Natural Gas Measurement

Natural gas is measured in either volumetric or energy units. As a gas, it is measured by the volume it displaces at standard temperatures and pressures, usually expressed in cubic feet. Gas companies generally measure natural gas in thousands of cubic feet (Mcf), millions of cubic feet (MMcf), or billions of cubic feet (Bcf), and they estimate resources such as original gas-in-place in trillions of cubic feet (Tcf). 

---

DATTA-BARUA Natural Gas Measurement and Control DEAN Lange s Handbook of Chemistry, Fourteenth Edition DESHOTELS, ZIMMERMAN Cost-Effective Risk Assessment for Process Design... 

MMcf—A natural gas measurement unit for 1,000,000 cubic feet. 

The principal source of helium is certain natural gas fields. The helium contents of more than 10,000 natural gases in various parts of the world have been measured (9). Helium concentrations of a few are Hsted in Table 2. In the United States, recovery of helium is economical only for helium-rich gases containing more than about 0.3 vol % belium. Most of the United States helium resources are located in the midcontinent and Rocky Mountain regions, and about 89% of the known United States supply is in the Hugoton field in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas the Keyes field in Oklahoma the Panhandle and Cliffside fields in Texas and the Riley Ridge area in Wyoming (11). 

Clinker production requires large quantities of fuel. In the United States, coal (qv) and natural gas are the most widely used kiln fuels but fuels derived from waste materials, eg, tires, solvents, etc, are increasing in importance (53) (see Fuels fromwaste Gas,natural). In addition to the kiln fuel, electrical energy is required to power the equipment. This energy, however, amounts to only about one-ninth that of the kiln fuel. The cement industry carefully considers all measures that can reduce fuel demand. 

There are direct substitutions of possible interest that would not be feasible without drastic changes in the feed system or pressure. Thus if the available substitute for natural gas is, eg, a manufactured gas containing much CO, there would almost always be a mismatch of the WIs unless the fuel could be further modified by mixing with some other gaseous fuel of high volumetric heating value (propane, butane, vaporized fuel oil, etc). Moreover, if there are substantial differences in eg, as a result of the presence of considerable H2 as well as CO in the substitute gas, the variation in dame height and dashback tendency can also make the substitution unsatisfactory for some purposes, even if the WI is reproduced. Refinements and additional criteria are occasionally appHed to measure these and other effects in more complex substitution problems (10,85). 

Compared to natural gas and oil, complete combustion of coal requires higher levels of excess air, about 15% as measured at the furnace outlet at high loads, and this also serves to avoid slagging and foifling of the heat absorption equipment. 

J. Klimstra, Catalytic Converters for Natural Gas Engines—A Measurement and Control Problem, SAE 872165, Society of Automotive Engineers,... 

Temperature The level of the temperature measurement (4 K, 20 K, 77 K, or higher) is the first issue to be considered. The second issue is the range needed (e.g., a few degrees around 90 K or 1 to 400 K). If the temperature level is that of air separation or liquefact-ing of natural gas (LNG), then the favorite choice is the platinum resistance thermometer (PRT). Platinum, as with all pure metals, has an electrical resistance that goes to zero as the absolute temperature decreases to zero. Accordingly, the lower useful limit of platinum is about 20 K, or liquid hydrogen temperatures. Below 20 K, semiconductor thermometers (germanium-, carbon-, or silicon-based) are preferred. Semiconductors have just the opposite resistance-temperature dependence of metals—their resistance increases as the temperature is lowered, as fewer valence electrons can be promoted into the conduction band at lower temperatures. Thus, semiconductors are usually chosen for temperatures from about 1 to 20 K. 

Because the value of Z for natural gas is significantly less than unity at ambient temperatures and at pressures greater than 1 MPa (145 psia), the compressibility must be taken into account in gas measurement gas purchased at high line pressure will fflve a greater volume when the pressure is reduced than it would if the gas were ideal. Natural gas pipeline operators use a.. supercompre.s.sihility faclor, also called Z, out defined as... 

AGA. Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards. Chapter 14—Natural Gas Fluids Measurement, Section 3 Orifice Metering of Natural Gas and Other Related Hydrocarbon Fluids. AGA Report No. 3. (ANSI/API 2530, 1985 and CPA 8185, 1985). American Gas Association, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Natural gas containing 98% methane and 2% nitrogen by volume is burned in a furnace with 15% excess air. The fuel consumption is 20 cubic meters per second, measured at 290°K and 101.3 kPa (or 14.7 psia). The problem is to determine how much air is required under these conditions. In addition, we want to determine the baseline environmental performance of the furnace by calculating the quantity and composition of the flue gas. 

Hoff (1983) studied the effect of igniting natural gas after a simulated pipeline rupture by firing a bullet into the gas mixture. The tests were on a 10-cm diameter pipeline operating at an initial pressure of 60 bar and a gas throughput of 400,000 mVday. The openings created in the pipeline simulated full-bore ruptures. Maximum flame speeds of approximately 15 m/s, and maximum overpressures of 1.5 mbar were measured at a distance of 50 m. 

The solubilities of the various gases in [BMIM][PFg] suggests that this IL should be an excellent candidate for a wide variety of industrially important gas separations. There is also the possibility of performing higher-temperature gas separations, thanks to the high thermal stability of the ILs. For supported liquid membranes this would require the use of ceramic or metallic membranes rather than polymeric ones. Both water vapor and CO2 should be removed easily from natural gas since the ratios of Henry s law constants at 25 °C are -9950 and 32, respectively. It should be possible to scrub CO2 from stack gases composed of N2 and O2. Since we know of no measurements of H2S, SO, or NO solubility in [BMIM][PFg], we do not loiow if it would be possible to remove these contaminants as well. Nonetheless, there appears to be ample opportunity for use of ILs for gas separations on the basis of the widely varying gas solubilities measured thus far. 

Inputs and outputs usually can be valued according to market price. The opportunity cost of any choice is the best opportunity that has to be given up to make that choice. For the firm, the opportunity cost of oil or natural gas is measured by the price the firm must pay for it. That does not imply that the firm will always choose the cheapest fuel, because the costs of using the fuel must also be considered. Even in a sit-... 

---