িসেলট গ াস িফ স িলিমেটড

Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (SGFL)

(A Company of Petrobangla)

Internship Report

Natural Gas Processing at Molecular Sieve Turbo Expander

(MSTE) Plant of SGFL.

Rafsan Bin Sorwar

Bachelor of Science (Engineering)
Department of Petroleum & Mining Engineering
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114

i
 Internship Report

Natural Gas Processing at Molecular Sieve Turbo Expander (MSTE)

Plant of SGFL.

A Report Submitted to Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (A Company

of Petrobangla)

Submitted by:

Rafsan Bin Sorwar

Bachelor of Science (Engineering)
Department of Petroleum & Mining Engineering
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
Email: rafsan.sust@gmail.com

Date of Submission: December 27, 2018

Academic Reference: Field Coordinator:

Professor Dr. Md. Shofiqul Islam

Engr. Forrukh Ahmed
Professor Manager (Operation)
Dept. of Petroleum & Mining Engineering MSTE Plant (Kailashtilla)
Shahjalal University of Science and Sylhet Gas Field Limited
Technology, Sylhet-3114
Golapganj, Sylhet
Cell no: 01934738961
Cell no: 01711966600
Email: Shofiq-pme@sust.edu

ii
Recommendation

This report submitted by Mr. Rafsan Bin Sorwar has been accepted satisfactorily as
a requirement for the completion of the internship at Sylhet Gas Fields limited
(SGFL).

…………………………………………………………………..
Engr. Faruque Hossain
Deputy General Manager (DGM)
Molecular Sieve Turbo Expander Plant (Kailashtilla-2)
Sylhet Gas Field Limited
Golapganj, Sylhet

………………………………………………………………….
Engr. Forrukh Ahmed
Manager (Operation)
Molecular Sieve Turbo Expander Plant (Kailashtilla-2)
Sylhet Gas Field Limited
Golapganj, Sylhet
Cell no: 01711966600

iii
Introduction

I am Rafsan Bin Sorwar, given with an opportunity by SGFL to do my internship at

Molecular Sieve Turbo Expander (MSTE) plant of Kailashtilla Gas Field as per my
application. I was granted for 4 weeks of time period for my internship. MSTE plant
is one of its kind in the country’s Natural Gas processing industry. It is the only gas
processing plant where Molecular Sieve is used for gas dehydration purpose and
Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) is recovered using Cryogenic process.
I prepared this report as a requirement for my internship completion. I incorporated
the knowledge that I learned during my internship at MSTE plant with my
academic knowledge pertinent to Natural gas processing in this report.
It was a wonderful opportunity for me to become a trainee at this plant. Most
amazing thing about my internship was the people surrounding me. The officers
and the staffs were very much helpful which created a very friendly environment to
learn from and to work with.

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Acknowledgement

First, I would like to thank the Almighty for everything. I take this opportunity
to express my gratitude to all those people who have been instrumental in making
me successful. Several individuals have contributed to this work. To name only few
of them would be a farce; instead I express my sincere gratitude to all of them.

I owe a special thanks to the authority of SGFL and Kailashtilla Gas Field as they
grant me with the precious opportunity to do my internship at Molecular Sieve
Turbo Expander Plant (Kailashtilla-2).

I am very much grateful to all the personnel and staffs especially of the control
room of the MSTE plant for their support during my internship days. It was a joy to
be among these wonderful people.

At last my heart-felt gratitude to my respectable teacher Professor Dr. Md. Shofiqul

Islam Sir and my department, SUST PME for their help to get this internship at
SGFL.

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Contents

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………….. iv
Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………………………. v
List of figures ………………………………………………………………………………… ix
List of tables …………………………………………………………………………………... x
List of abbreviations ………………………………………………………………………… xi

Chapter 1 Background Study ...................................................................................... 1

1.1 Natural Gas ...................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Natural Gas in Bangladesh .............................................................................. 5
Quality and Composition of NG in Bangladesh ........................................ 5
1.3 Natural Gas Processing .................................................................................... 7
Gas liquid separation ................................................................................. 7
Gas Cleaning .............................................................................................. 9
Dehydration ................................................................................................ 9
Hydrocarbon Recovery Process (NGL Recovery) .................................... 15
Gas Compression ...................................................................................... 16
Chapter 2 MSTE Plant .............................................................................................. 17
2.1 MSTE Plant at a glance ................................................................................. 18
2.2 Well under MSTE plant ................................................................................. 19
2.3 Wellhead Assembly......................................................................................... 19
Chapter 3 Process Flow Description ......................................................................... 21
3.1 Pre Heating System ........................................................................................ 23
Gas well Heater ........................................................................................ 23
3.2 Inlet Separator................................................................................................ 24
3.3 Stabilizer system ............................................................................................ 27
Stabilizer ................................................................................................. 27
Stabilizer Water Separator ...................................................................... 28
Stabilizer Reboiler.................................................................................... 28

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 Stabilizer Product Cooler ......................................................................... 29
Stabilizer Pump ....................................................................................... 29
3.4 Inlet Filter Separator ..................................................................................... 31
3.5 Inlet Gas Dehydration System ....................................................................... 32
Molecular Sieve Dehydration System ..................................................... 32
Dust Filter ................................................................................................ 33
3.6 Regeneration Gas System .............................................................................. 34
Regeneration Gas Heater ........................................................................ 34
Regeneration Gas Cooler ......................................................................... 34
Regeneration Gas Scrubber ..................................................................... 35
3.7 Typical Dehydration Regeneration Cycle ...................................................... 35
Cycle summary ......................................................................................... 36
3.8 Cryogenic Process Flow Description .............................................................. 37
Inlet Gas Cooling...................................................................................... 37
Cold Separator.......................................................................................... 37
Expander-Compressors ........................................................................... 39
Expander Separator ................................................................................ 40
3.9 Residue Gas Handling .................................................................................... 41
Deethanizer ............................................................................................. 41
Deethanizer Reboiler .............................................................................. 42
Deethanizer Reflux Condenser ................................................................ 42
NGL Product Coolers .............................................................................. 43
Residue Gas compressors ........................................................................ 43
3.10 NGL flash system ........................................................................................... 44
LP Flash Drum ........................................................................................ 44
Vent Gas Recompressor ........................................................................... 44
Reinjection Surge Drum .......................................................................... 44
Product Booster Pumps ........................................................................... 45
Liquid Injection Pumps ............................................................................ 45
Liquid Injection Spray Nozzles................................................................ 45
3.11 NGL Product Handling .................................................................................. 46

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 NGL Surge Drums .................................................................................. 46
Chapter 4 Plant Utility System ................................................................................ 47
4.1 Fuel Gas System ............................................................................................. 47
Fuel Gas Pre-heater ................................................................................ 47
Fuel Gas Scrubber.................................................................................... 48
4.2 Hot Oil System ................................................................................................ 48
Hot Oil Surge Drum ................................................................................. 48
Hot Oil Pumps .......................................................................................... 49
Hot Oil Heater .......................................................................................... 49
4.3 Flare System ................................................................................................... 49
Flare Header ............................................................................................ 50
Flare Separator Drum and Flare Separator Pump ................................ 50
4.4 Methanol Injection Pump ............................................................................... 50
4.5 Fire water System .......................................................................................... 51
4.6 Instrument Air System................................................................................... 51
Instrument Air Package .......................................................................... 52
4.7 Closed Drain System ...................................................................................... 52
4.8 Potable Water and Expander Utilities .......................................................... 53
4.9 Generator Utility ............................................................................................ 53
Chapter 5 Plant Control System ............................................................................... 54
Chapter 6 Plant Safety Issues .................................................................................. 55
6.1 Hazards in Plant ............................................................................................. 55
6.2 Hazard Mitigation Planning & Prevention ................................................... 59
6.3 Safety systems and functional safety ............................................................ 60
Emergency shutdown and process shutdown ......................................... 62
Fire and gas system ................................................................................. 63
Pressure Safety Management.................................................................. 64
Chapter 7 Products of MSTE plant........................................................................... 67
Chapter 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 68
8.1 References ....................................................................................................... 69

viii
List of figures

Figure 1-1: Different Products of Natural Gas. ............................................................ 4

Figure 1-2: A Typical Natural Gas Processing Scenario. ............................................. 8
Figure 1-3: Typical flow diagram for conventional TEG dehydration system. ......... 11
Figure 1-4: Molecular sieves selection chart .............................................................. 13
Figure 1-5: Schematic of the adsorption zones in an adsorber vessel. ...................... 14
Figure 1-6: Variation of adsorption zone front with time. ......................................... 14
Figure 2-1: Wellhead components. .............................................................................. 20
Figure 3-1: Simplified Process Flow Diagram of MSTE plant. .................................. 22
Figure 3-2: Horizontal separator................................................................................. 24
Figure 3-3: Condensate Stabilization System. ........................................................... 27
Figure 3-4: Stabilizer reboiler. .................................................................................... 28
Figure 3-5: Forced draft air cooled exchanger. ........................................................... 29
Figure 3-6: Typical filter separator. ............................................................................ 31
Figure 3-7: Expander Compressor System. ................................................................ 39
Figure 5-1: A typical Control System. ......................................................................... 54
Figure 6-1: Fire Safety Appliances. ............................................................................ 57
Figure 6-2: Pressure Relief Valve. .............................................................................. 65

ix
List of Tables

Table 1-1: Typical composition of natural gas. ............................................................. 2

