PLIS / HPLIS Introduction

The petroleum industry is rich with natural resources such as crude oil, tar sands and natural gases. These raw resources contain hydrocarbons ranging from Methane gas [C1] on up to molecules that contain in excess of 50 carbons [solids]. In the process of producing and refining these raw materials, products are produced that are very high in pressure and contain liquefied gases and heavy liquids of broad boiling range. To be able to accurately characterize these products at relatively low cost and high speed, these products must be kept in a liquid state up until introduction into a Gas Chromatograph used to analyze these complex matrices.

To achieve this, the sample introduction device must be capable of maintaining the sample in a single liquid phase while at the same time applying sufficient heat to vaporize the heavy hydrocarbons when the introduction is complete. This in itself is a serious contradiction of physics as more heat that is applied; the more difficult it is to maintain the sample in a single phase.

The requirement for such a sampling device has eluded the petroleum marketplace since the early 1960's.

A variety of sampling devices have been introduced and used with serious limitations to achieve the desired results how ever at elevated costs and considerable sample preparation labor.

In the year 2001 this opportunity was recognized and Transcendent Enterprises Inc was formed with the sole purpose of creating such a device now that technologies were available to make this happen.