General Electric Company

Ge Infrastructure Sensing, Inc.

Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Yufeng Huang

Anthony Kowal

John McKinley Poole

Xiaoyong Liu

Hejie Li

Shawn David Wehe

Gene Smith Berkowitz

Gary Stephen Parece

Chong Tao

Aniruddha S Weling

Dan Johnson

Tony Kowal

Daniel M Stearns

A method includes receiving data characterizing a speed of an acoustic signal through a gas mixture in a pipe. The speed of the acoustic signal can be detected by an ultrasonic flow meter coupled to the pipe. The method also includes receiving data characterizing a concentration of one or more inert gases in the gas mixture detected by an inert gas analyzer. The method further includes determining, based on the received data characterizing the speed of the acoustic signal and the received data characterizing the concentration of the one or more inert gases in the gas mixture, a net heating value of the gas mixture. The method also includes adjusting a processing of the gas mixture based on the determined net heating value.

Online analyzers for flare gas processing

A moisture provision and analyzer arrangement includes a conduit for obtaining a sample flow of natural gas, a moisture analyzer, and a bypass flow conduit. A main orifice is in fluid communication within the moisture provision and analyzer arrangement with flow proceeding to the moisture analyzer. A bypass orifice is located along the bypass flow conduit. The main orifice is sized and the flow provided to the moisture analyzer via the main orifice is at a pressure such that the flow provided to the moisture analyzer is at a critical flow condition and the bypass orifice is sized and the bypass flow is provided at a pressure such that the bypass flow is at a critical flow condition. Components in the moisture provision and analyzer arrangement are selected such that the critical flow rate through the main orifice and the critical flow rate through the bypass orifice are equal.

Critical flow in moisture generation system for natural gas

A system includes a moisture analyzer configured to detect moisture in a process gas. The moisture analyzer includes an absorption cell that encloses and conducts the process gas. The moisture analyzer also includes a pressure control device that may reduce a pressure of the process gas inside the absorption cell. The moisture analyzer includes a light emitting device that may transmit light through the process gas inside the absorption cell, as well as a photodetector that may detect an intensity of the light transmitted through the process gas and exiting the absorption cell.

Method and system for detecting moisture in a process gas involving cross interference

A system includes a moisture analyzer configured to detect moisture in natural gas. The moisture analyzer includes an absorption cell that encloses and conducts the natural gas. The moisture analyzer also includes a pressure control device that may reduce a pressure of the natural gas inside the absorption cell. The moisture analyzer includes a light emitting device that may transmit light through the natural gas inside the absorption cell, as well as a photodetector that may detect an intensity of the light transmitted through the natural gas and exiting the absorption cell.

Method and system for detecting moisture in natural gas

Several methods of calibrating a wavelength-modulation spectroscopy apparatus configured to measure a concentration of an analyte in a sample gas are disclosed. Each of the methods allows for calibration and recalibration using a relatively safe gas regardless of whether the sample gas for which the concentration of the analyte can be determined is a hazardous gas. In one embodiment of the invention, calibration that is sample-gas specific is accomplished by determining a first slope coefficient and calibration function for the sample gas, after which a scaling factor can be determined based on the first slope coefficient and a second slope coefficient for the same or a different sample gas and used in a subsequent calibration (or recalibration) to scale the calibration function. In other embodiments of the invention, calibration that is not sample-gas specific is accomplished to allow for the determination of the analyte concentration in variable gas compositions and constant gas compositions.

Method of calibrating a wavelength-modulation spectroscopy apparatus using a first, second, and third gas to determine temperature values to calculate concentrations of an analyte in a gas

Method of calibrating a wavelength-modulation spectroscopy apparatus using a first, second and third gas to determine temperature and pressure values to calculate concentrations of analytes in a gas

In one embodiment of the spectroscopy method, the method comprises the steps of modulating the wavelength of a monochromatic radiation at a modulation amplitude and a modulation frequency; determining a first variable representative of an absorbance of an analyte in a sample; and demodulating by phase-sensitive detection the first variable at a harmonic of the modulation frequency to produce a harmonic spectrum of the analyte. In one embodiment of the spectroscopy apparatus, the apparatus comprises a laser diode integrated with a first photodetector configured to detect an intensity of a backward emission from the laser diode and act as a reference detector; a second photodetector configured to detect an intensity of laser radiation exiting a sample; and electronic circuitry coupled to the laser diode and the photodetectors, configured to acquire and process spectra of the sample. In another embodiment, the spectroscopy apparatus comprises a beam splitter configured to split the laser radiation into a first radiation portion and a second radiation portion and a first photodetector configured to detect the intensity of the first radiation portion.

Wavelength-modulation spectroscopy method and apparatus

Method of calibrating a wavelength-modulation spectroscopy apparatus

A method of analyzing a gas specimen mixture includes measuring the concentrations of inert components in the gas specimen mixture and the pressure and temperature of the gas specimen mixture. A number of sample gas mixtures are generated with varying percentages of hydrocarbon gases, each including the measured inert component concentrations. For each generated sample gas mixture, the method includes calculating the speed of sound therein based on the measured pressure and temperature and the particular percentages of hydrocarbon gases therein, measuring the speed of sound in the gas specimen mixture, and iteratively comparing the measured speed of sound with the calculated speed of sound in different sample gas mixtures until convergence for a particular sample gas mixture. The molecular weight of the particular sample gas mixture is calculated, and set the molecular weight of the gas specimen mixture to the calculated molecular weight.

Gas analysis system and method

A gas specimen mixture analysis system includes at least one sensor for measuring the concentrations of inert components in the gas specimen mixture, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the gas specimen mixture, and a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the gas specimen mixture. A subsystem measures the speed of sound in the gas specimen mixture, and a processing subsystem, responsive to the at least one inert component sensor, the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor, and the subsystem for measuring the speed of sound, is configured to generate a number of sample gas mixtures with varying percentages of hydrocarbon gases, each including the measured inert component concentrations. The processing subsystem is also configured to calculate, for each generated sample gas mixture, the speed of sound therein based on the measured pressure and temperature and the particular percentages of hydrocarbon gases therein, and iteratively compare the measured speed of sound with the calculated speed of sound in different sample gas mixtures until convergence for a particular sample gas mixture. The processing subsystem is further configured to calculate the molecular weight of the particular sample gas mixture and set the molecular weight of the gas specimen mixture to the calculated molecular weight.

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North Chelmsford, MA, United States of America

Yufeng Huang