New Ways for the Advanced Quality Control of Liquefied Natural Gas

Borja Ferreiro,Carlota Paz-Quintáns,Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo,Purificación López-Mahía,Jose Andrade

doi:10.3390/en15010359

Abstract

Currently, gas chromatography is the most common analytical technique for natural gas (NG) analysis as it offers very precise results, with very low limits of detection and quantification. However, it has several drawbacks, such as low turnaround times and high cost per analysis, as well as difficulties for on-line implementation. With NG applications rising, mostly thanks to its reduced gaseous emissions in comparison with other fossil fuels, the necessity for more versatile, fast, and economic analytical methods has augmented. This work summarizes the latest advances to determine the composition and physico-chemical properties of regasified liquid natural gas, focusing on infrared spectroscopy-based techniques, as well as on data processing (chemometric techniques), necessary to obtain adequate predictions of NG properties.

Highlights

The increasing number of new natural gas (NG) applications, such as in maritime transport and large trucks, demand faster and more versatile ways to determine its quality
The operational procedure when dealing with a broadening gas is not difficult and we found nice results considering the steps [38]: (i) purge the cell with the filling gas
The operational procedure when dealing with a broadening gas is not difficult and we found nice results considering the steps [38]: (i) purge the cell with the filling gas (0.5 bar, 1 min); (ii) record background; (iii) purge with a small flow of the sample gas; (iv) fill the cell with the sample (0.2 bar), and, add the broadening gas until a total pressure of 1.5 bar; and (v) record spectra

Summary

Introduction

The increasing number of new natural gas (NG) applications, such as in maritime transport and large trucks, demand faster and more versatile ways to determine its quality. The standardized analytical characterization of the NG composition requires gas chromatography (GC). This is a well-established analytical methodology, capable of measuring accurately and reliably the NG components at very low concentrations On-line gas chromatographs are currently being implemented for routine measurements and quality control. 5 min/sample) but still rely on benchtop instruments for their validation (and frequent revalidation). Contractual agreements usually focus on standardized benchtop chromatographs, whose overall running cost per sample is high [2,3,4,5]

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion