Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas

chromatograph installations

Introduction
Gas chromatographs (GCs) are the workhorses of gas analysis in virtually all process
applications. GCs are proven technology that provide real-time compositional data to
control processes, supervise product quality, and monitor emissions. Because GCs are
so common in hydrocarbon processing facilities, industry professionals tend to fall
back on standard practices when evaluating a GC for a new capital analyzer project or
considering optimizing existing installations. Operations or environmental personnel
focus on purchasing a GC that can handle the application at the best price and only
factor in the cost of the GC. This approach ignores some of the largest costs that are
ultimately required for the installation and operation of the GC, which leaves huge
potential savings in capital expenses on the table. It is time for industry professionals to
look beyond the obvious in analyzer projects and recognize the enormous impact of
“hidden costs,” and steps they can take to avoid them.

The iceberg effect

The cost of a gas
chromatograph represents only
5 to 20 percent of the total cost
of the project – just the tip of
the iceberg. That leaves a
significant amount of additional
costs that may not be
considered when selecting a GC.
Those costs can include a
protective shelter, in-house or
contracted engineering,
installation charges, instrument
air, heated sample lines, utilities,
training, and start up and check
out (Figure 1).

The shelter
Figure 1: Iceberg of hidden costs
When industry professionals
hear the word shelter, what
comes to mind is a free-standing room in which people and equipment are fully
protected from heat, cold, and environmental conditions. As is discussed below, this
type of shelter is frequently not required, but when it is, it will represent at least 40
percent of the entire project cost. In addition to the shelter itself, users must factor in

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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

the additional costs of the HVAC unit, purge system, area monitors and alarms,
lighting, communication, and electrical distribution, as well as instrument air,
plumbing, and vent headers.

Engineering
Cost for both in-house and contract engineering are significant on any project that
involves bringing a physical structure into an industrial environment. These costs make
up somewhere between 15 to 18 percent of the total cost of the gas chromatograph
project.

Installation
Installation charges will make up 15 to 20 percent of the gas chromatograph project
costs including construction of a concrete pad. For large shelters, a crane may be
required and even without it, labor costs will still be incurred as the structure is
secured, communication and power interconnects are made, and tubing and piping is
connected to existing points in the plant.

Instrument air
Instrument air lines must be installed to the shelter, adding more costs to the project.
These expenses include not only materials, but also the labor required to install and
connect the hardware. An air-bath, heated GC can add thousands of dollars to the
operational cost of air usage. These costs escalate if a purge system is required for the
GC and shelter.

Heated sample lines

When required by the application, heated sample lines and probes can add additional
costs to the project, especially for samples needing extended line runs. Unheated and
uninsulated sample lines can save several thousand dollars in costs, but to prevent
inaccurate analysis, one must closely assess the stream composition and its possible
dew point and compare them to the known environmental conditions before
foregoing heated sample lines.

Utilities
Users need to consider the utility costs over the life of a gas chromatograph as they can
be significantly higher when operating a traditional GC with an air-bath oven compared
to a field-mountable GC with an airless oven. These costs include power requirements
and instrument air usage as well as carrier and calibration gas consumption.
These significant “hidden” costs, which are often not considered when adding a new
GC to a plant, account for 70 percent to 80 percent of the total installation cost of the
GC.
So what can be done to greatly reduce the total costs to install and operate a GC?

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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

Traditional air-bath oven GCs vs. field-mountable transmitter type

What if your gas chromatograph didn’t need a shelter?

When considering the capabilities of a gas chromatograph for a given application, it is
important to factor in the choice of airless ovens versus traditional air-bath ovens. In
many situations, the airless ovens of field-mountable, transmitter-type GCs will help
to reduce operating expenses.
Air-bath ovens rely on plant or compressed air to heat the analytical oven to a
constant and optimal temperature, which means a temperature above the dew point
and optimized for component separation. The incoming air must be heated to
maintain the constant oven temperature and must also be hydrocarbon free to
prevent any explosive risks. Air-bath oven GCs are designed for installation in an
analyzer house. Because of repeatability issues and sensitivity to humidity and
moisture, they must be installed in the field
with additional climate control protection.
On the other hand, airless oven,
transmitter-type GCs are designed to be
installed directly in the field without any
additional protection. The analytical oven
is partitioned within the housing of the GC
and is heated by block heater/wrap-around
heaters. Tight proportional integral
derivative (PID) control maintains
temperature stability and the thermal mass
of the oven assembly transmits heat to the
detectors mounted within the oven. The
column’s location near the detectors and
heaters allows for stable heating
Figure 2: Field-mountable process GC
throughout the analysis. The entire oven
assembly is enclosed in an insulation packing, which limits the effects of outside
ambient conditions on the analysis of the GC (Figure 2).

