Difference Between TPH and TRH

The key difference between TPH and TRH is that TPH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons that can be found in petroleum, whereas TRH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons we can recover from petroleum.

Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid that appears in yellow colour, and we can find it in the geological formations beneath Earth’s surface. This liquid contains a mixture of hydrocarbons that can be obtained through refining, and we can use them in fulfilling our energy requirements.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is TPH 
3. What is TRH
4. Side by Side Comparison – TPH vs TRH in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is TPH?

The term TPH stands for total petroleum hydrocarbon. We can use this term regarding any mixture of hydrocarbons that occurs in crude oil. There are a number of different compounds in this hydrocarbon mixture. However, if we take a sample of crude oil, we cannot observe all hydrocarbon forms that occur in the petroleum ore from where the sample was taken from. Therefore, it is practically impossible to measure the percentage of each hydrocarbon present in crude oil.

However, we can measure the total amount of hydrocarbons present in petroleum at a site of refining. This is what we call the TPH value. Typically, chemicals that can be found when measuring the TPH value include hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene, etc. Other constituents of gasoline, constituents of jet fuel, constituents of mineral oils and other petroleum products can also be included in determining the TPH value.

The calculation of TPH includes the addition of VPH and EPH. VPH stands for volatile petroleum hydrocarbons. We can call it petrol range organic compounds, which include hydrocarbons varying from carbon 6 to 10. EPH, on the other hand, stands for extractable petroleum hydrocarbons.

What is TRH

TRH stands for total recoverable hydrocarbon. This term determines the amount of hydrocarbons recovered from a petroleum refining site. It is very important to analyze TRH in determining water quality. It is important as a nonspecific screening tool to determine the quantity of hydrocarbons present in a water sample.

The methods we can use to determine the total recoverable hydrocarbons include the followings:

1. Gravimetric methods: extraction followed by evaporation to leave the residue behind.
2. Immunoassay: a biochemical method (but this does not give details regarding the carbon range)
3. Gas chromatography: most common and efficient method. Extraction followed by tumbling, sonication and analysis through gas chromatography

What is the Difference Between TPH and TRH?

Petroleum is a yellowish liquid that can be found deep down the Earth. It is a very important resource for energy. The terms TPH and TRH are related to petroleum. The key difference between TPH and TRH is that TPH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons that can be found in petroleum, whereas TRH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons we can recover from petroleum. Therefore, TPH value is important in determining the amount of energy we can obtain from a certain petroleum refining site while TRH value is important in water quality analysis to determine the amount of organic compounds present in a water sample.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between TPH and TRH.

Summary – TPH vs TRH

Petroleum is a yellowish liquid that can be found deep down the Earth. It is a very important resource for energy. The terms TPH and TRH are discussed regarding petroleum. The key difference between TPH and TRH is that TPH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons that can be found in petroleum, whereas TRH refers to the total amount of hydrocarbons we can recover from petroleum.

Reference:

1. “Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons: Florida TRPH Testing Lab.” Phoslab Environmental Laboratories, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Crude Oil Distillation-en” By Crude_Oil_Distillation-fr.svg: Image originale:Psarianos, Theresa knott ; image vectorielle:Rogilbertderivative work: Utain () – Crude_Oil_Distillation-fr.svg (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

2. “DFWsection” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia