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Areas
of Expertise - Natural & Fuel Gases
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Natural Gas Analysis:
Natural Gas is a naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and
non-hydrocarbon gases found in porous geological formations (reservoirs)
beneath the earth's surface. The chemical composition and heating
value (Btu content) of natural gas varies with the reservoir source,
processing / conditioning steps, and pipeline company. "Processed
(merchantable)" natural gas is primarily a mixture of paraffinic
hydrocarbons with the following median composition: methane (93%),
ethane (3.1%), propane (0.5%), isobutane (0.06%), n-butane (0.05%),
isopentanes (0.02%), n-pentane (0.02%), hexanes + (0.04%), along
with Nitrogen (1.2%), and Carbon Dioxide (0.6%). odorants (i.e.
tert-butyl mercaptan) are added for safety purposes. Low levels
of water vapor, Hydrogen, Carbon Monoxide, Helium, Oxygen, and
C6-C14 hydrocarbons are normally considered "negligible" constituents
of most processed natural gas streams. Notable exceptions involve
some liquefied natural gas [LNG] based applications. Processed
natural gas can be blended with reformed gas (i.e. 60/40) on a
seasonal basis to increase its Btu content. In addition to fuel
use, natural gas is a feedstock (hydrogen source) for ammonia production
and a source of light hydrocarbons (i.e. ethane/propane/butane)
for chemical synthesis or LG products. |
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BTU Std - level 1 - FID
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click
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BTU Std - level 1 - TCD
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Fuel Gas Analysis:
Fuel gas analysis is used to determine turbine efficiency, evaluate
commercial suppliers, ensure fuel quality, satisfy emission requirements,
and establish fuel pricing. For many applications, fuel specifications
are set by professional groups (i.e. ASTM, ASME, GPA, CGA, NPGA),
OEMs, fuel suppliers, or government agencies (i.e. EPA, DOD). Examples
of standard tests performed on natural, manufactured and liquefied
gases (LG) include: composition, odorant level/total sulfur content,
% C-H-O-N-S "Ultimate Analysis", Btu content (HHV/LHV),
physical properties such as vapor pressure, density, specific gravity,
compressibility factor, average molecular weight, corrosivity and
impurities (i.e. water, sediment, oil, etc).
In addition to fuel usage, light hydrocarbons such as ethylene,
propylene, butylene, butadiene, and acetylene are important feedstocks
for chemical synthesis. Some background information about these
fuel & feedstock commodities is presented here for review.
A detailed list of relevant methods employed by Atlantic
Analytical for analysis of these can be found in Part II of this webpage.
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Information Sources:
Common
Definitions: (See ASTM D 4150 "Standard Terminology
Relating to Gaseous Fuels" & ASME "Gaseous Fuels
Performance Test Code" for more details).
Reference Literature: (See ASTM MNL
1 "Manual on Significance of Tests for Petroleum Products",
6th edition, by G.V. Dyroff, editor, 1993).
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