Table 1-2: Gas reserve scenario of Bangladesh. ........................................................... 5
Table 1-3: Composition of natural gas in Bangladesh. ................................................ 6
Table 2-1: MSTE plant at a glance. ............................................................................ 18
Table 2-2: Some key facts about the wells at MSTE plant. ....................................... 19
Table 3-1: Operational comments; preheating system, inlet separator system. ....... 25
Table 3-2: Operational comments; Stabilizer system................................................. 30
Table 3-3: Operational comments; inlet filter separator. ........................................... 31
Table 3-4: Operational comments; Dehydrators, dust filters. ................................... 33
Table 3-5: Cycle summary of Regeneration- Dehydration cycle. ............................... 36
Table 3-6: Operational comments; Cold separator. .................................................... 38

x
List of Abbreviations

GIIP Gas Initially in Place

TCF Trillion Cubic Feet
BCF Billion Cubic Feet
Psig Pounds Per Square Inch gauge
NG Natural Gas
HC Hydrocarbon
API American Petroleum Institute
scf Standard Cubic Feet
MMscfd Million Cubic Feet per day
bbl Barrel
lbm Pound Mass
PCV Pressure control valve
LCV Level control valve
cfg Cubic feet of gas
BGFCL Bangladesh Gas Fields Limited
Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production
BAPEX
Company Ltd.
ppm Parts per million
LP Low Pressure
PV Pressure Vessel
HE Heat Exchanger
HP Horse Power
RPGCL Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited
KTL Kailashtilla
LV Level Valve
UV Unique shut down valve

xi
Chapter 1 Background Study

1.1 Natural Gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily

of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and
sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or
helium. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are
exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of
years. The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the
form of chemical bonds in the gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as a source of
energy for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as a fuel for
vehicles and as a chemical feedstock.
Natural gas can be "associated" (found in oil fields), or "non-associated" (isolated in
natural gas fields) and is also found in coal beds (as coalbed methane). It sometimes
contains a significant amount of ethane, propane, butane, and pentane plus heavier
hydrocarbons removed for commercial use prior to the methane being sold as a
consumer fuel or chemical plant feedstock. Non-hydrocarbons such as water vapor,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium (rarely), and hydrogen sulfide must also be
removed before the natural gas can be transported
In earlier days NG was only produced as an unwanted byproduct of crude oil pro-
duction. It was vented to the air or flared. But natural gas now accounts for almost
one-fifth of the world's primary energy consumption, surpassing coal and second
only to oil.
Several factors are responsible for these developments: New processes permit the
manufacture of myriad petrochemicals and fertilizers from natural gas; gas is a
clean, efficient, easily combustible, low-sulfur fuel and has consequentially replaced
coal as a domestic, industrial, and power generation fuel in many parts of the
world; difficulties in storing and transporting gas have been overcome by the
development of long-distance, large-diameter steel pipelines and powerful
compression equipment; liquefied natural gas (LNG), produced by liquefying
natural gas by a refrigeration cycle to less than 1/600 of its original volume, can
now be transported across the oceans by insulated tankers.
There is worldwide drive towards increasing the utilization of natural gas and the
need to minimize energy consumption and increase profit associated with the

1
process. These objectives can be achieved by reducing time required to get products
to market, increasing the quantity and quality of product produced and designing
plants for an optimum performance along their life cycle.
In Bangladesh this resource is controlled by the Bangladesh Oil gas & mineral
Corporation (Petrobangla). It has different departments to control different sections.

Composition of Natural gas

Raw natural gas from the well consists of methane as well, as many other smaller
fractions of heavier hydrocarbons and various other components. A typical
composition of NG is given below;

Table 1-1: Typical composition of natural gas.

Component Range (mole %) Boiling Point

at 101 kPa (oC)

Methane 87.0 - 97.0 -161.6

Ethane 1.5 - 9.0 -88.6

Propane 0.1 - 1.5 -42.1

iso - Butane 0.01 - 0.3 -1.0

normal - Butane 0.01 - 0.3

iso - Pentane trace - 0.04

normal - Pentane trace - 0.04 36

Hexanes plus trace - 0.06

Nitrogen 0.2 - 5.5 -195.79

Carbon Dioxide 0.05 - 1.0 -78

Oxygen trace - 0.1 -183

Hydrogen trace - 0.02 -252.9

Like all gases, natural gas is a homogeneous fluid of low density and viscosity. It
has specific gravity ranges from 0.57 - 0.62. It is odorless; odor generating additives
are added to it during the processing to enable detection of gas leakage. Gas is one
of the more stable flammable gases. It is flammable within the limits of a 5-15%
mixture with air and its ignition temperature ranges from 1,100 to 1,300°F

2
(compare this with H2S which is flammable within 4-46 % in air at a much lower
ignition temperature). Typically, NG has an energy content around 1,000 Btu/scf
(amount of heat released during the combustion of a specified amount of it.) which
is an important parameter because gas these days is very often priced in terms of
its energy content, rather than mass or volume.

Natural gas is characterized in several ways’ dependent on various factors;

● Non-associated Gas Found in reservoirs with no or minimal amounts of crude

oil, non-associated gas is typically richer in CH4. poorer in heavier
components.
● Dissolved or associated Gas in solution with crude oil is termed dissolved gas,
whereas the gas found in contact with the crude oil as gas cap gas is termed
associated gas. Typically, associated gas is poorer in CH 4 but richer in
heavier components.
● Gas condensates Gas condensates have high amounts of hydrocarbon liquids
and may occur as gas in the reservoir.
● Wet gas is defined as one which contains more than 0.3 gallon of condensate
per 1000 ft3 of gas.
● Dry gas is raw or treated natural gas that contains less than 15 liters of
condensate per 1,000 scm of gas (0.1 gallon per 1000 ft3).
● Lean Gas is termed when condensate proportion lies between 0.1 and 0.3
gallon per 1000 ft3 of gas.
● Sour gas is raw gas with a content of more than 5.7 mg hydrogen sulfide
(H2S) per scm (0.25 grains per 100 scf); this is about 4 ppm. In contrast a gas
is termed as Sweet Gas when it is free from H2S.
● Acid gas has a high content of acidic gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or
H2S. Pipeline natural gas specification is typically less than 2% CO 2. Acid gas
fields with up to 90% CO2 exist, but the normal range for sour raw gas is 20-
40%.
● Condensates refers to the portion which condenses and separates out from
natural gas as liquid when the gas is produced at surface. This liquid is
composed of heavier hydrocarbon that exist as vapor dissolved in NG in
underground condition but turned to liquid at surface wellhead condition.
Most condensates are composed of saturated HC in the light gasoline range
(butane, pentane and hexane). It is processed for commercial usage. Raw gas
is processed into various products. It is generally lighter than light oil and
have API gravity higher than 55o.

Raw gas is processed into various products or fractions;

3
➢ Natural gas in its marketable form has been processed for a specific
composition of hydrocarbons, sour and acid components, energy content and
normally transported to end point users by pipeline. Content is typically 90%
methane, with 10% other light alkenes.
➢ Natural gas liquids (NGL) refers to the mixture of all HC except methane,
which can be extracted by compression and cooling in separator. Then it is
distilled to be separated into Ethane, Propane plus Butane (LPG) and
natural gasoline.
➢ Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refers to propane or butane or a mixture of
these that has been compressed to liquid at room temperature (200 to 900
kPa depending on composition). LPG is filled in bottles for consumer domestic
use as fuel and is also used as aerosol propellant (in spray cans) and
refrigerant (e.g., in air conditioners). Energy to volume ratio is 74% of
gasoline.
➢ Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that is refrigerated and liquefied
at below -162 °C, for storage and transport. It is stored at close to
atmospheric pressure, typically less than 125 kPa. As a liquid, LNG takes up
1/600 of the volume of the gas at room temperature. Energy to volume ratio is
66% of gasoline. After transport and storage, it is reheated/vaporized and
compressed for pipeline transport. One ton of LPG is approximately
equivalent to 50,000 ft3 of NG.
➢ Compressed natural gas (CNG) is NG that is compressed at 3000 psig to less
than 1% of volume at atmospheric pressure. Unlike higher alkenes, methane
cannot be kept liquid by high pressure at normal ambient temperatures
because of a low critical temperature. CNG is used as a less costly alternative
to LNG for lower capacity and medium distance transport. Methane for
vehicle fuel is also stored as CNG. Energy to volume ratio is typically 25% of
gasoline.

Figure 1-1: Different Products of Natural Gas.

4
1.2 Natural Gas in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a young deltaic sedimentary basin which meets the geologic
requirements for generation and accumulation of natural gas in the subsurface. The
country has a proved natural gas rich province in the eastern part. Natural gas has
become the biggest source of energy in recent years and the demand for this fossil
fuel is increasing exponentially. This resource is not ample enough to be considered
as sustainable yet still running the wheel of country’s energy sector.
Following table shows the current gas reserve (provisional) scenario (updated up to
09-12-2018 by Petrobangla)

Table 1-2: Gas reserve scenario of Bangladesh.

