Development of a 100 nmol mol<Superscript>−1</Superscript> propane-in-air SRM for automobile-exhaust testing for new low-emission requirements

New US federal low-level automobile emission requirements, for example zero-level-emission vehicle (ZLEV), for hydrocarbons and other species, have resulted in the need by manufacturers for new certified reference materials. The new emission requirement for hydrocarbons requires the use, by automobile manufacturing testing facilities, of a 100 nmol mol(-1) propane in air gas standard. Emission-measurement instruments are required, by federal law, to be calibrated with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable reference materials. Because a NIST standard reference material (SRM) containing 100 nmol mol(-1) propane was not available, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Automobile Industry/Government Emissions Research Consortium (AIGER) requested that NIST develop such an SRM. A cylinder lot of 30 gas mixtures containing 100 nmol mol(-1) propane in air was prepared in 6-L aluminium gas cylinders by a specialty gas company and delivered to the Gas Metrology Group at NIST. Another mixture, contained in a 30-L aluminium cylinder and included in the lot, was used as a lot standard (LS). Using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection all 30 samples were compared to the LS to obtain the average of six peak-area ratios to the LS for each sample with standard deviations of <0.31%. The average sample-to-LS ratio determinations resulted in a range of 0.9828 to 0.9888, a spread of 0.0060, which corresponds to a relative standard deviation of 0.15% of the average for all 30 samples. NIST developed its first set of five propane in air primary gravimetric standards covering a concentration range 91 to 103 nmol mol(-1) with relative uncertainties of 0.15%. This new suite of propane gravimetric standards was used to analyze and assign a concentration value to the SRM LS. On the basis of these data each SRM sample was individually certified, furnishing the desired relative expanded uncertainty of +/-0.5%. Because automobile companies use total hydrocarbons to make their measurements, it was also vital to assign a methane concentration to the SRM samples. Some of the SRM samples were analyzed and found to contain 1.2 nmol mol(-1) methane. Twenty-five of the samples were certified and released as SRM 2765.     

Long-term stability of hydrocarbons in NIST gas standard reference material (SRM) 1800

A gas standard reference material (SRM) containing fifteen hydrocarbons in nitrogen at a nominal 5 nmol mol(-1) was issued in 1993. The certification period for SRM 1800 was assigned as 2 years, because of limited stability data. Over a period of 10 years reanalysis of the lot standard (a sample chosen from the SRM lot to which all other lot samples are compared), SRM samples remaining in stock for sale, and SRMs returned to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for recertification, were compared with primary standards to assess the stability of the hydrocarbons. New primary standards were periodically introduced into the original primary standard suite to assess the stability and consistency of the primary standards. Over this ten-year period 11 SRM 1800 samples were reanalyzed, resulting in 210 amount-of-substance fraction (concentration) determinations performed for quality-assurance purposes. Of these measurements 209 (99.5%) agreed within the original 95% confidence interval of the +/-4% expanded uncertainty, demonstrating the stability of the standards. There was also agreement to within +/-2% of the original concentration for 204 (97%) of the measurements. This is well within the original +/-4% expanded uncertainty assigned to the hydrocarbon concentrations at the approximate 95% confidence interval demonstrating stability. These results will enable the expiry date to be increased for future restock issues of SRM 1800.     

烃类混合气体的神经网络模型检测

八十年代末科学家模仿生物鼻研制一种传感器阵列与计算机模式识别的气体检测系统．传感器阵列相当于生物鼻的嗅觉细胞，计算机模式识别系统相当于嗅泡和大脑「‘］．传感器阵列对气体的响应是一个多维空间的响应模式，这种响应模式经过一定的数学处理后可以实现气体的种类识别或浓度检测［’－‘j．传感器的响应和混合气体浓度之间呈非线性关系，这一特性给定量检测多组分气体混合物造成很大的限制．应用人工神经元网络技术（ANN）可以克服这一缺陷，并使检测气体的选择性大大提高．本工作运用ANN中的反向传播（BP）算法识别由16个不同…     

Quantitative Analysis of Main Components of Natural Gas Based on Raman Spectroscopy

