PEFTEC - Abstract

Abstract Information :

Refinery gas is a product derived from crude oil distillation or catalytic cracking in a refinery. The term 'Refinery Gas' covers a wide range of gas and is typically any gas that is made up of fixed gases, saturated hydrocarbons and olefins. This type of analysis is found in numerous applications and facilities all over the world. Some of these applications include oil and gas, petrochemical and alternative fuel industries. Refinery gas can be used as a final product, or as raw material that will go on for further processing. For example, methane and ethane are used as refinery fuel gas or sold as a commercial product. On the other hand, propane and butane are compressed down and sold as liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). Precise and fast analysis in a refinery is critical for determining product quality, controlling processes, as well as checking that plant emissions are within compliance. Gas chromatography is commonly used for refinery gas analysis. Traditionally, refinery gas analysis could take up to 30 minutes to obtain separation of these complex gases. A four module Micro GC Fusion will simplify and accelerate refinery gas analysis. Building off of traditional Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, a micro gas chromatograph with a modular infrastructure can significantly reduce analysis time to 3 minutes or less. Each module contains a resistively heated column enabling independent temperature programming. This technology extends the application range on each column and reduces downtime by proving the option to build a bakeout into the method. With an analysis time of less than 3 minutes, Micro GC Fusion provides fast and reliable feedback to meet the demanding analytical needs of refinery gas analysis.

ASTM's Standard Test Method for Determination of hydrocarbons and non-hydocarbons in gas mixtures (D7833-14), suggests that micro analyzers that contain up to four channels can be used for this type of GC analysis. Traditional Micro GC uses an Alumina column to elute C3-C5 olefins, and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) column to elute n-hexane. Using a temperature profile on Micro GC Fusion, optimal separation occurs eluting C2's through n-heptane on an Alumina column. Through similar optimization of the PDMS column, heavier hydrocarbons such as BTEX and C7-C10 will elute, extending the traditional analysis of refinery gas. Analytical results in less than 3 minutes ensure the most up to date information is available for quality assurance. Access to fast and reliable data can increase productivity and save money. This makes Micro GC Fusion a valuable tool in refinery gas analysis!