NATURAL GAS TESTING

V-TIC’s advanced gas chromatography techniques offer comprehensive analysis of natural gas composition, catering to the diverse needs of oil and gas companies.

Gas chromatography is the process of separating compounds in a mixture by injecting a gaseous or liquid sample into a mobile phase, typically called the carrier gas, and passing the gas through a stationary phase. The mobile phase is usually an inert gas or an unreactive gas such as helium, argon, nitrogen or hydrogen.

After injection into the GC inlet, the chemical components of the sample mixture are first vaporized, if they aren’t already in the gas phase. For low concentration samples the whole vapour cloud is transferred into the analytical column by the carrier gas in what is known as splitless mode. For high concentration samples only a portion of the sample is transferred to the analytical column in split mode, the remainder is flushed from the system through the split line to prevent overloading of the analytical column.

Once in the analytical column, the sample components are separated by their different interactions with the stationary phase. Therefore, when selecting the type of column to use, the volatility and functional groups of the analytes should be considered to match them to the stationary phase. Liquid stationary phases mainly fall into two types: polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based, the latter with varying percentages of dimethyl, diphenyl or mid-polar functional groups, for example cyanopropylphenyl. Like separates like, therefore non-polar columns with dimethyl or a low percentage of diphenyl are good for separating non-polar analytes. Those molecules capable of π-π interactions can be separated on stationary phases containing phenyl groups. Those capable of hydrogen bonding, for example acids and alcohols, are best separated with PEG columns, unless they have undergone derivatization to make them less polar.

The final step is the detection of the analyte molecules when they elute from the column. There are many types of GC detectors, for example: those that respond to C-H bonds like the flame ionization detector (FID); those that respond to specific elements for example sulfur, nitrogen or phosphorus; and those that respond to specific properties of the molecule, like the ability to capture an electron, as is used with the electron capture detector (ECD).

Learn more:  Modern Analytical Chemistry and Technology Networks