Cumulativ
Proved Proved +
e Remaining
Total + Probable
No. of Proved Production Reserve (1st
GIIP in Probabl +
Field Reserve (June July 2018) in
TCF e Possible
2018) in TCF
Reserve Reserve
TCF

27 39.8 20.9 27.81 30.82 15.94 11.92

Quality and Composition of NG in Bangladesh

✓ Composition and quality vary from field to field in Bangladesh. All the NG in
Bangladesh are non-associated gas.
✓ Natural gas in Bangladesh is known for its purity. Natural gas in
Bangladesh is free from poisonous H2S and does not need purification.
✓ The gross calorific value of the gas in different gas fields ranges from 1005 to
1062 Btu/cft.
✓ The gas in Bangladesh is mostly dry. However, four gas fields have
significantly more condensate percentages, ranges from trace to 17 barrels of
condensate per million cubic feet of gas. The four most condensate rich (high
condensate / gas ratio) gas fields are Beanibazar (17 bbl/mmcf), jalaabad (7.7
bbl/mmcf), Kailashtilla (9.2 bbl/mmcf), Sylhet (9 bbl/mmcf).
✓ The total reserve of condensate in Bangladesh is estimated at 77 barrels of
which 27.5 million are initially stored in Kailashtilla gas field.

5
 ✓ The condensate produced in Bangladesh is light yellow to colorless. Some of
them are heavier (46o API or less). This is supposed to be due to
biodegradation of meteoric water.
✓ At the end of FY 2016-17, 20 gas fields were in production with 112 flowing
wells.
✓ In the FY 2016-17, total 971.6 BCF gas was produced in the country. 40.10%
of this was produced by state owned companies and rest was produced by
IOCs (International Oil Companies). (Annual Report 2017, Petrobangla)
✓ During 2016-17, a total of 525,424 barrels of condensate was produced by
SGFL, BGFCL and BAPEX and 3,819,550 barrels by IOCs as a by-product of
gas. During the same period, SGFL extracted 156,497 barrels of NGL from
the gas processed in its Mole-Sieve Turbo Expander plant at Kailashtilla.
(Annual Report 2017, Petrobangla)

Following table shows the ranges of different components of Natural gas in

Bangladesh.
Table 1-3: Composition of natural gas in Bangladesh.

Component Formula range (%)

Methane C1 93-98

Ethane C2 0.2-3.9

Propane C3 0.05-1.2

Butane C4 0.1-0.72

Pentane+ C5+ trace - 1.2

Nitrogen N2 trace - 0.9

Carbon di oxide CO2 trace - 0.6

6
1.3 Natural Gas Processing
Natural gas, as it is used by consumers, is much different from the natural gas that
is brought from underground up to the wellhead. Natural gas processing consists of
separating all the various hydrocarbons and fluids from the pure natural gas, to
produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas.

Only rarely does a reservoir yield almost pure natural gas. Typically, a produced
hydrocarbon stream is a complex mixture of several hydrocarbons, intimately mixed
with water, in the liquid and gaseous states. Often, solids and other contaminants
are also present. The produced stream may be unstable, with components
undergoing rapid phase transitions as the stream is produced from a several
hundred feet deep reservoir with a high temperature and pressure to surface
conditions.
The non-hydrocarbon components of natural gas contain two types of materials:

Diluents such as N2, CO2, and water vapor. Diluents are non-combustible gases
that reduce the heating value of the gas. They are not very harmful and may
actually be used sometimes as "fillers" to reduce the heat content. of the supply gas.
The disadvantages include greater horse-power and pipelining requirements for the
same energy content of the gas, greater Internal corrosion, and freezing.
Contaminants, such as H2S and other sulfur compounds. Contaminants are very
detrimental to production and transport equipment (some are hazardous pollutants)
and the primary reason for gas conditioning and processing is to remove them as
soon as possible from the gas stream. Hundreds of processes and processing plants
have been developed to deal with this problem.

The natural gas found in Bangladesh is free from H 2S, so acid gas removal isn’t
required. Major processes of Natural gas include,
1. Gas-Liquid separation (Condensate and water removal).
2. Dehydration.
3. NGL recovery.
4. Gas compression.

Gas liquid separation

Gas and liquid separation operations involve the separation and stabilization of
different phases of the produced stream into saleable products. Generally,
intermediate hydrocarbons in the liquid state fetch a higher price; therefore, it is
desirable to maximize liquid recovery.

7
Figure 1-2: A Typical Natural Gas Processing Scenario.

1.3.1.1 Separator

✓ A cylindrical or spherical vessel used to separate oil, gas and water from the
total fluid stream produced by a well. Separators operate basically upon the
principle of pressure reduction to achieve separation of gas and liquid from
an inlet stream.
✓ Separators can be either horizontal or vertical or spherical. Separators can be
classified into two-phase (oil and gas) and three-phase (oil, water and gas)
separators (commonly called free-water knockout).
✓ Additionally, separators can be categorized according to their operating
pressure. Low-pressure units handle pressures of 10 to 180 psi [69 to 1241
kPa]. Medium-pressure separators operate from 230 to 700 psi [1586 to 4826
kPa]. High-pressure units handle pressures of 975 to 1500 psi [6722 to 10,342
kPa].
✓ Gravity segregation or settling is the main force that accomplishes the
separation, which means the heaviest fluid settles to the bottom and the
lightest fluid rises to the top. Other means; impingement, centrifugal action
etc.

8
 ✓ Additionally, inside the vessel, the degree of separation between gas and
liquid will depend on the separator operating pressure, the residence time of
the fluid mixture and the type of flow of the fluid. Turbulent flow allows more
bubbles to escape than laminar flow.
✓ Selection of a particular type depends upon the application, and the
economics.

Gas Cleaning
Gas cleaning is important for pipeline transmission systems in order to reduce
operational problems and to maximize their operating efficiency. It is also necessary
to prevent contamination in downstream processes on the gas, such as dehydration
and sweetening. Gas cleaning involves the removal of two types of materials: (1)
gross solids and liquids, called "pipeline trash," and (2) minute solids (particulate
matter) and liquids (aerosols).

Devices used for cleaning purpose;

1. Wire mesh pad
2. Vane type mist extractor
3. Filters
4. Scrubbers
5. Electric precipitators.

Dehydration
Natural gas stream from production wells is saturated with water vapor, which will
condense and form gas hydrates if the gas is cooled below its hydrate formation
temperature.
Gas hydrates are solids that can agglomerate and plug pipelines and equipment,
interrupting operations and stopping gas production. This may create an unsafe
condition, especially if significant pressure differential occurs across the hydrate
plug. Also, water vapor may condense in pipelines, resulting in erosion and
corrosion. When accumulated in the pipelines, it might form liquid plug, reducing
the pipeline flow capacity. To avoid these potential problems, the gas stream needs
to be dried to lower its water dew point.

Gas Hydrates
They are formed when natural gas components enter the water lattice (which is
looser than the ice lattice) and occupy the vacant lattice positions (without forming

9
any chemical bond, like Clathrates), causing the water to solidify at temperatures
considerably higher than the freezing point of water.

Dew Point & Dew Point Depression

Dew point indirectly indicates the water content of a natural gas and is defined as
the temperature at which the gas is saturated with water vapor at a given pressure.
The difference between the dew point temperature of a gas stream before and after
dehydration is called the dew point depression.

The permanent solution for hydrate problems is dehydration of the gas to a

sufficiently low dew point. Commonly used dehydration methods are;
1. Absorption dehydration using liquid desiccants.
2. Adsorption dehydration using solid desiccants.

At wellsite two techniques are applicable;

1. Heating the gas stream to make it under saturated and maintaining the
flowlines & equipment temperature above hydrate point.
2. In case the liquid water is present & the temperature can’t be maintained,
inhibiting hydrate formation by injecting additives.

The most common additives used are;

1. Methanol
2. Ethylene glycol (EG)
3. Diethylene glycol (DEG)
Methanol is used most as it disperses well in the gas stream, readily available in
bulk, is least expensive and doesn’t require recovery. However, it can cause
contamination problem in plants. Usually A positive displacement pump is used for
methanol injection into the gas stream.

1.3.3.1 Absorption dehydration

Absorption dehydration involves the use of a liquid desiccant to remove water vapor
from the gas. Although many liquids possess the ability to absorb water from gas,
the liquid that is most desirable to use for commercial dehydration purposes should
possess the following properties;
1. High absorption efficiency.
2. Easy and economic regeneration.
3. Non-corrosive and non-toxic.
4. No operational problems when used in high concentrations.
5. No interaction with the hydrocarbon portion of the gas, and no contamination
by acid gases.

