Dr James G. Speight has a BSc and PhD in Chemistry; he also holds a DSc in Geological Sciences and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering. He has more than 50 years of experience in areas associated with (i) the properties, recovery, and refining of reservoir fluids, conventional petroleum, heavy oil, and tar sand bitumen; (ii) the properties and refining of natural gas and gaseous fuels; and (iii) the properties and refining of biomass, biofuels, and biogas and the generation of bioenergy. His work has also focused on environmental effects, environmental remediation, and safety issues associated with the production and use of fuels and biofuels. He is the author (and coauthor) of more than 75 books in petroleum science and engineering, biomass, biofuels, and environmental sciences.

Although he has always worked in the private industry that focused on contract‐based work, Dr Speight has served as adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Fuels Engineering at the University of Utah and in the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Wyoming. In addition, he was a visiting professor in the College of Science, University of Mosul (Iraq), and has also been a visiting professor in chemical engineering at the following universities: University of Akron (Ohio), University of Missouri, Technical University of Denmark, and University of Trinidad and Tobago. He has served as a thesis examiner for more than 30 theses and has been an advisor/mentor to MSc and PhD students.

Dr Speight has been honored as the recipient of the following awards:

• Diploma of Honor, United States National Petroleum Engineering Society. For outstanding contributions to the petroleum industry, 1995.
• Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For outstanding work in petroleum science, 1996.
• Einstein Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In recognition of outstanding contributions and service in the field of geologic sciences, 2001.
• Gold Medal – Scientists without Frontiers, Russian Academy of Sciences. In recognition of his continuous encouragement of scientists to work together across international borders, 2005.
• Methanex Distinguished Professor, University of Trinidad and Tobago. In recognition of excellence in research, 2006.
• Gold Medal – Giants of Science and Engineering, Russian Academy of Sciences. In recognition of continued excellence in science and engineering, 2006.

Natural gas is a flammable gaseous mixture that usually occurs with petroleum in reservoirs as well as in gas reservoirs. It is predominantly methane (CH₄) but does contain higher molecular weight hydrocarbon derivatives, such as paraffins (C_nH_2n+2), generally containing up to eight carbon atoms that may also be present in small quantities. In some gases, benzene and low molecular weight aromatic carbon derivative may also be present. The hydrocarbon constituents of natural gas are combustible, but nonflammable nonhydrocarbon components such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), nitrogen (N₂), and helium (He) are often also present, which detract from the heating value of natural gas. In certain natural gases where the concentration of the nonhydrocarbon constituents is relatively high, they may be extracted as added‐value products.

Effective gas recovery, transportation, storage, and processing operations require that analytical resources are optimized because the application of the relevant analytical methods meets the objectives required at each stage of gas handling. Method validation, as required by the local, state, or national regulatory agencies at the various stages of the approval process, necessitates the need for demonstrating that the analytical procedures applied to the sales gas are suitable for their intended use in terms of defining the sales specifications of the gas. Where appropriate, the results of the analytical test methods are incorporated into MSDS documents that provide valuable information to purchasers. In addition, regulations require chemical manufacturers to prepare and distribute an MSDS for various products, especially those products that might be harmful to the user and to the environment. This includes natural gas products (and natural gas itself) that are flammable, corrosive, explosive, or toxic.

However, to fully understand the results of the analytical test methods as applied to production to sales of natural gas and the various products, it is necessary to understand the composition of natural gas as it is related to its formation and character. For example, analytical data are the media for transmitting information related to the effectiveness of gas processing operations at the wellhead and at the refinery. Prior to transportation in pipelines, it is essential that any corrosive constituents in the gas (such as water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide) are separated from natural gas.

Thus, analytical methods are employed to establish the identity, purity, physical characteristics, and potency of natural gas and the associated products. Methods have been developed to support testing against specifications during manufacturing and quality release operations, as well as during long‐term stability studies. Furthermore, the validation of an analytical method demonstrates the reliability of the measurement. It is required to varying extents throughout the regulatory process, and the validation practice demonstrates that an analytical method measures (in the context of natural gas) the amount of the constituent and it is in the allowable range for that constituents.

As a result, it should not be a surprise that at each stage of natural gas production, wellhead treating, transportation, and processing, analysis of the gas to determine its composition and properties by standard test methods is an essential part of the chemistry of natural gas and related technology. Use of analytical methods offers vital information about the behavior of natural gas during recovery, wellhead processing, transportation, gas processing, and use. The data produced from the test methods are based on the criteria involving the suitability of the gas for use and the potential for interference with the environment.

Thus, it is the purpose of this book to identify and describe the criteria that are appropriate to the analysis and testing of natural gas and related gas streams. For this reason, there is reference to the relevant standard test method that falls under the umbrella of ASTM International, an organization that is recognized globally across borders, disciplines, and industries and works to improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, and systems and services.

This book presents the various aspects of the origin and analysis of natural gas and will provide a detailed explanation of the necessary standard test methods and procedures that are applicable to products to help predefine predictability of gas composition and behavior during gas cleaning operations and use. This information allows the analyst to understand the behavior of the method and to establish the performance limits of the method according to the origin of the sample received by the analytical laboratory. Where appropriate, the book also references process gas (also called refinery gas), coalbed methane, gas from tight formations, gas from gas hydrates, coal gas, biogas, landfill gas, and flue gas.

Each chapter is written as a stand‐alone chapter so that all of the relevant information is at hand especially where there are tests that can be applied to several products. Where this was not possible, cross‐references to the pertinent chapter are included. Several general references are listed for the reader to consult and obtain a more detailed description of natural gas properties, and the focus is to cite the relevant test methods that are applied to natural gas and its constituents.

The book is intended for use within analytical laboratories that specialize on the analysis of natural gas and for managers, professionals, and technicians working in the gas industry as well as gas processing scientists and engineers as a guide for the analysis of gas from other sources. The book will help the reader to understand where the various standard test methods are relevant and how these test methods fit into the technology of natural gas. In summary, it is not merely a matter of knowing which test methods to apply to the analysis of natural gas, but at which point analysis should be applied in the gas train that commences with the origin of the gas and ends with the sales of the gas to the consumer.

This book will serve as a valuable reference work for the application of analysis in the natural gas industry and will introduce the analytical chemist to the origin and production of natural gas and the natural gas engineer to the various methods of analysis that are required (by regulation) as well as the points of application of the relevant test methods.