Sponsored by PittconReviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Jan 30 2026
In May of 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released Title 40 in the Code of Federal Regulations, introducing Subpart Ja, a regulation aimed at significantly reducing sulfur emissions from petroleum refineries. Subpart Ja mandates that refineries constructed after June 24, 2008, must meet stringent sulfur emission limits and that all refineries must comply by November 2025. These stringent sulfur limits created a major analytical challenge, as many legacy gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) systems lacked the sensitivity and robustness needed to reliably meet the required detection limits.1
To comply, GC-MS designers were compelled to rethink system architecture, detection strategies, and sample handling. This regulatory pressure triggered rapid technological innovation, resulting in enhanced sensitivity, improved robustness, and increased automation. Sample preparation approaches, such as static headspace gas chromatography, which have long been used to improve reproducibility and minimize matrix effects, gained renewed importance as laboratories sought cleaner, more controlled sample transfer into GC systems.2 Notably, it has been more than a decade since a single regulation catalyzed such a concentrated period of advancement in analytical instrumentation, with advancements that continue to shape oil and gas analysis today.
Process Gas Chromatographs in Complex Industrial Environments
Chemical processing plants operate with highly complex gas streams that demand equally complex analytical solutions. These streams often contain mixtures of hydrocarbons, ranging from light permanent gases to heavier fractions, as well as sulfur-containing compounds, oxygenated compounds, and trace contaminants. Analyses may involve compositional profiling, determination of calorific value, impurity monitoring, and real-time process control.3
Process gas chromatographs (PGCs) have emerged as indispensable tools for providing continuous, online analytical data in these environments. PGCs are designed to operate directly in or near the process, offering automated sampling, ruggedized enclosures, and integration with distributed control systems (DCS). Their core principles are rooted in conventional gas chromatography, separation on packed or capillary columns followed by detection, but they are optimized for unattended operation, fast cycle times, and high repeatability.
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In oil and gas applications specifically, PGCs are widely used for natural gas custody transfer, refinery fuel gas monitoring, sulfur recovery units, and process optimization. Over time, traditional gas chromatography has evolved to better support these needs. Advances in sample preparation have reduced condensation and contamination risks, while continuous monitoring systems have improved process responsiveness. Miniaturization has reduced the footprint and power consumption, and alternative carrier gases, such as hydrogen, have mitigated helium supply constraints.
Despite these advances, many plants still rely on laboratory GC analysis as a backup to process analyzers. This reliance introduces potential issues, including delayed results, sample transport errors, and mismatches between laboratory and process conditions. The need for a process GC capable of delivering laboratory-grade capillary chromatography performance online has become increasingly clear.
Spotlight on Pittcon: Revolutionary Capillary Process GC
This challenge will be directly addressed in an organized session at Pittcon titled “New Revolutionary Process GC with Capillary Chromatography.” Presented by John Wasson of Wasson-ECE Instrumentation under the Instrumentation & Nanoscience track, the talk explores next-generation PGC solutions designed for hazardous environments.
The presentation introduces Wasson-ECE’s Eclipse, Neutrino, and E-VUV PGC platforms, which integrate flame ionization (FID), thermal conductivity (TCD), pulsed discharge helium ionization (PDHID), mass spectrometric (MSD), and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) detection. These systems employ convection ovens with highly precise temperature control, enabling reproducible retention times and peak areas comparable to laboratory capillary GC. Certified to ATEX and Class I, Div. 2 specifications, they can be safely deployed in hazardous-rated areas, providing a single-analyzer solution for diverse analytes in oil and gas processing.
Micro Gas Chromatography: Compact Power for Real-Time Analysis
Another transformative development in gas analysis is micro gas chromatography (µ-GC). Originating from early research in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in the 1990s, µ-GC technology required breakthroughs in microfabrication, silicon-based columns, miniaturized injectors, and sensitive micro-detectors before it could be commercialized.4
Unlike traditional GC, µ-GC systems integrate columns, injectors, and detectors onto compact silicon or metal platforms. This architecture enables rapid heating and cooling, short analysis times, low consumption of carrier gas, and exceptional portability. For the oil and gas industry, µ-GCs offer clear advantages in applications such as natural gas energy content analysis, biomethane quality control, mud logging, and on-site impurity monitoring, where speed and robustness are critical.
Spotlight on Pittcon: Greenpix and the Future of µ-GC
These innovations will be highlighted in another Pittcon organized session, “Greenpix – Advancing Modular, High-Performance Silicon-Based Micro-GC for Real-Time Gas Analysis,” presented by David Sans of APIX Analytics. Additionally, as part of the Instrumentation & Nanoscience track, the talk presents outcomes from the European-funded Greenpix project.
Greenpix represents a new generation of µ-GC analyzers, featuring a fully silicon-based ultra-compact injector, a modular fluidic manifold design, and compatibility with alternative carrier gases, such as hydrogen. Utilizing high-performance µ-TCD and nano-gravimetric detector (NGD) technologies, the platform achieves trace-level detection of hydrogen sulfide and tetrahydrothiophene, as well as high-precision permanent gas analysis with capabilities crucial for hydrogen purity and carbon capture applications.
Advancing Gas Chromatography: Innovation and Industry Collaboration at Pittcon
From regulatory-driven innovation to MEMS-enabled miniaturization, advancements in gas chromatography continue to redefine oil and gas analysis. Pittcon plays a central role in advancing this field by bringing together leaders, showcasing cutting-edge research, and connecting users with innovative instrumentation. In addition to the sessions highlighted here, leading GC vendors such as Agilent (Booth 1436) and JEOL USA, Inc. (Booth 1214) will be exhibiting at Pittcon.
For more information on these sessions, exhibitors, and the full technical program, readers are encouraged to visit the Pittcon website.
References and Further Reading
- Sparkman, O. D. (2011). Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry. Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/c2009-0-17039-3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/monograph/9780123736284/gas-chromatography-and-mass-spectrometry?via=ihub%3D.
- Kolb, B. and Ettre, L.S. (2006). Static Headspace–Gas Chromatography. DOI: 10.1002/0471914584. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/0471914584.
- Sauer, C., et al. (2021). On-Line Composition Analysis of Complex Hydrocarbon Streams by Time-Resolved Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Ion-Molecule Reaction Mass Spectrometry. Analytical chemistry, (online) 93(39), pp.13187–13195. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c01929. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c01929.
- Haghighi, F., Talebpour, Z. and Sanati-Nezhad, A. (2015). Through the years with on-a-chip gas chromatography: a review. Lab on a Chip, 15(12), pp.2559–2575. DOI: 10.1039/c5lc00283d. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/lc/c5lc00283d.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Pittcon.
For more information on this source, please visit Pittcon.