Process Gas Chromatography
Description
Understand a key tool for optimizing an industrial process
Process gas chromatography is a method used to separate and analyze chemical compounds in an industrial process. First established in the middle of the twentieth century, it aims to return analytical results rapidly enough that they can be used to optimized a fluid processing plant. It is a complex process which demands meticulous training of process gas chromatograph engineers and operators.
Process Gas Chromatography: Advanced Design and Troubleshooting offers an essential companion volume to the author's earlier Process Gas Chromatographs: Fundamentals, Design and Implementation. It builds on the previous volume's foundation to offer a full understanding of how PGC technology can be optimized and applied to specific processes. Focused on advanced principles and practical methods, it's a must-own for process engineers at any professional stage.
Process Gas Chromatography readers will also find:
- Extensive troubleshooting assistance including many test sequences for diagnosing and correcting malfunctions
- Coverage of the theory required to improve reliability and accuracy of PGC methods
- A detailed summary and self-assessment questions accompanying each standalone chapter
Process Gas Chromatography is ideal for end-user process analyzer engineers, applications chemists, maintenance personnel, and troubleshooters working in the fluid processing industries.
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Tony Waters owns Analyzer Consulting Engineers, LLC in USA and is an Elected Fellow of International Society of Automation. Since 2000, he has been a Consultant in Process Analysis assisting refiners and chemical processors to achieve optimal use of process analyzers. He had twenty-five years' experience of working in the industry before setting up his own company, Measurementation, Inc. in 1986 to manufacture process analyzer systems.
Content
Contributors xxiii
Preface to the first book xxviii
Preface to the second book xxx
Acknowledgments xxxi
1 Fundamentals 1
2 Measures of perfection 15
3 Column technology 39
4 The stationary phase 82
5 PGC column design 119
6 Optimizing performance 149
7 Extracolumn broadening 179
8 Evaluating peak shape 204
9 Columns in series 230
10 Backflush systems 250
11 Heartcut systems 274
12 PGC troubleshooting 297
13 Troubleshooting chromatograms 329
Answers to self-assessment questions 365
Subject index of SCI-FILEs 378
Glossary of terms 379
Index 417
Contributors
An international team of expert chromatographers has peer reviewed the technical content of this text. This Editorial Advisory Board comprised the experienced analyzer engineers listed below. Together with the author, this team has accumulated 487 years of practical experience with process gas chromatographs. We gratefully acknowledge their contributions.
Massimo Baldizzone, PhD
Area Market Manager
ABB Measurement
and Analytics
Milan, Italy.
Massimo holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Chemistry, as well as a PhD in the same field. Additionally, he has earned an Executive Master in Marketing and Sales (EMMS) from Bocconi and ESADE School of Management. Throughout his career, he served as Technical Sales Support for ABB Lewisburg Process Analytics. Currently, he holds the position of Area Market Manager for the Process Gas Chromatographs product line at ABB Measurement and Analytics.
Massimo has 15 years of experience with process gas chromatographs.
Jerry Clemons, PhD
Process Gas
Chromatograph Consultant
Formerly, General Manager
ABB Process Analytics
Ronceverte, West
Virginia USA.
Jerry has worked with gas chromatographs during his entire career starting at Virginia Polytechnic University where he earned his PhD with Dr Harold McNair.
He has held many engineering and management positions at ABB Process Analytics and its predecessors, always focused on their process gas chromatographs. Now retired from active duty, Jerry continues to provide his technical expertise as a consultant to that company.
Jerry has 50 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
R. Aaron Eidt, BSc
Process Analyzer Consultant
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Analytical Consulting Ltd.
Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
Formerly, Analyzer and PGC
Manager Dow Chemical
Canada ULC
Fort Saskatchewan,
AB, Canada.
Aaron is a chemist with 25 years of experience developing GC methods for research and industrial chromatographs at Dow Chemical Canada. Aaron specialized in process analyzer validation, troubleshooting, and performance improvement. For several years, he led the Dow Global Process Chromatography Technology Network. Since retiring from Dow, Aaron has had process analyzer consulting engagements with the Sadara Chemical Company in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, and most currently with MEGlobal.
Aaron has 35 years of experience practicing industrial gas chromatography.
Michael Hoffman
Business Development
Manager Siemens
Industry, Inc.
Gas Chromatography
Systems MAXUM LLC
Houston, Texas, USA
Michael started the industry in 1979 at Phillips 66, Bartlesville, OK. The journey continued with Standard Oil Chemicals, BP, Innovene, and INEOS before Siemens, soon to be Valmet.
Michael initially worked with laboratory chromatographs but transitioned to process chromatographs in the early 1980s. Primarily focusing on online analyzer reliability, the journey expanded to advanced process control, materials handling, and analyzer data management technologies. Michael joined Siemens in 2007 and is now responsible for the marketing and technical support of analytical solutions, data communications, process GC applications, and sample system designs.