Natural gas is composed of methane, ethane, propane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and unknown alkane components of C4 or more (denoted as C4⁺) after desulfurization and dehydration treatment. The concentrations of the first seven components account for more than 90% of natural gas. When analyzing the natural gas composition using Raman spectral analysis methods, a small amount of unknown alkane components C4⁺ will have a negative impact on the analytical precision. In this work, a novel method that consists of an automatic decomposition algorithm of Raman spectra and a model for quantitative analysis was developed for the analysis of components of natural gas. The Raman spectrum of a natural gas sample could be decomposed into the sum of the Raman spectra of pure constituents and several Lorentz peaks by a nonlinear least-square optimization algorithm based on a linear additivity of Raman spectra. The concentration of the unknown alkane component C4⁺ was determined according to the area of the C-H deformation vibration peak which was common for most alkane molecules. Some training samples were used to establish the model between Raman characteristic peak areas and corresponding concentrations for each component. Compared with the existing Raman analysis methods, the new method solved the problem of analyzing natural gas containing unknown alkane components with good stability and accuracy. The experiments showed that the maximum absolute errors of this algorithm for methane, ethane, propane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide respectively reached 0.57%, 0.37%, 0.21%, 0.07%, 0.18%, 0.04%, 0.13%, and the correlation coefficient to gas chromatographic results also reached 0.997, 0.986, 0.991, 0.998, 0.993, 1.000, 0.995, 0.982, respectively.     

Methane sensor based on palladium/MWNT nanocomposites

Methane gas sensor was fabricated based on electrocatalytic properties of the Pd/MWNT nanocomposites on indium tin oxide (ITO)glass substrates.A linear response for methane was obtained in the range of 0-16%(v/v)with a detection limit of 0.167%(v/ v)and R.S.D.of 4.1%.After 100 times sensing or stable stored more than 12 months in atmosphere,unconspicuous measurable decrease was observed.The response time was less than 60s at room temperature and ambient pressure.Some common potential interferents in samp...     

Vapor–liquid equilibrium of systems containing alcohols,water, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons using SAFT

The statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT) equation of state is employed for the correlation and prediction of vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) of eighteen binary mixtures. These include water with methane, ethane, propane, butane, propylene, carbon dioxide, methanol, ethanol and ethylene glycol (EG), ethanol with ethane, propane, butane and propylene, methanol with methane, ethane and carbon dioxide and finally EG with methane and ethane. Moreover, vapor–liquid equilibrium for nine ternary systems was predicted. The systems are water/ethanol/alkane (ethane, propane, butane), water/ethanol/propylene, water/methanol/carbon dioxide, water/methanol/methane, water/methanol/ethane, water/EG/methane and water/EG/ethane. The results were found to be in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data except for the water/methanol/methane system for which the root mean square deviations for pressure were 60–68% when the methanol concentration in the liquid phase was 60 wt.%.     

Development of perfluorocarbon (PFC) primary standards for monitoring of emissions from aluminum production

An EPA Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership (VAIP) program has been formed to help US primary producers focus on reducing the emissions of two perfluorocarbons (PFCs), tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6), during the production of aluminum. To ensure comparability of measurements over space and time, traceability to national sources was desirable. Hence, the EPA approached the NIST to develop a suite of primary standards to cover a mole fraction (concentration) range of 0.1 to 1400 micromol mol(-1) for CF4 and 0.01 to 150 micromol mol(-1) of C2F6. A total of eight gravimetric PFC gas standards were prepared with relative expanded uncertainties of < or = 0.52% (approximately 95% confidence level). These primary standards were ultimately used to assign values to a series of secondary gas standards at three mole-fraction levels with relative expanded uncertainties ranging from +/- 0.7% to 5.3% (approximately 95% confidence level). This series of secondary standards was used within the aluminum industry to calibrate instruments used to make emission measurements. Assignment of values to the secondary standards was performed by use of gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Real time pot-line and stack samples from a local aluminum plant were also obtained and sub-samples sent to each participating facility for analysis. The data generated from each facility were sent to NIST for analysis. The maximum difference between the NIST and individual facilities' values for the same sub-sample was +/- 26%.     

含低剂量抑制剂体系气体水合物生成动力学

水合物管道堵塞是油气工业安全生产的重要问题之一, 目前低剂量抑制剂以其经济性、环境友好性等优点, 逐步取代传统抑制剂. 文中在8.5 MPa、4 ℃条件下, 1.072 L反应釜内, 采用甲烷、乙烷和丙烷混和气, 研究了含低剂量抑制剂聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)和GHI1的水合物生成体系反应过程, 计算分析了压缩因子和自由气量随反应时间的变化, 对比了在相同反应程度下添加PVP和GHI1后水合物含气量的区别, 探讨了GHI1组合抑制剂的抑制机理. 实验结果表明PVP和GHI1能抑制水合物生长, 不能有效抑制水合物成核; 添加PVP的体系, 在实验气体组成下, 甲烷乙烷进入水合物小晶穴, 并且甲烷优先进入小晶穴; GHI1对丙烷乙烷的抑制能力强于甲烷; 对比GHI1和PVP的反应过程, 认为协同剂二乙二醇丁醚的羟基和醚类结构加强反应体系中的氢键, 和PVP结合使用, 通过氢键和空阻达到抑制效果.     

