dangerous. If you are trying to do a sulfur balance, look at total sulfur.

If you are trying to figure out materials of construction for a crude distillation unit, it requires a lot more analysis. Elemental analysis of the gases and LPG cuts from a TBP distillation analysis are necessary.

Safety considerations argue for presuming each and every ship cargo of crude has H2S in the vapor space and one should wear fresh air breathing equipment (SCOTT AIR PACK for instance) when opening the hatch to sample the vapor space and liquid. Many fatalities have occurred when this safety precautions has not been practiced.