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8224992 
Journal Article 
Hydrocarbon dew point measurement using gas chromatographs 
Hale, S 
2013 
0 
Pipeline and Gas Journal
ISSN: 0032-0188 
240 
2 
English 
An alternative to a dedicated HCDP analyzer is using an EOS to calculate the HDCP at any pressure from the composition obtained from a GC. Using a GC to determine HCDP using an EOS provides additional valuable information from already required equipment. The most common GC configuration used for natural gas custody transfer is the "C6+" application, in which the analyzer measures all of the hexane and larger components as a combined back-flushed component. Using fixed ratios of the C6+ fraction to calculate the hydrocarbon dew point will result in very large errors and will not provide enough accuracy to be practical. To balance the accuracy needs of the HCDP application with the reliability and usability needs of the remote end-user, a C9+ application can be employed. This application uses two robust thermal-conductivity detectors more suited to the typical custody transfer environment than the flame-ionization detector. The ability of the C9+ GC to calculate the HCDP at any pressure, and thus determine the hydrocarbon dew point at the flowing conditions, provides pipeline operators the ability to take corrective action before heavy hydrocarbons enter their network.