Phases of hydrocarbons in a compressed gas cylinder

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on selecting gas mixtures for calibrating a gas chromatograph, specifically a mixture containing methane, carbon dioxide, butane, acetylene, and nitrogen. The user is concerned about whether all components will remain in the gas phase at room temperature and high pressure, particularly CO2, butane, and acetylene, given their critical temperatures and pressures. While methane and nitrogen are confirmed to be in gas phase, the user questions if CO2 will be liquid due to its critical point being below the cylinder's pressure. The installation of a two-stage pressure regulator will reduce the outlet pressure, but the user is uncertain if this will prevent liquid phase formation. Ensuring all components are in gas phase is crucial for accurate calibration of the gas chromatograph.
temaire
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I'm currently in the process of selecting gas mixtures to calibrate a gas chromatograph. One of the gas mixtures I'm interested in has the following composition by percent volume:

methane (CH4): 95%
carbon dioxide (CO2): 1%
butane (C4H10): 1%
acetylene (C2H2): 1%
nitrogen (N2): 2%

The gas cylinder pressure is 1345 psig. I plan on calibrating the gas chromatograph at room temperature (24oC) and need to ensure that all compounds in the cylinder are in gas phase. I know that the CH4 and N2 will be in gas phase since their critical temperatures are well below room temperature. However, I'm unsure about whether the CO2, butane, and acetylene are in liquid or gas phase. For example, CO2 has a critical point of ~ 31oC and 1070 psi. Since the gas cylinder will be pressurized above this at 24oC, will it be in liquid phase? Am I approaching this problem the right way?
 
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temaire said:
Am I approaching this problem the right way?

Depends . Are you going to use the mixture at that pressure or expand down to a much lower pressure for feeding into the gas chromatograph ?
 
Nidum said:
Depends . Are you going to use the mixture at that pressure or expand down to a much lower pressure for feeding into the gas chromatograph ?

I will be installing a two-stage pressure regulator on the gas cylinder and the outlet pressure will be below 125 psig. However, I don't think this addresses the issue of some of the compounds in the cylinder remaining in liquid phase. I need to make sure that there isn't any liquid to begin with.
 
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