title: An investigation of the matrix sensitivity of refinery gas analysis using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection.
abstract: The response of a flame ionisation detector (FID) on a gas chromatograph to methane, ethane, propane, i-butane and n-butane in a series of multi-component refinery gas standards was investigated to assess the matrix sensitivity of the instrument. High-accuracy synthetic gas standards, traceable to the International System of Units, were used to minimise uncertainties. The instrument response exhibited a small dependence on the component amount fraction: this behaviour, consistent with that of another FID, was thoroughly characterised over a wide range of component amount fractions and was shown to introduce a negligible bias in the analysis of refinery gas samples, provided a suitable reference standard is employed. No significant effects of the molar volume, density and viscosity of the gas mixtures on the instrument response were observed, indicating that the FID is suitable for the analysis of refinery gas mixtures over a wide range of component amount fractions provided that appropriate drift-correction procedures are employed.
authors.affiliation: National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom. Electronic address: valerio.ferracci@npl.co.uk.
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferracci
authors.affiliation: National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard J C
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D002073:Butanes / Q000032:analysis; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000295:instrumentation; D004980:Ethane / Q000032:analysis; D005410:Flame Ionization; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis*; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis; D011407:Propane / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002073:Butanes; D005740:Gases; C046888:butane; D004980:Ethane; D008697:Methane; D011407:Propane
keywords: Detector linearity; Energy gases; GC-FID; Gas analysis; Gas standards; Refinery gas