 Transmitter-type GCs withstand rain, high humidity and a wide ambient

temperature range — typically -20 ° to +60 °C (-4 ° to +140 °F) — without impact on
their analytical performance. Housings are typically IP 65 or higher.
 The instrument housing is explosion-proof and there is no need for air purge to
ensure rating. The typical area classification is Class 1, Zone 1, Ex d IIC, Ex d
IIB+H2, T4 rating, Enclosure Type 4 — with agency approvals, such as ATEX, CSA,
and IEC-Ex.
 Transmitter-type GCs consume less electrical power during initial startup and
during normal use — often less than 150 watts. Because of oven and housing
design, the field-mountable GC does not require instrument air for any functions.
Therefore, continuous heating of “plant air” is not needed, further reducing the
power requirements.
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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

 The design of the field-mountable GC allows it to be mounted closer to the sample

takeoff so the sample line itself can be shorter. The installed cost is lower, and that
can be significant when heat-traced sample lines are used. Fewer problems will be
encountered obtaining a representative sample due to the sample characteristics
changing during transport.
While the transmitter-type GC offers many advantages and cost reductions, it is not
appropriate for all applications. The oven can house only up to three detectors,
including one flame detector.
Given the compact design and the heating method of the analyzer, the maximum oven
temperature is lower than that of a traditional GC (180 ° - 200 °C) but can still be up to
120 °C. The lower number of possible valves, reduced space for columns and lower
temperature capabilities can all limit the number of applications of the field-mountable
GC in some instances in which high carbon number compounds need to be analyzed.
Programmed temperature type applications — like simulated distillation — are not
possible with the transmitter-type GC.
Column configurations and oven temperatures for both the field-mountable GCs and
conventional GCs do not differ significantly for the majority of applications, therefore
cycle times are relatively equivalent. A complete analysis of natural gas up to and
including C9+ hydrocarbon components, giving a measurement within 0.125 British
Thermal Unit (BTU) in 1,000 BTUs, for example, is accomplished in a field-mountable
GC in four minutes.
The bottom line is that many if not most GC applications can use a transmitter-type GC
and benefit from the potential cost savings. Evaluating the performance characteristics
of air-bath versus airless oven designs is a must for every GC installation.

Understand your choices in shelters

Looking at the GC “iceberg” of hidden costs, some users may point out that even if they
select a transmitter-type GC that requires no shelter, they still need to protect their
personnel and/or other equipment from weather issues — a fair argument. With that in
mind, it is important to understand the choices of shelters, many of which can save
substantial costs.

Sun shield
A sun shield provides protection for single or multiple analyzers and their associated
accessories such as carrier and calibration gases and sample handling conditioning
systems. It protects the analyzer from the sun and provides partial protection from
rain, snow, and falling objects. On a cost scale, the sun shield is one of the lowest. A
starting price for a sun shield is approximately $20,000 not including the analyzers
(Figure 3).

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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

In general, no HVAC equipment, area monitors

and alarms, vent headers, or communication
systems are required. There may be electrical
distribution systems. Due to the minimum
weight, shipping expenses are low compared to
other protection solutions. There will be
installation costs associated with securing the
structure, connecting communications and
power, and running tubing and piping from the
sample point to the analyzer. With its small
size, the sun shield may be able to be placed
close to the sample point. This can save several
thousand dollars in tubing and piping,
especially if heated sample lines are required.
Figure 3: Example of a sun shield

Three-sided shelter
Appropriate in size for multiple GCs, a three-sided shelter with its partially vented walls
and overhung roof, offers additional
protection against driving rain and
snow over the sun shield. The
three-sided structure may include
interior and exterior lighting. On a
cost scale, the starting price is
approximately $60,000 without
analyzers (Figure 4).
In general, no HVAC equipment, area
monitors and alarms, vent headers or
communication systems are required.
As the weight and size are larger than
the sun shield, the installation costs
will be higher. The larger size of the
three-sided shelter may preclude it
Figure 4: Example of a three-sided shelter
from being near the sample point,
thus tubing and piping costs will also
be higher.

Enclosures and cabinets

Enclosures and cabinets both provide protection from the rain, snow and falling
objects. In an enclosure, given its small size, there is generally only room for a single
analyzer and a limited number of associated accessories, such as a small calibration
cylinder and a sample conditioning plate. It may attach to a wall, pole, frame, or even a
pipeline. A cabinet is a free-standing shelter that may hold a single analyzer or multiple
analyzers, their associated accessories such as carrier and calibration gases, and a
sample handling conditioning system. Figure 5 is an example of a cabinet.
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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

On a cost scale, an enclosure is

one of the lowest with a starting
price of $10,000. In general, no
HVAC equipment, area monitors
and alarms, vent headers or
communication and electrical
distribution systems are
required. Due to the minimum
weight, shipping expenses are
the least compared to other
protection solutions. There will
be installation costs like the sun
shield. Like the sun shield, the
enclosure’s small size means it
may be placed close to the
sample point.
A cabinet can be slightly more
than a sun shield. The cost point
is highly dependent on whether Figure 5: Example of a cabinet
HVAC and gas detection
equipment is supplied. Airbath oven GCs can drive the need for HVAC, especially in hot
climates because airbath ovens generate a lot of latent heat, whereas airless ovens
don't. A basic cabinet can start at $30,000 and can go over $100,000. In general, no
alarms, vent headers, or communication systems are required. The installation costs
are similar to that of a three-sided shelter. The advantage of the cabinet over the
three-sided shelter is its smaller size, which means the cabinet can be installed closer to
the sample point, saving several thousand dollars in tubing and piping. On the other
hand, a three-sided shelter can accommodate more analyzers while the cabinet is
generally more suited to housing two analyzers with accessories.