Olefins from Natural Gas by Oxychlorination

Ethylene and propylene are the key building blocks of the chemical industry, but current processes are unable to close the growing gap between demand and manufacture. Reported herein is an exceptional europium oxychloride (EuOCl) catalyst for the selective (≥95 %) production of light olefins from ethane and propane by oxychlorination chemistry, thus achieving yields of ethylene (90 %) and propylene (40 %) unparalleled by any existing olefin production technology. Moreover, EuOCl is able to process mixtures of methane, ethane, and propane to produce the olefins, thereby reducing separation costs of the alkanes in natural gas. Finally, the EuOCl catalyst was supported on suitable carriers and evaluated in extrudate form, and preserves performance for >150 h under realistic process conditions.     

Kinetic studies of gas hydrate formation with low-dosage hydrate inhibitors

Pipeline blockage by gas hydrates is a serious problem in the petroleum industry. Low-dosage inhibitors have been developed for its cost-effective and environmentally acceptable characteristics. In a 1.072-L reactor with methane, ethane and propane gas mixture under the pressure of about 8.5 MPa at 4 °C, hydrate formation was investigated with low-dosage hydrate inhibitors PVP and GHI1, the change of the compressibility factor and gas composition in the gas phase was analyzed, the gas contents in hydrates were compared with PVP and GHI1 added, and the inhibition mechanism of GHI1 was discussed. The results show that PVP and GHI1 could effectively inhibit the growth of gas hydrates but not nucleation. Under the experimental condition with PVP added, methane and ethane occupied the small cavities of the hydrate crystal unit and the ability of ethane entering into hydrate cavities was weaker than that of methane. GHI1 could effectively inhibit molecules which could more readily form hydrates. The ether and hydroxy group of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether have the responsibility for stronger inhibition ability of GHI1 than PVP.     

Differences between propane in nitrogen versus air matrix analyzed using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection

New US Federal low-level automobile emission requirements, such as Zero Level Emission Vehicle (ZLEV), for hydrocarbons and other species have resulted in manufacturers need for new certified reference materials. The new emission requirement for hydrocarbons requires the use, by automobile manufacturing testing facilities, of 100 nmol/mol (ppb) propane in air gas standard. Emission measurement instruments are required, by Federal law, to be calibrated with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable reference materials. A NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) containing 100 nmol/mol propane has been developed. During the development of this SRM a critical question arose as to the matrix of the primary propane standards. The automobile companies make their measurements using total hydrocarbon analyzers with flame-ionization detectors which integrate all hydrocarbons in a sample. NIST uses gas chromatography/flame-ionization detection (GC/FID) with a column to separate all components. Since the SRM mixtures were in air, the question as to the effect of oxygen on the detector arose. To investigate this effect, two suites of propane primary standards were developed: one in air and the other in nitrogen. The two suites of primary standards were analyzed using NIST methods, and the concentration of propane in an air mixture was determined. The results show that there was a difference of 0.63% in the propane concentration determined versus air and nitrogen suites.     

The conversion of natural gas to higher hydrocarbons using a microwave plasma and catalysts

Methane, the major constituent of natural gas, had been converted to higher hydrocarbons by a microwave plasma. The yield of C2+ products increased from 29.2% to 42.2% with increasing the plasma power and decreasing the flow rate of methane. When the catalysts were used in the plasma reactor, the selectivities of ethylene and acetylene increased while the yield of C2+ remained constant. Among the various catalysts used, the Fe catalyst showed the highest ethylene selectivity of 30%. When we introduced the actual natural gas, more C2+ products were obtained (46%). This is due to the ethane and propane in the natural gas. When an electric field inductance for evolving the high plasma was applied, a high yield in C2+ products of 63.7% was obtained for the Pd-Ni bimetal catalyst.     

Synthesis and characterization of silicalite-1/carbon-graphite membranes

Silicalite-1/carbon-graphite composite membranes have been prepared using a standard hydrothermal synthesis method and characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA, BET and permeation experiments. Single gas permeation fluxes and binary mixtures separation and selectivity data are reported for methane, ethane and propane using the composite membranes. Carbon-graphite oxidized for 4 h prior to membrane preparation had the most promising separation properties. The permeation fluxes for the binary mixtures reflect that of the single component flux ratios. At 20 degrees C the membranes show high separation selectivity toward lighter component in binary mixtures. Single gas permeances for methane and ethane were found to decrease with increasing temperatures while that of propane fluctuates.     

