Method and system for determining energy content and detecting contaminants in a fluid stream

• US 8,686,364 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP3 Measurement, LLC (Flotek Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: JP3 Measurement, LLC (Flotek Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Little, Joseph Paul III, Thomas, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MINDY D
• Application Number:
  US13/720,598
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 250/339.12
• US Class Current: 250/339.12
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 3/01 for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0294 Multi-channel spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/108 for measurement in the infrared range
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/433 Modulation spectrometry; Derivative spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/359 using near infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/85 Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/28 Oils , i.e. hydrocarbon liquids edible oils or edible fats G01N33/03
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/132 by controlling the flow of the individual components G05D11/133 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0335 Controlled by consistency of mixture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2506 By viscosity or consistency

Abstract

Methods and systems for real time, in situ monitoring of fluids, and particularly the determination of both the energy content and contaminants in a gas or oil transmission facility, are provided. The system may include two separate scanning sources to scan two different, but overlapping, NIR ranges, or may involve two separate scans from a single scanning spectroscopy source. The first scan ranges from approximately 1550 nm up through 1800 nm and a second scan concurrently scans at a high resolution across a band from approximately 1560-1610 nm, the wavelength of interest for hydrogen sulfide (though similar scans are contemplated in alternative wavelength ranges for alternative contaminants). The second scan may provide very narrow (0.005 nm) step resolution over just the wavelength of interest for the contaminant and may scan at a substantially higher power level. The spectroscopic optical data from the two scans, however obtained, must then be combined into an analytical processing module containing models that analyze the multi-scan data and yield both energy content and contaminant quantitative data.

Claims

1. A method of determining energy content and quantity of a contaminant in a fluid comprising:

transmitting a fluid within a fluid infrastructure through an optical cell;

scanning said fluid over a broad wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum using a first scanning source;

scanning said fluid over a narrow wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum using a second scanning source;

determining energy content of said fluid using spectrographic analysis from said first scanning source scan; and

determining a quantity of a contaminant in said fluid using spectrographic analysis from said second scanning source scan.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first scanning source and said second scanning source scan concurrently.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first scanning source and said second scanning source scan sequentially.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first scanning source scans at low resolution and said second scanning source scans at high resolution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said fluid is natural gas.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said fluid is liquefied natural gas.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said broad wavelength range is between about 1350 nm and about 2500 nm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said narrow wavelength range is between about 1560 nm and about 1610 nm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said contaminant is hydrogen sulfide.

10. A method of determining energy content and quantity of a contaminant in a fluid comprising:

transmitting a fluid within a fluid infrastructure through an optical cell;

scanning said fluid over a broad wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum using a scanning source;

nearly simultaneously scanning said fluid over a narrow wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum using said scanning source;

determining energy content of said fluid using spectrographic analysis from said scan of said broad wavelength range; and

determining a quantity of a contaminant in said fluid using spectrographic analysis from said scan of said narrow wavelength range.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said scanning source scans said broad wavelength range at low resolution and scans said narrow wavelength range at high resolution.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said fluid is natural gas.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said fluid is liquefied natural gas.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said broad wavelength range is between about 1250 nm and about 2500 nm.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said narrow wavelength range is between about 1560 nm and about 1610 nm.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said contaminant is hydrogen sulfide.

17. A method of determining energy content and quantity of a contaminant in a fluid comprising:

transmitting a fluid within a fluid infrastructure through an optical cell;

scanning said fluid over a broad wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum using a scanning source;

evaluating said broad wavelength range at low resolution to determine energy content of said fluid; and

evaluating a narrow wavelength range within said broad wavelength range at high resolution to determine a quantity of a contaminant in said fluid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said fluid is natural gas.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said fluid is liquefied natural gas.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said broad wavelength range is between about 1250 nm and about 2500 nm.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said narrow wavelength range is between about 1560 nm and about 1610 nm.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said contaminant is hydrogen sulfide.

23. A system for determining energy content and quantity of a contaminant in a fluid comprising:

an optical cell;

a fluid infrastructure, wherein fluid in said fluid infrastructure is transmitted through said optical cell;

a first scanning source configured to scan said fluid in said optical cell over a broad wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum;

a second scanning source configured to scan said fluid in said optical cell over a narrow wavelength range within the near infrared spectrum, wherein energy content of said fluid is determined using spectrographic analysis from said first scanning source, and wherein quantity of contaminant is determined using spectrographic analysis from said second scanning source.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said first scanning source and said second scanning source scan concurrently.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said first scanning source and said second scanning source scan sequentially.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said first scanning source scans at low resolution and said second scanning source scans at high resolution.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein said fluid is natural gas.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein said broad wavelength range is between about 1350 nm and about 2500 nm.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said narrow wavelength range is between about 1560 nm and about 1610 nm.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein said contaminant is hydrogen sulfide.