Apparatus for obtaining on-line gas samples for the measurement of crude oil content

The present invention is drawn to a method for measuring crude oil contained in a gas flowing in a gas line which incorporates the steps of obtaining a sample of gas from the gas line, passing the sample of gas through a selective crude oil trap, measuring the volume of the sample of gas, and measuring the volume of trapped crude oil. The selective crude oil trap includes a cooled coil and at least one cylinder filled with a fluid which is non-soluble with oil and which is preferably refrigerated. The selective crude oil trap may alternatively include a filter device which has a cylinder filled with a polymerized porous medium bound with a phenolic resin. The apparatus for carrying out the method has inlet and outlet connectors which allow the apparatus to be releasably connected to a gas flow line to obtain a sample of gas and to be disconnected and physically transported to a remote facility for completion of the testing.