2.

4 Assumptions
Several assumptions are used for designing this LPG recovery plant as well as simulating the
process using Unisim software.

1. Location
The LPG recovery plant will be built in Norway.
2. The LPG plant is part of gas processing plant, so that steam used for reboiler of the
column is considered to be generated as part of steam generation for the whole plant.
Then, it just needs to add the duty required to generate more steam, not to build the new
boiler for the steam.
3. In order to economise process, instead of using refrigerant it is suggested to use sea water
for condenser.
4. Sea water temperature for condenser 10oC.
5. Both conventional and petlyuk produce the same amount of the products.

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3 PROCESS DESCRIPTIONS
In this project, LPG extraction using both conventional fractionation column and Petlyuk column
are modelled and discussed separately.

3.1 Conventional Column

Generally, the processes for 3 different cases for conventional column are the same. In this
chapter, the simulation for conventional column is done for case 1 only. This simulation also
represents case 2 and case 3 by reducing the number of the columns based on specified products.

There are 4 columns used in this conventional process. First stage of LPG extraction from NGL is
Deethanizer. In this column, methane and ethane will be separated at the top of the column as
vapor phase. The heavier hydrocarbons (C3+) will flow at the bottom in liquid phase for next
entering the Debutanizer column. In this column, propane and butane are separated and go to the
top of the column, while the stabilized natural gas liquid (C5+) flows at the bottom. In order to
obtain pure specified propane product, propane and butane are separated in Depropanizer
Column. Propane goes to the top and butane goes to the bottom. Then finally, n-butane and iso-
butane are separated in butane splitter to get the specified products.

Simplified conventional fractionation process is illustrated by Process Flow Diagram in Figure

3.1 below.

Figure 3.1 – Simplified Process Flow Diagram

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Detailed process flow, parameter used and modelling a simulation are explained afterwards.

3.1.1 Process Flow

As described in introduction, technology and process for LPG extraction using conventional
column is typically the same as previous one. The differences are in selecting operating
conditions (pressure and temperature) of each column and arrangement of the columns. Those are
defined and determined based on feed stream conditions and composition, specifications of the
product and economics of the process. Detailed process flow diagram is shown in Figure 3.2.

The process consists of mainly four distillation columns. The specification of feeds is given in
Table 2.1. Initial feeds from both the separation units from the well and from the dehydration unit
are mixed before entering the deethanizer. In order to meet the operating pressure of deethanizer,
mixed feed (30 bar, 25oC) is expanded through expansion valve to 26 bar. Further explanation
about selecting operating pressure will be described in modeling sub-chapter 3.1.3.

In the deethanizer column, methane and ethane are expected to be separated and flow through the
top of the column. Since there is no requirement to liquefy methane and ethane, especially in
small amounts, these components will be kept in vapor phase and additional condenser is
unnecessary. The boiling point of mixed methane and ethane, in this case at pressure 18 bar, is -
52.55oC, which means that refrigerant is required to condense the gas. For economic reasons,
refrigerant will not be used in this process.

In this deethanizer, 100% methane and ethane in mixed feed can be separated and leaves the top
of the column at 18 bar and 37.53oC. This product will be used internally as a fuel to generate the
steam which is used for reboiler of the column. Heat is supplied to the column by forced
circulation using reboiler pump P-101 to reboiler E-101 and into the column. The heavier
hydrocarbons other than ethane leave the column as bottom product in liquid phase at 26 bar and
246.7oC. Next it is sent to debutanizer column.

Since the bottom product of deethanizer composed of small amount of propane (2 % of mass
fraction) and butane (5 % of mass fraction), debutanizer is used instead of depropanizer. So that
smaller columns will be used for next extraction. This is not only for economic reason, but also

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for efficiency of the separation as it is easier to extract the product this way and less duty will be
required for reboiler E-102.

Before entering debutanizer column, the deethanizer bottom product is expanded from 26 bar to
17 bar and fed into debutanizer as mixed-phase feed. This feed is fractionated into mixed propane
and butane as overhead product and heavier hydrocarbons (C5+) as bottom product. Then the
overhead product is totally condensed in the condenser E-103 by heat exchange with cooling
water, and condensate is collected in reflux drum D-101. The cooling water is sea water with
temperature 10oC. The reflux drum should be used in order to prevent cavitation on the pump due
to vapor phase. The debutanizer reflux and product pump P-103 serve the dual purpose of
supplying reflux to the column and allowing withdrawal of column overhead product butane from
the reflux drum. The column heat is supplied by a reboiler E-102, and circulation is aided by
debutanizer reboiler circulating pump P-102.

About 100% propane and 99% butane can be recovered from the feed at the overhead column
product. This stream leaves the column at 16 bar and 76.75oC and is sent to depropanizer column
to separate propane and butane. Meanwhile, the bottom product composed of pentane and heavier
hydrocarbons will be stored as natural gasoline. Since the bottom product has high temperature
(252.3oC), it will be cooled by heat exchanger E-108 before being sent to the storage.

Propane and butane stream is expanded from 16 bar to 10 bar and enters the depropanizer as
mixed-phase feed. The depropanizer separates propane as overhead product and butane as bottom
product. Condenser E-105 is used to totally condense the overhead vapor from depropanizer. Sea
water is used for cooling. Condensate is collected in depropanizer column reflux drum D-102. A
part of the condensed overhead product is sent back to the column as reflux via pump P-105
while the remaining part is withdrawn as a liquid propane product. Depropanizer reboiler heat is
supplied by reboiler E-104. Reboiler circulation is aided by reboiler circulation pump P-104.

It is about 99.9% of propane can be recovered as top product and 99.9% of butane is recovered as
bottom product. The butane product is field grade butane which is composed of 34% i-butane and
65% n-butane. This is next being sent to butane splitter to get i-butane and n-butane products
separately, since it could be sold with higher price than field grade butane.

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The field grade butane is expanded from 10 bar to 5 bar before enter the butane splitter. I-butane
is recovered as overhead product and n-butane as bottom product. I-butane is totally condensed
by condenser E-107. Condensate is collected in reflux drum D-103. A part of the condensed
overhead product is sent back to the column as reflux via pump P-107 while the remaining part is
withdrawn as a liquid i-butane product. Butane splitter heat is supplied by reboiler E-106.
Reboiler circulation is aided by reboiler circulation pump P-106.

Butane splitter column separates 96% mole of i-butane in the overhead product and 96% mole of
n-butane in the bottom product. Both products have higher price than field grade butane. The
whole process flow diagram is shown in Figure 3.2 below.

Figure 3.2 - Process Flow Diagram

3.1.2 Parameters
Modelling and simulating the LPG extraction process flow above is not as simple as the
description, especially to converge the distillation column with Unisim. The parameters below
should be considered in order to find a good result of simulation and the process as well as
minimize the errors of the calculation.

• Operating pressure of the column

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