10
The glycols, come closest to satisfy these criteria,
1. Ethylene glycol (EG)
2. Diethylene glycol (DEG)
3. Tri ethylene glycol (TEG)
4. Tetra ethylene glycol (T4EG)

➢ Glycols are preferred because they offer superior dew point depression, with
process reliability and lower initial and operating costs. Of all glycols TEG is
preferred because of lower vapor losses and better dew point depression.
➢ Glycol dehydration systems are not only efficient at removing water from a
natural gas stream, they also remove benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and
xylene (BTEX) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

How it works
✓ The process is simple. Wet gas contacts dry glycol, glycol absorbs the water
from the gas. The gas enters the tower at the bottom, the dry glycol flow
down from the top, from tray to tray or through packing material.
✓ The special bubble cap arrangement maximizes the glycol/gas contact,
removing water below 5 lbm/mmcf.
✓ The dehydrated gas leaves the tower at the top to pipelines or further
processing. The rich glycol is leaves at the bottom and goes to regeneration
system. Where it’s filtered of impurities and heated up to 400 oF to strip off
the water.
✓ Then the purified glycols returned to the tower where it contacts wet gas
again.

Figure 1-3: Typical flow diagram for conventional TEG dehydration system.

11
1.3.3.2 Adsorption dehydration
Adsorption (or solid bed) dehydration is the process where a solid desiccant is used
for the removal of water vapor from a gas stream. The solid desiccants commonly
used for gas dehydration are those that can be regenerated and, consequently, used
over several adsorption-desorption cycles. Some solid desiccants can dehydrate gas
down to 1 ppm or less; these desiccants are wide1y used on feed streams for
cryogenic processing.
Adsorbents that allow physical adsorption to hold the adsorbate on their surface by
surface forces. For physical adsorbents used in gas dehydration, the following
properties are desirable;

1. Large surface area for high capacity.

2. Good activity for the components to be removed and good activity retention
time/use.
3. High mass transfer rate, i.e., high rate of removal.
4. Easy, economic regeneration.
5. Less resistance to flow, results in small pressure drop through dehydration
system.
6. High mechanical strength to resist crushing and dust formation.
7. Cheap, non-corrosive, non-toxic, chemically inert, small volume changes.

Adsorption capacity (or loading) is the amount of adsorbate taken up by the

adsorbent per unit mass (or volume) of the adsorbent. The adsorption capacity of a
solid desiccant for water is expressed as the mass of water adsorbed per mass of
desiccant. It is of great importance to the capital cost because it dictates the amount
of adsorbent required, which also fixes the volume of the absorber vessels.

The common commercial adsorbents used in solid-bed dehydrator;

1. Molecular sieves
2. Silica gels
3. Activated alumina

1.3.3.3 Molecular Sieves

✓ These are a crystalline form of alkali metal (calcium or sodium)

aluminosilicates with a typical structure of the form Mx/n[(AlO2)x(SiO2)y]zH2O,
where n is the valence of the cation, and M is the metal ion inside each
aluminosilicate cage, very similar to natural clays.

12
 ✓ They are highly porous, with a very narrow range of pore sizes, and very high
surface area. Manufactured by ion-exchange, molecular sieves are the most
expensive adsorbents.
✓ They possess highly localized polar charges on their surface that act as
extremely effective adsorption sites for polar compounds such as water and
H2S.
✓ Molecular sieves are the only choice for natural gas dehydration to cryogenic
processing standards (less than 0.1 ppmv water or 150oF dew point) in case
for the like of NGL recovery.
✓ The choice of molecular sieve type depends on the type and concentration of
contaminants in the feed gas. Depending on the type of feed and species to be
removed, the different grades of adsorbents can be selected based on the
general guideline shown below;

Figure 1-4: Molecular sieves selection chart

1.3.3.4 Silica gels

✓ Silica gel is a generic name for a gel manufactured by adding aqueous sodium
silicate to sulfuric acid. It is an amorphous product similar to alumina. There
are different grades of silica gel commercially available for natural gas
drying. Silica gels can be used for heavy hydrocarbon and water removal to
meet a water dew point of 400F or lower with specialty grades silica gel.
✓ The adsorption cycle times of the silica gels are very short due to lower useful
capacity of the desiccant for hydrocarbons relative to water. Hence, the silica
gel units are often called “short cycle” or “quick cycle” units.

13
1.3.3.5 Adsorption principle

✓ There is an equilibrium relationship between the fluid and the solid

adsorbents in the mass transfer applications where the concentration of the
adsorbate (water) is a function of the concentration of water in the fluid
phase and the adsorbing temperature.
✓ In commercial practice, adsorption is carried out in a vertical, fixed bed of
adsorbent, with the feed gas flowing down through the bed. The feed gas
entering the bed from the top and the upper zone becomes saturated first,
where equilibrium between the water partial pressure in the gas and the
water adsorbed on the desiccant is established and no additional adsorption
occurs. This zone is called the equilibrium zone (EZ).
✓ With the adsorption going on, the EZ will grow and more and more water will
be adsorbed. The length of the adsorber bed across which the concentration of
the adsorbate is reduced from inlet to outlet conditions is known as the mass
transfer zone (MTZ), where a component is transferring its mass from the gas
stream to the surface of the solid desiccant.
✓ The nonutilized zone is the part of the bed that has not encountered water
yet because all water molecules were adsorbed in the EZ and MTZ. This zone
will only serve for drying when the EZ and MTZ have lost their adsorption
capacity.

Figure 1-5: Schematic of the Figure 1-6: Variation of adsorption zone front
adsorption zones in an adsorber with time.
vessel.

14
 ✓ As the flow of gas continues, the MTZ moves downward through the bed and
water displaces the previously adsorbed gases until finally the entire bed is
saturated with water vapor. When the leading edge of the MTZ reaches the
end of the bed, breakthrough occurs. At this time, the adsorber vessel should
be switched to the regeneration mode.
✓ The level to which gas is dried is a function of the regeneration conditions. A
thoroughly regenerated bed will be in equilibrium with the gas used for
regeneration.
✓ The concentration of water left on the bed at the end of the regeneration cycle
determines the performance of the bed because the outlet gas will be in
equilibrium with the last particle of adsorbent.

Hydrocarbon Recovery Process (NGL Recovery)

1. Short Cycle Dry Desiccant Adsorption
2. Cryogenic Separation
– Joule-Thomson Expansion (J-T valve)
– Refrigeration (with glycol or methanol)
– Turbo-Expander
3. Lean Oil Absorption

1.3.4.1 Cryogenic Separation

➢ Cryogenic separation is a processing operation that is commonly used to

extract natural gas liquids (NGLs) from raw natural gas. Unlike absorption
methods, which are used primarily for extracting heavier NGLs, cryogenic
processes are used to separate out lighter hydrocarbons such as ethane,
propane, and butane from an incoming stream. Cryogenics is a branch of
science that deals with very low temperature. NG processing industry
consider cryogenic temperature below -50 0 C.

➢ One of the most effective way for high recovery in cryogenic plants is
turboexpander technology. In these plants the gas is expanded through a
turbine compressor from which it exhausts at extremely low temperatures in
the range of -1600 F to -1800F, at which significant amount of HC liquify.
These expanders are on the order of 100 to 10000 HP with an expansion ratio
of 3:1 or 4:1.

15
 ➢ Gas entering the expander is directed by adjustable nozzles into the turbine’s
impeller. About half the pressure drop is designed across the nozzle to impart
kinetic energy to the gas which is converted to shaft horsepower by the
impeller. Rotating speed can be 50000 rpm for small machines (150 HP) to
22000 rpm for large units (2000 HP). The power from the expander can be
used to drive any devices like compressors, air blowers, generators etc. The
advantage of compressing inlet or residue gas goes beyond the saving in gas
compression horsepower.

➢ The expansion across a valve technique is based on the use of the Joule–
Thomson (J–T) effect to recover liquids which is an attractive alternative in
many applications like a bypass route for turboexpander in case of failure.
The temperature drop is lower for J-T valve.

Gas Compression

"Compression" is used in all aspects of the natural gas industry, including gas lift,
reinjection of gas for pressure maintenance, gas gathering, gas processing
operations (circulation of gas through the process system), transmission and
distribution systems, and reducing the gas volume for shipment by tankers or for
storage. Compressors result in higher operating pressures. The benefits of operating
at higher pressures include the ability to transmit larger volumes of gas through a
given size of pipeline, lower transmission losses due to friction, and the capability to
transmit gas over long distances without additional boosting stations.
In gas transmission, two basic types of compressors are used: reciprocating and
centrifugal compressors. Reciprocating compressors are usually driven by either
electric motors or gas engines, whereas centrifugal compressors use gas turbines or
electric motors as drivers.

16
Chapter 2 MSTE Plant
Introduction

I started my internship at MSTE plant on October 14, 2018. I was assigned to the
control room of this plant from where the gas processing plant is operated. Officers
with the help of plant operators do the job. My main purpose was to understand
how the process is run, learn about different gas processing equipment, different
surface facilities and observing the solution of different operational problems.
I was provided with some PFDs, P&IDs and plant operation manual book to learn
about the process. I used to visit the plant regularly accompanied by plant
personnel to observe practical situation.
I was instructed about the mimic control panel board operation which is a key
element of the gas plant operation. Signals are shown on this board from different
part of the process plant and different process equipment. Regulators are used to
regulate or change the operating condition i.e.; pressure, temperature, flow based on
the signal and measurements shown on the control panel.
I had to update the log sheet every hour. Log sheet keeps different data like
pressure, temperature, flow rate, production rate. Log sheet keeps data from control
room and also from the field provided by the plant operators.
I tried to summarize the knowledge I’ve gathered about this plant during my
internship in the following chapters.