Walk-in shelter or analyzer house

A walk-in shelter is a large structure consisting of four walls, a door, a ceiling and a floor.
It provides protection for multiple analyzers and the technician (Figure 6). It is suited
for extremely hot or cold climates and is selected when the safety and comfort of the
technician is a key factor. Common walk-in shelter sizes include 8 ft. x 10 ft.(1.8 m x 3.0
m), 12 ft. x 8 ft.(3.6 m x 1.8 m), 12 ft. x 10 ft. (3.6 m x 3.0 m) and 10 ft. x 25 ft. (3.0 m x
7.6 m). Often the walk-in shelters will have HVAC equipment, area monitors and
alarms, cabling and trays, hazardous area compliance, vent headers, and
communication and electrical systems. There are a multitude of possible options such
as the number of doors, insulation level and type, and thickness of the walls and
roofing materials. If there is a need for four or more analyzers, a walk-in shelter may be
the best option due to its size and wall space (Figure 7).

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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

Figure 6: Exterior view of a walk-in shelter

On a cost scale, a walk-in shelter is the most expensive. A small shelter can be $100,000 with
larger shelters being more than $300,000. The shipping costs are high due to the weight and
the installation costs are the most expensive as additional equipment like cranes can be
required to put the shelter in place. The large size of the walk-in shelter prevents it from being
near the sample point, causing tubing and piping costs to be high.

Figure 7: Interior of a walk-in shelter

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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

Flexibility improves cost benefit

Determining the type of shelter required to ensure proper operation of a gas
chromatograph depends on several factors. Certain applications, such as those
requiring the measurement of trace levels of hydrogen sulfide, need a
temperature-controlled environment. A cabinet with gas detectors or a walk-in shelter
would be the best choice. In corrosive environments, such as offshore, an enclosure,
cabinet, or walk-in shelter is the preferred protection method.
The ambient temperature where the GC will be located must be considered. If the
coldest ambient temperature is lower than the operating temperature of the GC, then
a temperature-controlled shelter will be required. The same applies for the hottest
ambient temperature. It is also worth considering the safety and comfort of the
technician. While the ambient temperatures of the location may fall within the
operating temperature range of the GC, it might not be within the operating range of
the technician.
So the first question the user needs to ask when embarking on a new analyzer project
is, “What is my application and do I require a traditional GC to achieve the needed
results, or can I use a field-mountable GC?” The answer to that question will determine
everything that follows and will impact the budget significantly.
If the application and environment do not preclude it, a transmitter-type GC can be
protected with a cost-effective sun shield or three-sided shelter so those are factored
into the cost savings.

Figure 8: Comparison of shelters

Figure 8 shows the dramatic difference in costs that can be achieved using a
field-mountable GC, which offers significant savings by reducing costs associated with
climate-controlled shelters, sample lines, installation, and shipping.
The next question to ask is, “What is my environment? Does it allow the use of the
more cost-effective shelters?” As discussed, some applications and environments
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Finding and reducing the “hidden costs” in gas chromatograph installations White Paper

preclude the use of a sun shield or a three-sided shelter because the environment
demands that operators be protected, or a large amount of instrumentation is being
installed on the site.
A key point to understand is that even if a full shelter is required, the transmitter-type
GC may still be the more cost-effective solution due to its smaller footprint than a
traditional process gas chromatograph. The smaller footprint means a smaller size
cabinet or walk-in shelter. The smaller size, lower power requirements, and lower utility
gas usage make a transmitter-type GC significantly less costly to operate than an
air-bath oven GC.
Another important benefit to using a field-mountable GC even in an analyzer house is
flexibility. There’s always the potential that demands will change. If new
environmentally sensitive instruments need to be introduced into the shelter, the
field-mountable GC can be moved out into a simple shelter or no shelter at all.
Field-mountable instruments give the potential to expand without spending hundreds
of thousands of dollars on a new analyzer house. Upgrade projects also benefit from
this flexibility, allowing a field-mountable instrument to be added to an existing system
without the need for construction of a new enclosure. Space within an existing analyzer
house is premium so an upgrade from an air-bath oven GC to a transmitter-style GC
can free up space within the shelter due to the smaller footprint of the transmitter-style
GC. Existing structures — even those that may no longer have fully operational HVAC
systems — can be reused and the demolition of old analyzer houses, and the costly
design, purchase and installation of new ones, are avoided.
Likewise, field-mountable GCs are fire- and explosion-proof, so they can be moved to
hazardous locations as the need arises.

Conclusion
A decision to add a gas chromatograph in a plant is often the result of extensive
research and planning, and the benefits of the GC are well understood. Allowing those
informed decisions to be derailed by hidden costs that aren’t considered in the
planning phase can scuttle a budget. Knowing to ask if a field-mountable GC can be
used in a given application can be the question that opens the door to hundreds of
thousands of dollars in savings and provides the flexibility to make the new GC a
valuable return on investment for many years to come.

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 White Paper

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