Michael has 41 years of experience working with laboratory and process gas chromatographs.
Dirk Horst
Freelance Trainer and
Consultant Process
Analyzer and Custody
Transfer Systems
Formerly Global QMI
Engineer and Consultant
Shell Global Solutions
Team The Hague,
The Netherlands
Dirk has a long experience with process analyzers, including startup assignments at Shell jobsites in India, Germany, Nigeria, and Russia. He is also well known for his many classroom and practical training programs for analyzer maintenance technicians.
Dirk has 34 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
Junji Koyama, ME
Process Gas
Chromatograph
Application Specialist
YPHQ System
Analyzer Center
Yokogawa Electric
Corporation Mitaka,
Tokyo, Japan.
Junji-san has been a leader of the PGC application development team at Yokogawa, holding engineering and management roles in application development and column design. Additionally, Junji-san looks after Yokogawa's global application labs while also providing technical support to sales and service engineers.
Junji-san has 16 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
Dr. Daniel Kuehne
Process Gas
Chromatograph Consultant
Head of Global GC Proposals
and FEED Support
Gas Chromatography
Systems MAXUM GmbH;
Part of Valmet Group
Karlsruhe, Germany.
Daniel studied Chemistry at the University of Bremen, earning his diploma and completing a doctorate thesis in Analytical Chemistry. He joined Siemens in 2005 as a method developer for process GCs. He stayed in method development for 11 years, the last 5 years as head of the PGC method developer team. In 2016, he joined the technical proposals team for PGC and worked as a technical consultant for sales and customers. Daniel has been in his current role as head of the global team for GC proposals and FEED support since 2022.
Daniel has 19 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
James Leonard, PhD
Senior Technical Associate
Corporate Analytical Division
Eastman Chemical
Company Kingsport,
Tennessee, USA.
James received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from The Ohio State University. He has 24 years of experience working in the field of Process Analytics at Eastman Chemical. During this time, James has designed, installed, and commissioned analyzer systems incorporating modern on-line techniques throughout the world. He has presented lectures on process analytics at university and other organizations to promote the use of on-line technologies to improve process control and reduce waste.
James has 20 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
Harald Mahler
Business Development
Professional Gas
Chromatography
Systems MAXUM GmbH
Karlsruhe, Germany.
Harald Mahler studied chemistry at Reutlingen University. Since 1989, he gained experience in process analytics from various engineering and management positions within Siemens Process Analytics; these include assignments in the applications and method development laboratory, project management, and industry marketing and product management. Currently, he is Global Sales and Business Development Manager for process analytics within Gas Chromatography Systems MAXUM GmbH. Major working areas are the (petro)chemical and oil and gas industries including decarbonization markets.
Harald has presented technical papers at several international symposia and conferences in Europe and North America. He has also authored articles in technical magazines and books and acted as session chair at several conferences.
Harald has 35 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs and other process analyzers.
Gen Matsuno, ME
Manager, Analyzer
Marketing
Sensing Center
Yokogawa Electric
Corporation Mitaka,
Tokyo, Japan.
Matsuno-san was the leader of the Yokogawa GC8000 PGC development team. In addition to his experience of designing process gas chromatographs, he has five years of experience as a laboratory GC user.
Gen-san has 17 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
Takashi Matsuura, BE
Senior Field Engineer
Nippon Swagelok FST, Inc.
Yokohama, Japan
Formerly, Manager of
Process GC Development
Yokogawa Electric
Corporation.
Taka designed the Yokogawa GC1000 PGC oven and was the leader of the engineering team that developed the Yokogawa GC1000 Mk2 PGC. He wrote the specification for the Yokogawa GC8000 PGC.
Taka has over 25 years of experience working with process gas chromatographs.
Phillip McKay
Process Gas Analyser
Specialist
Australia and Pacific Region
Support Services Manager
at Integrated Analytical
Systems
Service Manager at Tresco
International (Aust) Pty. Ltd.
Phil came into gas chromatography with a strong electronics background. In the early 1980s, he joined Beckman Instruments as a service engineer specializing in process gas chromatographs and a wide range of process gas analyzers. He has extensive practical experience of process analyzers including sample system design and commissioning; troubleshooting and repair; and programming and data communications interfacing. Phil also teaches introductory and advanced training courses on the operation and maintenance of process gas chromatographs.
Phil has over 40 years of experience with process gas chromatographs.
Suru Patel, PhD
Process Analyzer
Consultant
Patex Controls Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Formerly, Distinguished
Engineering Associate for
Process Analyzers
Exxon Chemical
Company Sarnia,
Canada and Singapore.
In addition to his process analyzer engineering work, Suru developed PGC training courses for process analyzer technicians and PGC data users. Previously, for several years, Suru was a PGC Applications Engineer at Servomex Company in the UK and was the Lead Analyzer Engineer in Houston for Exxon`s Singapore Chemical...