以金属有机骨架材料ZIF-8为固定相的硅基微气相色谱柱

基于微机电技术制备了一种含有椭圆微柱阵列的半填充柱; 采用水热法合成了一种金属有机骨架材料ZIF-8, 将其涂敷在微色谱柱的微沟道内壁上作为固定相. 在30 ℃恒温下对芯片的分离性能进行了测试, 结果表明, 以ZIF-8为固定相的微色谱柱可以在75 s内实现甲烷、 乙烷和丙烷(C1~C3)的基线分离, 其中甲烷-乙烷的分离度达到了2.23, 与以介孔硅为固定相的微色谱柱相比提高了99%; 甲烷、 乙烷的峰面积以及甲烷-乙烷分离度重复性的相对标准偏差均小于3%. 以上结果表明, 以ZIF-8为固定相的微色谱柱在针对油田气实时分离的便携式微色谱系统中具有广泛的应用前景.     

An improved cryogen for plunge freezing

The use of an alkane mixture that remains liquid at 77 K to freeze specimens has advantages over the use of a pure alkane that is solid at 77 K. It was found that a mixture of methane and ethane did not give a cooling rate adequate to produce vitreous ice, but a mixture of propane and ethane did result in vitreous ice. Furthermore, the latter mixture produced less damage to specimens mounted on a very thin, fragile holey carbon substrate.     

Prediction of non-polar gas solubilities in water,alcohols and aqueous alcohol solutions by the modified asog method

Tochigi, K. and Kojima, K., 1982. Prediction of non-polar gas solubilities in water, alcohols and aqueous alcohol solutions by the modified ASOG method. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 8: 221–232.The non-polar gas solubilities in water, alcohols and aqueous alcohol solutions are correlated and predicted by the modified ASOG method for a gas partial pressure of 1 atm and a temperature range of 10°C to 40°C. Solubilities in normal alcohols from methanol to octanol are considered. The non-polar gaseous solutes are oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, methane, ethane, ethylene, propane and butane.The gas solubilities are first correlated and then predicted in pure solvents. Next, the gas solubilities are predicted for mixed solvents by using group pair parameters determined only from the data for gas solubilities in pure solvents. The deviation between the observed and the predicted gas solubilities is 6.0% in pure and 10.2% in mixed solvents.     

A Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Light Hydrocarbons on a Column Packed with Modified Silica Gel

IntroductionAnalysis of light hydrocarbons achieved by gas-solid chromatography is important in petrochemical industry, environmental protection and some other areas. A variety of columns have been used, including conventional packed column1, Al2O3 and graphitized carbon black PLOT column2, 3 and silica gel SCOT column4. Al2O3 PLOT column is excellent for the analysis of light hydrocarbons. Conventional packed column also has its own advantages, such as easy column preparation, resistanc…     

Laser-induced fluorescence monitoring of higher alkanes production from pure methane using non-oxidative processes

A novel method for the study of non-oxidative methane conversion process into higher value hydrocarbon and hydrogen has been invented. The method involves the multiphoton dissociation of methane under the influence of the high power pulsed ultraviolet laser radiation at 355 nm wavelength at room temperature (293 K) and standard pressure (1 atm). The products generated as a result of methane conversion like ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene and isobutane are analyzed using an online gas chromatograph while the other species such as CH, CH₂ and C₂H₂, atomic and molecular hydrogen are characterized by real-time laser-induced fluorescence technique for the first time. A typical 7% conversion of methane into ethane has been achieved using 80 mJ of laser irradiation at 355 nm. The important features of this method are that it is non-oxidative, does not require any catalyst, high temperatures or pressures, which is normally the case in conventional techniques for methane conversion.     

改变相比/顶空气相色谱法测定变压器油中溶解气体的分配常数

采用改变相比/顶空气相色谱法测定了甲烷、乙炔、乙烯、乙烷和丙烷在变压器油中的分配常数。顶空瓶中的气体样品经石英毛细管送到气相色谱仪的六通进样阀样品管中,然后进行分离和定量。采用标准曲线法定量,通过测定5个不同相比时轻烃组分的顶空浓度,计算顶空浓度倒数与相比之间的线性回归方程,测定了20 ℃和50 ℃时烃类气体在变压器油中溶解气体的分配常数。除甲烷外,计算所得的分配常数与文献值基本吻合,油中溶解气体浓度的实验值与实际值之间的相对误差小于4.14%,表明用此方法可以测定不同温度下变压器油中溶解气体的分     

Energy,exergy and pinch analyses of an integrated cryogenic natural gas process based on coupling of absorption–compression refrigeration system,organic Rankine cycle and solar parabolic trough collectors

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The natural gas entering the liquefaction cycle usually consists of nitrogen, ethane, propane and also heavier hydrocarbons which are economically...