The accuracy and reliability of your gas analyzer depend on the quality of the sample gas entering. Liquid contaminants in your gas sample can impact the accuracy of the measurement. Worse, liquid contaminants like water, compressor oil, and glycol will eventually damage the analyzer, resulting in costly repairs and operational downtime if preconditioning methods are not used.
For natural gas and biogas applications where hot gas and liquid contaminants may be present in your pipeline stream, Advanced Micro Instruments offers two preconditioning solutions designed to help protect the measurement accuracy and longevity of your gas analyzer.
Why Sample Gas Preconditioning Matters
Gas analyzers are indispensable tools that monitor and measure impurities to ensure the gas meets stringent quality standards for transportation, sale, use, and to track the effectiveness of treatment processes that remove contaminants. Gas streams often contain naturally occurring impurities such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), moisture (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). These bad actors, along with oxygen (O2) that can enter the gas stream through leaks, can wreak havoc on pipelines, equipment, and end-use applications if not properly managed. Our high-performing gas analyzers bring together proprietary technologies, superior design, and application expertise to help you measure oxygen (O2), moisture (H2O), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
However, the sample gas feeding the analyzer is not always in ideal condition and may contain liquid contaminants. Without proper sample gas conditioning, these liquid contaminants can lead to inaccurate readings, slow response time, frequent maintenance requirements, and premature sensor failure, jeopardizing the analyzer's accuracy. To avoid the extra maintenance and expenses, we encourage facilities to incorporate sample gas preconditioning equipment as a last line of defense.
At Advanced Micro Instruments, we offer sample gas preconditioning accessories to address these challenges; however, for our accessories to work effectively, sample gas must be in vapor phase.
Demister
The AMI Demister is a compact, vertically mounted device that installs directly onto the pipeline to cool and condition hot gas samples before they reach the analyzer.
Keep in mind that the Demister must be at ambient temperature to cool hot gas to ambient temperature. If the Demister is not at ambient temperature, it will not properly precondition the gas sample, which can lead to the hot gas inadvertently cooling inside the analyzer's metallic Eliminator Cell Block. This situation could potentially damage the sensor, impairing proper operation and lead to inaccurate measurements, or worse, analyzer failure.
While the Demister effectively regulates temperature, it is not designed to stop large volumes of liquid from entering the analyzer. For liquid and particulate protection, pair it with the AMI Analyzer Guardian.
Analyzer Guardian
The AMI Analyzer Guardian is designed to work in conjunction with the Demister and provides a different layer of protection against liquids and particulates.
Mounted directly in front of the Demister, the Analyzer Guardian features a unique membrane and stainless-steel deflector disk that allows only gas to pass through it while blocking liquids and contaminants from reaching the gas analyzer.
If excessive liquid reaches the membrane, the Guardian automatically provides a positive shut-off, preventing both liquid and gas from entering the analyzer, minimizing the risk of equipment damage. Once the liquid has been cleaned and the membrane is dry or replaced, gas flow resumes.
Our Analyzer Guardian with Regulator
For applications with pipeline pressures exceeding 150 psig, the AMI Analyzer Guardian with Regulator combines analyzer protection with pressure regulation.
The integrated regulator reduces gas pressure to a level acceptable for an AMI oxygen or hydrogen sulfide gas analyzer, which has a maximum inlet pressure of 150 psig.
Liquid Bypass Drain (optional)
For applications with heavily saturated gas streams, consider the optional Liquid Bypass Drain attachment that repels liquids from overwhelming the Guardian membrane.
Pairing with our Analyzers
For mounted installations, the AMI Demister and Analyzer Guardian can be paired with our Model 210BX, Model 2010BX, Watchdog, and Model 3010BX.
For portable applications that are testing wet samples, the AMI Demister and Analyzer Guardian can be paired with our portable 1000BX and 3000BX. With the preconditioning accessories attached to the portable analyzer with flexible sample tubing, you can screw it to half-inch ball valves on the sample port, run your test, and when done, close the valve, unscrew the demister, and move on to the next half-inch ball valve.
Need Application Assistance?
Contact an AMI specialist here: https://www.amio2.com/quote/specialist/
