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Title: System and method to determine thermophysical properties of a multi-component gas

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1174438

A system and method to characterize natural gas hydrocarbons using a single inferential property, such as standard sound speed, when the concentrations of the diluent gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and nitrogen) are known. The system to determine a thermophysical property of a gas having a first plurality of components comprises a sound velocity measurement device, a concentration measurement device, and a processor to determine a thermophysical property as a function of a correlation between the thermophysical property, the speed of sound, and the concentration measurements, wherein the number of concentration measurements is less than the number of components in the gas. The method includes the steps of determining the speed of sound in the gas, determining a plurality of gas component concentrations in the gas, and determining the thermophysical property as a function of a correlation between the thermophysical property, the speed of sound, and the plurality of concentrations.

Research Organization:
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
FC21-96MC33033
Assignee:
Southwest Research Institute
Patent Number(s):
6,604,051
Application Number:
09/550,431
OSTI ID:
1174438
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English