17
2.1 MSTE Plant at a glance

Kailashtilla gas field has seven gas producing well named KTL-1 to KTL-7. KTL-2,
KTL-3 and KTL-6 is under MSTE plant. They also processed the gas produced from
KTL-4. The initial production capacity from three wells is 90 MMscfd. But they
produce around 60 MMscfd of gas.

Table 2-1: MSTE plant at a glance.

PO Golapganj, PS
Location
Golapganj, District Sylhet
1961 by Pakistan Shell Oil
Year of Gas Field discovery
Company (PSOC)
Year of MSTE Plant installation 1992-1995

1224 BCF (3D Seismic 2012)

2760 BCF (RPS Energy
Gas reserve of KGF (recoverable)
2009)
1994 BCF (HCU 2004

Commencement of commercial operation of

25-Sep-95
MSTE

Cumulative production of gas of KGF (up

713.15 BCF
to March, 2018
Condensate Gas Ratio (CGR) 18.5 bbl/MMSCF
Heating value of sales gas 1042.73 Btu/scf
Molecular Sieve Turbo
Expander Plant, 1 x 90
Process Plant & its Capacity
MMSCFD

Gas: JGTDSL, TGTDCL

Customers Liquids: RPGCL, SRL,
Aqua, PHP, CRL, CVOPRL

18
2.2 Well under MSTE plant
Table 2-2: Some key facts about the wells at MSTE plant.

Well No KT-2 KT-3 KT-6

Date of production 25/09/1995 25/09/1995 8/8/2007

Well type vertical Deviated deviated

Producing zone Upper Gas sand Upper Gas Sand Upper Gas Sand

2453.64 – 2447.54m 2460 - 2465m

2444.50 – 2438.40m 2448 - 2453m
Perforation interval 7390- 7430ft
2429.26 – 2423.16m 2433 - 2438m
2415.54 - 2409.44m 2417 - 2422m

Tubing size 3.5’’ 3.5’’ 4.5”

Gas production (avg.
19.00 15.500 23.00
MMscfd)
Flow rate capacity
21 18 24
(MMscfd)
Flowing well head
2300 2400 2570
pressure (Psia)
Flowing well head
104 104 104
Temperature (0F)
Water production avg.
490 280 485
(Liters)
Condensate production
36500 20100 44250
avg. (Liters)

2.3 Wellhead Assembly

A wellhead is the component at the surface of an oil or gas well that provides the
structural and pressure containing interface for the drilling and production
equipment. It provides the means for controlling the flow of fluids from the well. It
also prevents well fluids from blowing out or leaking at the surface. It consists of
three sections;
1. Casing head.
2. Tubing head.
3. Christmas tree.

19
Casing head is used as pressure control equipment. It is a heavy steel, fitting at the
surface to which the casing is attached. Sometimes more than one casing head may
be used if several strings of casing are used.
Tubing head is used for supporting the tubing string through which gas is produced.
It also seals off pressure between the casings and inside the tubing.it is supported
by casing head.

Figure 2-1: Wellhead components.

A Christmas tree consists of control valves, spools, pressure gauges and chokes.it is
installed at the top of the tubing head joined by the adaptor. It may has one flow
outlet (a tee) or two flow outlets (a cross). It helps to open or shut-in the well by
using control valves (main valve, wing valve, needle valve). The pressure gauges
indicate the casing and tubing (at the top) pressures.
The choke controls the amount of fluid flowing from the well. A choke is an orifice
installed in a line to restrict the flow. In most flowing wells, the production rate is
altered by adjusting the choke size. The choke causes back pressure in the line. The
back pressure (caused by the chokes or other restrictions in the flow line) increases
the bottom hole flowing pressure. Increasing the bottom hole flowing pressure
decreases the pressure drop from the reservoir to the well bore (pressure
drawdown). Thus, increasing the back pressure in the well bore decreases the flow
rate from the reservoir. In some wells, chokes are installed in the lower section of
tubing strings.
The valve at the top is called swab valve and it is used for well interventions like
slickline, wireline or coiled tubing.

20
Chapter 3 Process Flow Description

Raw natural gas from producing wells transported to the processing facilities
through flow lines. Total gas flow from three wells divided into two inlet streams
those go the separation system via heating equipment. Raw gas from KTL-6 is
distributed between KTL-2 & KTL-3. Another stream comes from the well KTL-4
which makes total of three inlet streams to the processing facilities.
The well shut in pressure is around 187 bar. The wellhead pressure of the three gas
wells range from 2300 psig to 2600 psig. As previously mentioned there are three
inlet gas streams to the separator system. KT-1 stream collects gas from KTL-4
well. KT-2 stream collects gas from KTL-2 & KTL-6. The pressure in the gathering
line of KT-2 is usually around 125 bar which is termed as inlet pressure indicated
by pressure indicator PI-353 shown in mimic control panel display system. KT-3
collects gas from wells KTL-3 & KTL-6. The pressure in gathering line is around
120 to 125 bar.
This plant uses molecular sieve for dehydration purpose. J-T valve is used in the
cryogenic section for cooling
In this section I will describe about the whole process and different process
equipment. A simplified flow diagram is given in the following page.

21
HE-15.06: KT-4 INLET HEATER
HE-15.07: KT-2 INLET HEATER
HE-15.08: KT-3 INLET HEATER
PV-16.07: KT-4 INLET SEPARATOR
PV-16.08: KT-2 INLET SEPARATOR
PV-16.09: KT-3 INLET SEPARATOR
PV-16.02: DEHYDRATORS
PV-16.10: STABILIZER
HE-15.09: STABILIZER REBOILER
PV-16.15: STABILIZER WATER SEPARATOR
AC-19.03: STABILIZER PRODUCT COOLER
PM-17.01: STABILIZER PUMP
FC-21.01: INLET FILTER SEPARATOR
AC-19.01: REGEMERATION GAS COOLER
HE-15.02: GAS-GAS EXCHANGER
PV-16.03: COLD SEPARATOR
PV-16.04: EXPANDER SEPARATOR
PV-16.05: DE-ETHANIZER
HE-15.05: DE-ETHANIZER REBOILER
PV-16.06: NGL SURGE DRUM
AC-19.04: RESIDUE GAS COOLER
HE-15.15: REGEN. GAS EXCHANGER
PV-16.01: REGEN. GAS SCRUBBER
HE-15.03: DE-ETHANIZER FEED HEATER
HE-15.04: DE-ETH. REFLUX CONDENSER
AC-19.02: NGL PRODUCT COOLER
CM-11.01: RESIDUE GAS COMPRESSOR

22
Figure: Simplified process flow diagram of MSTE plant.
3.1 Pre Heating System

Each KTL gas well has two 3’’ lines each with block valve and 1’’ valve for future
sand detector the lines join upstream of the PIG launcher. The gas well pipeline has
a PIG launcher and PIG receiver. Due to the length of the gas well pipe line
condensate will collect and restrict the gas flow. At regular intervals a pipe line PIG
is inserted to push the liquid out of the line. Inside the plant limits the gas well
pipeline has an automatically closed and manually reset to open emergency
shutdown valve UV. The shutdown valve action is controlled by the plant shutdown
logic system. After UV shutdown valves a 3’’ connection with two full flow pressure
safety valves is provided and also provide over pressure protection for the pipeline
and inlet heater. Both PSV are set at 234 bar pressure and go to the flare system.
One PSV is a spare and its inlet and outlet block valves are car sealed closed. The
block valves on the PSV in service must be car sealed open a 2’’ line with a single
block is placed around the PSV to flow the gas to flare when required.

Gas well Heater

The gas now flows through the inlet heater. There are three inlet heaters for three
inlet stream to the separator, denoted as HE-15.06, HE-15.07 & HE-15.08. The
purpose of the exchanger is to heat the gas to 27 0C or higher to prevent hydrate
formation when the inlet gas pressure is reduced from 186 to 85 bar (plant
pressure).
The inlet heater is a double pipe type exchanger with the inlet gas on the tube side
and hot oil on the shell side. The inlet gas from the heater flows through a pressure
control valve station and enter the top of the inlet separator.
The inlet gas pressure to the inlet separator is controlled at plant pressure by a
control loop.
To prevent hydrate formation across the PCV (pressure reduction), a flow of 260-
3000F hot oil is used on the shell side of the heaters to warm the inlet gas. A reverse
acting temperature indicating controller operates a control valve in the hot oil line
to the heater. The set point is 270C and design rate for oil flow is around 6573 kg/hr.
decreasing temperature increases the flow of hot oil to the heater.

23
3.2 Inlet Separator

After preheating, the gas enters the top of the inlet separator at 85 bar pressure
and 270C. There are three inlet separators labeled as PV-16.07, PV-16.08, and PV-
16.09. These are three phase horizontal separators where gas, water and
condensate are separated.
The water is heavier, so it separates and migrates to a boot mounted on the bottom
of the vessel. A water hydrocarbon interface level is maintained in the boot by a
level controller and control valve in the boot bottom outline to the closed drain.

