This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: D5454 − 11 (Reapproved 2020)

Standard Test Method for

Water Vapor Content of Gaseous Fuels Using Electronic
Moisture Analyzers1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5454; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope changes the capacity of the capacitor in relation to the water

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the water vapor present. Silicone cells also operate on this principal by
vapor content of gaseous fuels by the use of electronic moisture reporting a capacitance change when adsorbing or desorbing
analyzers. Such analyzers commonly use sensing cells based water vapor.
on phosphorus pentoxide, P2O5, aluminum oxide, Al2O3, or 3.1.2 electrolytic-type cell—this cell is composed of two
silicon sensors piezoelectric-type cells and laser based tech- noble metal electrode wires coated with P2O5. A bias voltage is
nologies. applied to the electrodes, and water vapor chemically reacts,
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the generating a current between the electrodes proportional to the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the water vapor present.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter- 3.1.3 piezoelectric-type cell—sensor consists of a pair of
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. electrodes which support a quartz crystal (QCM) transducer.
1.3 This international standard was developed in accor- When voltage is applied to the sensor a very stable oscillation
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard- occurs. The faces of the sensor are coated with a hygroscopic
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the polymer. As the amount of moisture absorbed onto the polymer
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom- varies, a proportional change in the oscillation frequency is
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical produced.
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
3.1.4 laser-type cell—consists of a sample cell with an
2. Referenced Documents optical head mounted on one end and a mirror mounted on the
other; however, some models will not need a mirror to reflect
2.1 ASTM Standards:2
the light wavelength emitted from the laser. The optical head
D1142 Test Method for Water Vapor Content of Gaseous
Fuels by Measurement of Dew-Point Temperature contains a NIR laser, which emits light at a wavelength known
D1145 Test Method for Sampling Natural Gas (Withdrawn to be absorbed by the water molecule. Mounted, the laser is a
1986)3 detector sensitive to NIR wavelength light. Light from the laser
D4178 Practice for Calibrating Moisture Analyzers passes through the far end and returns to the detector in the
optical head. A portion of the emitted light, proportional to the
3. Terminology water molecules present, is absorbed as the light transits the
3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard: sample cell and returns to the detector.
3.1.1 capacitance-type cell—this cell uses aluminum coated 3.1.5 water content—water content is customarily expressed
with Al2O3 as part of a capacitor. The dielectric Al2O3 film in terms of dewpoint, °F or °C, at atmospheric pressure, or the
nonmetric term of pounds per million standard cubic feet,
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D03 on Gaseous lb/MMSCF. The latter term will be used in this test method
Fuels and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D03.05 on Determination of because it is the usual readout unit for electronic analyzers.
Special Constituents of Gaseous Fuels.
Current edition approved Jan. 1, 2020. Published January 2020. Originally
One lb/MMSCF = 21.1 ppm by volume or 16.1 mgm/m3 of
approved in 1993. Last previous edition approved in 2011 as D5454 – 11ε1. DOI: water vapor. Analyzers must cover the range 0.1 to
10.1520/D5454-11R20. 50 lb ⁄MMSCF.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM 3.1.6 water dewpoint—the temperature (at a specified pres-
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on sure) at which liquid water will start to condense from the
the ASTM website.
3
The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on water vapor present. Charts of dewpoints versus pressure and
www.astm.org. water content are found in Test Method D1142.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
 D5454 − 11 (2020)
4. Significance and Use 5.1.4 Power Supply—Analyzers for field use will have
4.1 Water content in fuel gas is the major factor influencing rechargeable or easily replaceable batteries. (Warning—
internal corrosion. Hydrates, a semisolid combination of hy- Analyzers for use in hazardous locations because of combus-
drocarbons and water, will form under the proper conditions tible gas must be certified as meeting the appropriate require-
causing serious operating problems. Fuel heating value is ments.)
reduced by water concentration. Water concentration levels are 6. Calibration
therefore frequently measured in natural gas systems. A com- 6.1 A calibration technique is described in Practice D4178
mon pipeline specification is 4 to 7 lb/MMSCF. This test that should be used to verify the accuracy of the analyzer. This
method describes measurement of water vapor content with method uses the known vapor pressure of water at 0 °C and
direct readout electronic instrumentation. mixes wet gas and dry gas to make up the total pressure so that
a standard gas of known water concentration is achieved.
5. Apparatus 6.1.1 Instruments very sensitive to sample flow must be
5.1 The moisture analyzer and sampling system will have compensated for barometric pressure.
the following general specifications: 6.2 A commercially made water vapor calibrator is shown in
5.1.1 Sampling System—Most errors involved with moisture Fig. 1, which uses essentially the same technique. This method
analysis can be eliminated with a proper sampling system. is useful only between 5 to 50 lb/MMSCF.
5.1.1.1 A pipeline sample should be obtained with a probe
6.3 Low-range water vapor standards may be obtained by
per Method D1145. The sample temperature must be main-
the use of water permeation tubes. Permeation rates must be
tained 2 °C (3 °F) above the dewpoint of the gas to prevent
established by tube weight loss.
condensation in the sample line or analyzer. Use of insulation
or heat tracing is recommended at cold ambient temperatures. 6.4 Compressed gas water vapor standards may be used,
5.1.1.2 Analyzer sensors are very sensitive to contamina- provided they are checked by an independent method once a
tion. Any contaminants injurious to the sensor must be re- month.
moved from the sample stream before reaching the sensor. This 6.5 Calibrate the analyzer using one of the standards in 6.3
must be done with minimum impact on accuracy or time of and 6.4 and respective procedures. Calibration must be at two
response. If the contaminant is an aerosol of oil, glycol, and so points, one higher and one lower than average expected
forth, a coalescing filter or semipermeable membrane separator readings. Some analyzers can have large nonlinear errors. Use
must be used. the calibration adjustment if applicable.
5.1.2 Construction—Sampling may be done at high or low
7. Procedure
pressure. All components subject to high pressure must be
rated accordingly. To minimize diffusion and absorption, all 7.1 Preparation—The analyzer operation and calibration
materials in contact with the sample before the sensor must be should be checked according to the manufacturer’s recommen-
made of stainless steel. Tubing of 1⁄8-in. stainless steel is dations prior to use. See Section 6. Verification of a dry
recommended. (Warning—Use appropriate safety precautions instrument using dry compressed nitrogen to get a reading
when sampling at high pressure.) below 1 lb/MMSCF is recommended before field use.
5.1.2.1 Pressure gages with bourdon tubes should be 7.2 Sample Procedure—Sample as in 5.1.1.1. Use as short a
avoided as a result of water accumulation in the stagnant sample line as practical. Purge the sample for 2 min before
volume. valving to the sensor.
5.1.2.2 Sample purging is important to satisfactory response 7.3 Reading—The time for a sensor to come to equilibrium
time. There must be a method to purge the sample line and is variable depending on its type and condition. The analyzer
sample cleanup system. may require 20 min to stabilize. Some analyzers have an
5.1.3 Electronics—Output from the sensor will be linearized external recorder output, and these can be used with a chart
for analog or digital display in desired units (usually lb/ recorder to become familiar with the true equilibrium response
MMSCF). There must be an adjustment for calibration accu- time.
racy available that can be used in the field if a suitable standard
is available. (This does not apply to instruments that assume 8. Precision and Bias
complete chemical reaction of water. Their accuracy still must 8.1 Precision data is being prepared for this test method by
be verified as in Section 6.) an interlaboratory study.

2
 D5454 − 11 (2020)

FIG. 1 Moisture Calibrator

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