Sulphur-containing compounds are added to natural gas to provide a distinctive odour to allow any potentially hazardous leaks to be detected. The very low odour thresholds of these compounds enable detection by the human nose at minute concentrations.
NPL's sulphur odorant standards are available as either binary or multi-component mixtures, in a matrix of methane or nitrogen. The range of standards covered by NPL's UKAS accreditation is shown below.
| Component | Amount fraction range (µmol/mol) |
| Hydrogen sulphide | 0.4 to 5000 |
| Carbonyl sulphide | 0.4 to 5000 |
| Carbon disulphide | 0.4 to 200 |
| Dimethyl sulphide | 0.4 to 200 |
| Ethyl methyl sulphide | 0.4 to 200 |
| Diethyl sulphide | 0.4 to 200 |
| Component | Amount fraction range (µmol/mol) |
| Methanethiol | 0.4 to 200 |
| Ethanethiol | 0.4 to 200 |
| 2-propanethiol | 0.4 to 200 |
| 1-propanethiol | 0.4 to 200 |
| 2-methyl-2-propanethiol | 0.4 to 200 |
| Tetrahydrothiophene | 0.4 to 200 |
Non-sulphur odorants
NPL also supplies a range of non-sulphur odorant mixtures in order to provide traceability for the measurement of components which are increasingly being used to odorise natural gas across Europe. Standards are available containing the components most commonly used as non-sulphur odorants: methylacrylate, ethylacrylate and 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine.
Odorants for hydrogen gas
NPL are developing new gas standards for odorants in hydrogen (including odorants that are compatible with fuel cells).
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