Figure 3-2: Horizontal separator.

The hydrocarbon liquid floats on the top of the water and must accumulate to a
level 610 mm above the bottom of the vessel before it can enter the hydrocarbon
section of the vessel. The 610mm level is set by an internal weir or overflow baffle
that separates the water hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon sections. The position of the
weir insures sufficient time for the water to separate and fall into the boot. The
hydrocarbon level is maintained behind the weir by a level controller and controls
valve in the line to the stabilizer.
The inlet gas flows uncontrolled from the top of the separator. It passes through a
vane type mist extractor before leaving the vessel to help separate any entrained
liquid droplets. The gas stream joins the inlet gas stream from the other separators
and flows to the inlet filter separators ahead of the gas dehydrators in the cryogenic
section.

24
The separator inlet and gas outlet are sensed to a differential pressure indicating
switch. The alarm is set at 1.0 bar. A high DP indicates problem with mist
extractor. Inlet separators are protected from overpressure by two full flow pressure
safety valves PSV set at 113.7 bar.
There is a level gauge in the boot in the bottom of the separator to monitor the
water HC interface, which may sometimes show false level hence it should be
verified by operating personnel regularly.
There are local direct acting level controllers to maintain the water and condensate
level in the separator and their flow to closed drains and stabilizers respectively.
There are low- and high-level alarm switches which indicate level conditions. When
tripped level alarms LAL, LAH, LALL & LAHH sounds on mimic panel.

Operational comments:

Table 3-1: Operational comments; preheating system, inlet separator system.

Abnormal operating Probable causes Corrective actions

conditions

High pressure on inlet ● Plant shutdown ● Verify switches

gas well pipeline to plant ● Residue gas with pressure
pipeline usage gauge, correct
reduced. problems and
● UV closed. restart the plant.
● Well head high- ● Reduce inlet gas
pressure shut in flow by reducing
switch set too high. residue gas flow.
● Clear UV by using
choke bypass.
● check PCV
● Verify and reset
the switch.

Low temperature from ● Temperature ● Open bypass to

inlet heater. control loop verify TCV.
malfunction.

Low level in inlet ● Level control loop ● Verify LCV control

separator boot. malfunction. loop, LV not
● LV bypass open or seating tightly,
leaking. blow down LC
chamber and bridle

25
 legs.
● Open one LV
bypass fully and
blow through and
close. Repeat for
second valve.

High level in inlet ● Plugged strainer ● Open LV bypass

separator boot. upstream of the valves to get level
LV, it should be down. Verify
open. interface level in
boot. Blowdown LC
chamber. Clean
strainer.

Low pressure in inlet ● One or more inlet ● If Wells shutdown,

separator gas wells shut in. then the one still
on the line will try
to compensate the
flow by flowing at
maximum
allowable rate.
● If inlet pressure
decreases decrease
speed of the
residue
compressors or
shutdown one or
two.

26
3.3 Stabilizer system
Condensate stabilization is the removal of light components from a hydrocarbon
liquid to lower its vapor pressure to a desired level. Stabilization may be used to
meet a required pipeline sales con-tract specification or to minimize the
vaporization of the hydrocarbon liquid stored in an atmospheric stock tank. The
Stabilizer system provides a means of removing light HC, mostly methane, ethane
and most propane and some water, N 2, CO2 entrained in recovered condensate, from
the three inlet gas separators.
Each separator has a level control valve in the line to a common Stabilizer feed line.
The liquid is pressured on level control from the separators to the Stabilizer PV-
16.10, where heat is applied by the reboiler to vaporize light HCs from the
condensate.

Figure: Stabilizer tower.

Figure 3-3: Condensate Stabilization System.

Stabilizer PV-16.10
It is a fractionation tower used to make a rough cut of the HC condensate from the
inlet separator. It has 16 trays. At design condition tower pressure of 12 bar
(indicated by PI-703) and reboiler outlet temperature of 220°C 97% of the ethane
and lighters and 38% of the propane exit the top and 62% of the propane plus
heavier exit the bottom as stabilized products. It also removes all of the N2 and
CO2 from the feed stream.
The vapor exiting the Stabilizer overhead are pressure controlled to the plant fuel
gas system or to the flare system.

27
 Stabilizer Water Separator PV-16.15
The tower has one feed source, condensate from separators which also provides
reflux liquid for product separation. Pressure is reduced to 12 bar from 85 bar
resulting in the 18°C feed temperature. Flashing occurs across the LCVs in the feed
lines. The feed is with water which is to be removed with a separator PV-16.15. it is
fed from a draw off tray below tray #8 and returns HC condensate feed beneath the
draw off tray.
Condensate feed to the coalescer section must flow through a mesh pad where
mater molecule are coalesced to form larger droplets of water. In separator it is
separated from condensate and accumulated in the boot. A level gauge glass is
provided for inspection. Water is to be drained regularly, otherwise Stabilizer
flooding will occur reducing the efficiency of the Stabilizer. This will result in off-
spec NGL products in the bottom.

Stabilizer Reboiler HE-15.09

The reboiler is a kettle type with hot oil through the tube bundle. Condensate is on
the shell side. The hot oil flow is temperature controlled to maintain a constant
temperature at the bottom. The reboiler is equipped with spill-over weir which
ensures that the tube bundle is completely emerged in liquid all the time. The weir
forms a reservoir on the downstream where the liquid is collected. The excess liquid
is lever controlled from the reservoir through the Stabilizer product cooler. The
reboiler could be of either direct fired bath or indirect fired bath or a heat medium
exchanger.

Figure 3-4: Stabilizer reboiler.

28
 Stabilizer Product Cooler AC-19.03 A/B
The stabilized product is cooled to 22-26°C by two forced draft air cooled exchanger.
One is spare. Each has three fans driven by 1.6 KW electric motors. Each fan unit
has its own high vibration shut down switches.
The product is to be sufficiently cooled to keep vapor from flashing to atmosphere in
the storage tank.

Figure 3-5: Forced draft air cooled exchanger.

Stabilizer Pump PM-17.01 A/B

These positive displacement plunger type pumps driven by 5.5 KW motors take
suction from product coolers and send the stabilized product to NGL surge drums
PV-16.06 A/B. One is spare. These pumps were not in service during my internship
period.
They have inlet and outlet pulsation dampeners that are changed with pressure
that limits pipeline levels movement. They have also PSV set at 30.4 Bar.

3.3.5.1 Initial Operations

During initial start-up period the reboiler liquid is pressured to Low pressure flash
drum PV-16.19.
Reboiler level controller LIC-710 maintains the level in the reboiler and the feed to
LP flash drum.

29
Two bypasses have been added to the NGL stream from the reboiler. One diverts
the liquid from the cooler outlet to the upstream side of LV-710 bypassing the
pumps. Other is a temperature control bypass around the coolers which will
maintain a minimum temperature of flash drum feed at 49°C.

Table 3-2: Operational comments; Stabilizer system.

Abnormal operating Probable causes Corrective actions

conditions

Stabilizer high pressure ● Control loop ● Check & Verify

malfunction. loop.
● Excess heat, feed ● Check fuel gas
flow. system and make
● Fuel gas system sure Stabilizer
closed. overhead has
outlet.

Excess light ends in the ● Insufficient heat in ● Verify that

condensate reboiler, Stabilizer temperature and
operating pressure pressure control
above design. loops are
functional.
● Increase bottom
temperature.

Reboiler level high (if ● Reboiler LCV ● Verify level control

level is allowed into lower malfunction. loop is functional.
trays they could be ● Pipeline problems. ● Verify pump
damaged) operation.

Stabilizer flooding ● High water level in ● Drain excess water.

causing decrease in water separator. ● Reduce inlet feed.
pressure and ● Check inlet
temperature. separator
operation.
● Reduce reboiler
heat input.

30
3.4 Inlet Filter Separator FC-21.01 A/B
● It is the final cleanup of the total inlet feed gas flow from the separators and
protects the expensive molecular sieves.
● The unit has an inlet filter area with replaceable filter elements in the first
stage and a vane type mist extractor in the second stage to knockout the
entrained liquid droplets.
● A small bottle is placed below each of the stage of the filter, all liquid that
accumulates falls into the divided bottle. Each end of the bottle has its own
control loop to pressure the liquid into the drain. Level alarm switch is
provided to shutdown the plant to protect the mol-sieve.
● A differential pressure element is placed across the filter to warn that they
are dirty. When removing a unit for cleaning, the pressure must be released
to atmosphere or temporary line to flare.

Figure 3-6: Typical filter separator.

Table 3-3: Operational comments; inlet filter separator.

Abnormal operating Probable causes Corrective actions

conditions

Inlet Filter Separator Filter Separator control Open bypass around LV

level high. loops failure. then find the problem.
Verify that all LC loops
functioning.

High DP Filtration device are Switch units and clean

plugged up. dirty unit.

31
3.5 Inlet Gas Dehydration System
The sole purpose is the total removal of all moisture in the process gas stream. The
gas stream entering the cryogenic section must be dehydrated to as low a dew point
(the temperature at which vapor begins to deposit as a liquid).

