Patent ID: 7895052

Claim:
Computer instructions in data storage of a processor for instructing the processor to compute an actual sales value or an actual delivery value for all of a plurality of components in a commingled hydrocarbon fluid stream, comprising the steps of: a. determining a member of the group consisting of: a mass, a volume, an energy, or combinations thereof, for each of a plurality of hydrocarbon fluid streams; b. obtaining a plurality of hydrocarbon samples, one hydrocarbon sample from each of the plurality of hydrocarbon fluid streams, wherein each hydrocarbon sample is representative of each of the plurality of hydrocarbon fluid streams; c. determining a plurality of molecular compositions, one molecular composition for each of the hydrocarbon samples, wherein each of the molecular compositions comprises a plurality of components; d. applying a virtual tag to each of the plurality of components, forming a plurality of tagged components for each hydrocarbon sample; e. entering the plurality of tagged components into a process simulation model (PSM) for a specified facility; f. using a processor with the process simulation model (PSM) for the specified facility to compute a theoretical commingled hydrocarbon fluid stream molecular composition and compute a member of the group consisting of: a component mass, a component volume, a component energy, or combinations thereof, for each theoretical commingled hydrocarbon stream molecular composition using the mass, the volume, the energy, or combinations thereof of the plurality of hydrocarbon fluid streams; and g. using at least one processor, pro-rate the theoretical commingled hydrocarbon fluid stream molecular composition to an agreed upon volume, an agreed upon mass, an agreed upon energy, or combinations thereof, between a buyer and a seller, to form the actual sales value or actual delivery value for each component in the commingled hydrocarbon fluid stream.