Renewable natural gas

With rising energy prices and mounting pressure to improve efficiency, natural gas—composed primarily of methane (85 per cent) and small amounts of ethane (9 per cent), propane (3 per cent), nitrogen (2 per cent) and butane (1 per cent)— It is primarily used as a fuel, but also serves as a feedstock for the manufacture of chemicals such as acetaldehyde, acetylene, ammonia, carbon black, ethanol, formaldehyde, hydrocarbon fuels, hydrogenated oils, methanol, nitric acid, syngas and vinyl chloride.) Analysis of production and consumption points has become an urgent priority.

As natural gas products are priced based on their BTU value (British Thermal Unit, where 1 BTU is approximately equal to 252.1644 calories = 0.293 watt-hours = 1.055 kilojoules (kilojoule); 1 BTU is the amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of pure water from 59 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit under an atmospheric pressure of 14.696 pounds per square inch), the ProC-TOF real-time calorific value gas analyser is required to provide the rapid and accurate analysis that is crucial for product quality control and maximising revenue from natural gas.

A single ProC-TOF online mass spectrometer possesses all the capabilities required to replace several conventional BTU analysers in natural gas processing facilities.

The ProC-TOF online mass spectrometer series offers several advantages over traditional BTU analysers, calorimeters and gas chromatographs. It is widely used to calculate the BTU value of feedstreams in order to optimise process efficiency in biofuel, hydrocarbon and petrochemical applications. Furthermore, the analyser’s ability to provide rapid and accurate compositional analysis enables plant operators to closely control process parameters, such as the steam-to-carbon ratio and calorific value.

When used in landfill sites, wastewater treatment, agriculture and livestock farming, the ProC-TOF mass spectrometer performs continuous online analysis, thereby reducing costs and improving the yield of biogas (the main component of which is methane. Biogas consists of 50–80 per cent methane (CH₄), 20–40 per cent carbon dioxide (CO₂), 0–5 per cent nitrogen (N₂), less than 1 per cent hydrogen (H₂), less than 0.4 per cent oxygen (O₂) and 0.1 per cent to 3 per cent hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), amongst others.)

The ProC-TOF mass spectrometer monitors every stage of the process. A single analyser can measure the composition of feed gas, product gas, off-gas, odourant and exchange gases, ensuring production complies with specifications.

Other applications of the ProC-TOF in natural gas:

Measures the range of C1–C6 components, including isotopes of butane and pentane

Measures ‘heavy’ components: such as C6 isotopes, heptane, octane and aromatics, such as benzene and toluene

An optional electron-multiplier detector provides analysis of hydrogen sulphide in parts per million (ppm) within mixed fuel gas streams, such as refinery ‘tail gas’, enabling precise measurement of hydrogen for BTU or calorific value calculations and trend analysis (in addition to individual components)