Molecular Sieve Dehydration System

● The feed gas from filter separator of about 108,320 m 3/hr, 82-83 bar pressure
and around 20°C temperature is downflow dehydrated of all moisture in the
mol-sieve system on a 8 hours cycle. These two tower filled with mol-sieve
desiccant. These porous bead looking material has tiny cavities big enough to
trap water molecules but small enough to allow HC gas molecules to flow by.
● Vessel switching valves are time cycle controlled. There are shutdown
functions to protect cryogenic plant in case of mol-sieve malfunction.
● Mol-sieve regeneration is the part of the process where water vapor is driven
from the fully saturated sieve cavities, by flowing very hot dry gas at reduced
system pressures.
● The regeneration gas flows upward through the bed and controlled
automatically by flow controller. Flow rates are high enough to ensure
thorough drying but low enough to prevent ‘lifting and fluidizing’ the sieve. If
this happens, the sieve beads begin to grind against each other creating dust
and fines, potentially reducing effectiveness and increasing pressure drop
through the sieve bed.

32
 Dust Filter FC-21.02
During the operation of the timed cycle and initial loading some breakage of the
mol-sieve occurs. This dust is removed by the dust filter, which is located directly
downstream of the dehydration units preventing possible plugging or fouling any of
the heat exchangers.

Table 3-4: Operational comments; Dehydrators, dust filters.

Abnormal operating Probable causes Corrective actions

conditions

High moisture from ● Low regeneration ● Check control

dehydrator. gas flow. loops, regeneration
● Low hot oil flow. gas pressure,
● Low hot oil switching valves
temperature. for correct position,
● Moisture analyzer pressure drop
problem. through the system
and across
dehydrator.
● Increase hot oil
flow.
● Check calibration
of moisture
analyzer.

Dust Filter high DP. ● Filter blockage. ● Clean the filter.

33
3.6 Regeneration Gas System

Regeneration Gas Heater HE-15.01

● It's a shell and tube type heat exchanger. The 307°C hot oil from the hot oil
heater flows through the tube side and heats the regeneration gas to 232°C,
flowing at a rate of 3420-3650 m3/hr, through the shell side. Design hot oil
flow at 5730 kg/hr. The hot oil temperature is designed for 200°C. The only
function of the heater is to heat during heat cycle. It is bypassed during the
cool and switch cycle.
● Design specification
Tubes - 8.6 Bar MWP at 343°C.
Shell - 41.37 bar MWP at 343°C.
● Regeneration Gas is supplied from the plant residue gas header after the
expander compressor at a temperature of around 30°C.
● The regeneration gas flows through switching valve and the heater during
the heat cycle and through in a heater bypass during the cool cycle. In other
words, the hot oil flows through HE-15.01 all the time and gas flow directed
to or around the exchanger.
● A control valve FV-820 is placed in line from expander compressors outlet to
residue gas compression inlet to control regeneration gas flow.
● From dehydrators the regeneration gas flows through the regeneration gas
cooler.

Regeneration Gas Cooler AC-19.01 01/02

The regeneration gas cooler is an air cooled heat exchanger designed to condense
water and hydrocarbon vapor produced during the regeneration heat cycle. The
cooler outlet temperature is designed with maximum of 49°C and minimum of 16°C
to prevent hydrate formation. Average temperature is maintained around 22-35°C.
The cooler the gas, the more vapor is condensed. Two 4 kW motors drive two fan to
cool the gas.
Design specification
Capacity - 1774 KJ/hr.
Tubes - 41.36 bar at 260°C.

34
 Regeneration Gas Scrubber PV-16.01
● It is a vertical pressure vessel designed to separate gas and liquid and send
any accumulated liquid into the closed drain header automatically. The gas
leaving the top of the vessel must pass through the) a wire mesh extractor
top help remove entrained liquid.
● This is a dirty service, liquid contains mol-sieve dust and heavy
hydrocarbons, sometimes an in-line strainer is placed upstream of the level
control valve in the Scrubber bottom drain line.
● Design specification
Size - 457 mm O. D * 2438 mm seam to seam
Design metallurgy - 41.37 bar MWP @ 260°C.

3.7 Typical Dehydration Regeneration Cycle

Two mol-sieve beds work continuously in 8hour cycle. One is on for dehydration
purpose, one is on for being regenerated. Regeneration Cycle consists of several
activities; heating, cooling, bed pressurization / depressurization, valve switching
sequence etc. The mol-sieve operation is very complex due to the nature of valve
switching. Therefore, all valve switching between sieve beds, through and around
the regeneration gas heater, pressurization and depressurization of the sieve beds,
and gas bypass routing are performed automatically by a timed control system.

● The inlet gas pressure equalizing valve opens to pressure the regenerated
dehydrators from regeneration pressures to inlet gas pressure.
● Now inlet gas valves are opened on the regenerated dehydrators. For a short
period of time all four inlet gas block valves to and from dehydrators are open
and dehydrator are in dehydration service.
● At the end of the valve switching cycle after dehydration the inlet gas valves
on the dehydrator to be regenerated are now closed.
● The pressure release valve opens to equalize dehydrator pressure with
regeneration system.
● At the end of pressure equalizing period the regeneration gas valves on the
dehydrator to be regenerated are now opened. At the same time the
regeneration gas heater inlet valve is opened, the cool valve closes, the

35
 pressure equalizing valve closes. This is the start of the heat cycle. The mol-
sieve is heated upto 180-200°C and the cycle runs for 3.5 - 4 hrs.
● At the end of the heating period the heater is bypassed, the cool valve opens
and the heat valve closes. This is the start of the cooling cycle. This cycle runs
for 2.5 - 3 hrs.
● At the end of the cooling cycle the outlet of the dehydrator should be 54.4°C
maximum. In practice the temperature of the dehydrated gas after the dust
filter is maintained around 25°C. All at the same time the regeneration gas
flow bypass valve opens and the regeneration gas valves on the dehydrator
being regenerated are closed. The cool valve remains open to ensure
regeneration gas flow and fuel gas system pressure. .
● The inlet gas pressure equalizing valve opens to pressure the regenerated bed
from regeneration pressure to inlet gas pressure.
● The regenerated dehydrator inlet gas valve are opened and pressure
equalizing valve closes. Dehydrator are again in dehydration service. The
regeneration cycle is repeated for the next dehydrator.

Cycle summary

Table 3-5: Cycle summary of Regeneration- Dehydration cycle.

Cycle Pressure (bar) Temperature (°C) Cycle duration

Depressurization 34-36 270 50-55 minutes

Heating 34-36 204 3.5 - 4 hours

Cooling 34-36 10-18 2.5-3 hours

Pressurization 82-85 12 50 minutes

Note: The valves took around 70 seconds for switching purposes.

36
3.8 Cryogenic Process Flow Description

Inlet Gas Cooling

● The dehydrated inlet feed gas from the dust filter of temperature around
25°C and 82-85 bar pressure splits for flow through two exchangers to recover
refrigeration. The flow rate is designed initially of 108,320 m 3/hr.
● One inlet gas flow, 75% of the total inlet gas flow, flows through the tube side
of the gas-gas exchanger HE-15.02. One inlet gas flow, 25% of the total inlet
gas flow, flows through the tube side of the deethanizer feed heater HE-15.03.
● The cryogenic section’s total inlet gas flow is measured by an orifice meter
and it outputs to a flow ratio indicating controller FFIC-911 on the control
panel. The reverse acting controller is set to control the inlet gas flow to the
exchangers based on total inlet gas flow and the ratio setting.
● The main 10’’ inlet gas line and the 6’’ line to the HE - 15.03 have orifice
meters that are used to automatically maintain the required flow split to
obtain lowest possible inlet gas temperature.
● From the HE-15.02 heat exchanger the inlet gas is cooled to - 30°C and the
residue gas on the shell side is warmed from - 58°C to 2-5°C and flows to the
PV-16.03 cold separator.
● The inlet gas line to and from HE-15.02 has a 6’’ bypass with a control valve
TV-904 which is used to prevent the temperature from falling below - 30°C
which could condense more liquid than the deethanizer can handle.
● The 6’’ inlet gas line to deethanizer feed heater HE-15.03 has an orifice meter
and a flow control valve. It flows through the tube side of the exchanger and
then ties into the cold separator. The gas is cooled to 15-30°C while warming
the deethanizer feed liquid.

Cold Separator PV-16.03

The cold separator is designed to separate the liquid, formed (condensed) by
lowering the temperature of the inlet gas from 25°C to - 30°C in the exchangers
from non-condensed inlet gas stream. The separator has an internal mist extractor
pad and is the final clean up before the expanders.
The inlet gas stream from cold separator, designed 107,160 m 3/hr, 100 bar
shutdown valves flows through the tree expanders or their J-T bypass valve into the

37
expander separator PV-16.04. The liquid from the cold separator designed 2.77
m3/hr at 0.578 SPGR, also goes to PV-16.04.
The cold separator gas outlet line temperature is sensed by a temperature element
and goes to a temperature indicator controller TIC-904 which operates a control
valve in the inlet gas bypass line around the HE-15.02 gas-gas exchanger.
Decreasing temperature opens the valve TV-904 which warms the cold separator.

Table 3-6: Operational comments; Cold separator.

Abnormal operating Probable causes Corrective actions

conditions

● High level in cold ● Malfunction of ● Open bypass on

separator. control loops. level control valve
● Low temperature ● Inlet Gas flow split LV-914 to get level
in cold separator. wrong. down. Verify level.
● Inlet Gas ● Verify temperature
temperature and around exchangers.
composition lower ● Check action and
than design. calibration of
● High differential FFIC-911 control
pressure across loop.
expanders. ● Low inlet gas
● Deethanizer temperature can be
flooding and liquid compensated for by
goes overhead. increasing hot oil
flow through the
three inlet gas
heaters.
● Composition
change requires
new heat and
material balance
numbers.

* Decreasing plant temperature indicates the inlet gas contains less heavier
components and the inlet gas pressure must be reduced, or expander outlet
pressure increased to warm the plant. The opposite procedure follows increasing
plant temperature. The plant temperature will decrease when pressure across the
expanders increases.

38
 Expander-Compressors EC-12.01 A/B/C
● From the cold separator the inlet gas flows through the three identical
expanders and into the expander separator PV-16.04.
● Each expander generates 381 KW HP through the mechanical expansion of
the inlet gas stream. The expansion of the gas across the expander wheel
releases energy and provides work. The work provided is utilized by the
expander compressor wheel to compress the plant residue gas. The release of
energy from the inlet gas results in a -85.4°C temperature at the expander
outlet causing additional liquid condensation.
● The expanders are simply highly efficient turbines operating on the same
principle as the more familiar steam turbine, but with the prime objective of
reducing temperature than obtaining power.
● The design speed is about 59,200 rpm.
● Upstream of the expander a line with pneumatic motor valve, PV-915 (J-T
valve) is placed to bypass all the expanders and continue to operate the plant
at reduced recovery. It reduces the temperature to - 58°C (in case of
expanders, - 85.4°C).

Figure 3-7: Expander Compressor System.

39
Note:
The expander compressor facility is not used now at MSTE Plant. This section is too
delicate and requires high level of subtle maintenance. During earlier days of this
plant these expanders were in operation but back then the plant was used to
shutdown in a frequent manner which hampers the production continuity of the
plant and of course wasting time. So, it is more convenient for the plant authority to
use the bypass valve (J-T valve) for safe and continuous operation of the plant.
It is also necessary to mention that the plant has limitations over the NGL
production as they do not have a substantial NGL storage facility. So, they have to
supply all the NGL to RPGCL (the only permitted company to process the NGL)
who also has limited fractionation capacity. So, it's not always the best thing to
recover more liquid.

Expander Separator PV-16.04

Purpose
It is designed to separate the NGL liquids from the now completely processed inlet
gas. The gas from Pv-16.04 is the majority (88%) of the plant residue gas. It is
passed through a mist extractor pad as it leaves the top of the vessel to the help
recover all possible NGL. The separator has two inlet lines, both two phases (Gas,
liquid). One from the bottom of the cold separator and one from the expander outlet.
The NGL from the PV-16.04 is the total feed to the deethanizer. The expander
separator makes the deethanizer fractionator more efficient since it does not have
the large volume of residue gas.
An automatically controlled restriction (back pressure) is provided in the residue
gas line from the separator to force the liquid flow.
A direct acting level indicating controller LIC-1007 used to operate a control valve
LV-1007 in the separator bottom outlet line. If the level inside the separator
increases the LIC-1007 controller opens the level valve LV-1007 and starts to close
the pressure control valve in the residue gas line from the separator, which
increases pressure on the separator causing liquid to flow.

40
3.9 Residue Gas Handling
Purpose
To recover the refrigeration produced in the cryogenic plant and utilize the
horsepower generated by the expanders.
The residue gas stream from the top of the expander separator vessel is used to
condense vapor for reflux in the top of the deethanizer, chill the inlet gas stream in
the gas-gas exchanger and is then compressed by the expander compressors into the
inlet to the residue gas compressors where the pressure is increased to residue gas
pipeline pressure.
From the expander separator the residue gas at temperature - 59°C is passed
through the deethanizer reflux condenser HE-15.04 and exchange heat with the
deethanizer overhead vapors. A portion of the vapors condense in the tube and fall
back into the tower. Non-condensed overhead vapors flow out of the tower and join
with the residue gas stream at temperature - 58°C and goes through the gas-gas
exchanger HE-15.02. From gas-gas exchanger the residue gas temperature
increases to 2-5°C. The residue gas is then designed to get compressed by expander
compressor but it is not in practice right now at MSTE Plant.
From HE-15.02 it goes through another gas-gas exchanger HE-15.15 upstream of
regeneration gas Scrubber where it exchanges heat with the regeneration gas and
cools the regeneration gas. The residue gas’s temperature increases to 15-25°C after
the exchange. Then it may be used as the regeneration gas or supplied to the
JGTDCL pipeline or to the suction header of the residue gas compressors where the
pressure is increased to supply it to the North South pipeline.

Deethanizer PV-16.05

The purpose of the deethanizer is to separate by fractionation the methane and

ethane components contained in the feed stream from the propane and heavier
components, the desired products. A small amount of ethane component left in the
bottom products since stripping all ethane overhead would reduce the propane
component recovery. Along with the column top temperature, the amount of ethane
left in the bottom product is the deethanizer bottom temp control point.
It has an internal mist extractor in the top through which all overhead vapor must
pass. It is the contacting of the liquid feed with vapor rising in the tower from the
reboiler which creates the stripping vapor action necessary to deethanize the
product. There are 26 trays in the deethanizer tower which provide the contact
41
surfaces necessary to assure proper stripping action. Tray #9 is the feed tray and as
the liquid falls down the tower, it flows across the lower trays the vapors flow up
through the trays. The liquid flowing down the tower collects in the bottom and
flows into the bottom reboiler HE-15.05 and vapor returns to the tower below the
bottom tray.
The deethanizer feed from the expander separator is level controlled through the
shell side of the deethanizer feed heater HE-15.03 where inlet gas heats the liquid
and then enters the tower at tray #9.

Deethanizer Reboiler HE-15.05

The deethanizer reboiler supplies the heat input to the bottom liquid to generate
sufficient vapor to equip the lighter components from the NGL product in the
column trays.
This reboiler is a horizontal shell and tube thermosyphon kettle type using hot oil
flow through the tube side as the heat medium. This hot oil flow is temperature
controlled.
The reboiler shell has a spill over internal weir which ensures that the tube bundle
is completely submerged in liquid all the time. The weir forms a reservoir on the
downstream side where NGL is collected. The temperature of the NGL at the
bottom of the tower is about 90-120°C. The excess NGL is pressured on level control
from through the NGL product air coolers into the NGL surge drums.
The NGL is heated upto 140-170°C is pressured to the deethanizer. The deethanizer
reboiler outlet return line temperature is controlled. A reverse acting controller
operates a control valve in the hot oil line to adjust the flow to obtain desired
temperature.
Design specification:
Duty - 6903 MKJ/HR
Shell - 41.37 bar MWP @180°C
Tube - 8.6 bar MWP @343°C

Deethanizer Reflux Condenser HE-14.04

It is an internal shell and tube exchanger installed in the top of the deethanizer.
The cold - 59°C residue gas from expander separator flows through the shell side on

42
temperature control. The deethanizer vapor from the top tray flows through the
tubes and are cooled to - 58°C before leaving the column.
A portion of the overhead gas is condensed and this liquid fall back into the top tray
to provide reflux liquid for the trays above the feed tray. Without reflux liquid the
top trays will not separate components.
A level control valve in placed downstream of the cooler to control the NGL feed to
the LP flash drum during temporary operation.

NGL Product Coolers AC-19.02 A/B

Two air cooled exchanger provided to lower the NGL product temperature from
120°C to 48.7°C. The maximum NGL pipeline temperature is 50°C.
The deethanizer NGL product is supplied to a state-owned company RPGCL for
fractionation purposes.

Residue Gas compressors CM-11.01 A-E

Initially there are five reciprocating type engine driven compressors model FE-
550C-2 driven by caterpillar gas engines model G3512TM. Each unit has its own
lube oil and cooling water systems and air-cooled oil, water and process gas
exchangers. Each compressor is rated at 810 horsepower at 1200 rpm engine speed.
Each compressor is designed for 21,238 m3/hr (20%) of plant capacity. They run in
parallel and can be run on governor speed control, in the 800 to 1200 rpm range, or
they can be run by manual set of speed.
One of these compressors is offline now due to its failure. So, a new compressor CM-
11.01 F with greater capacity replaced it and doing the job.
These compressors compress the residue gas to increase the pressure high enough
to supply to the North South pipeline. The discharge pressure is about 71-72 bar.

43
3.10 NGL flash system
The equipment used in the NGL flash system is designed for the temporary
operation required at startup or when fractionation facilities go offline to produce
an atmospheric NGL product. At startup the fractionation facilities were not in
operation. When the fractionation facilities are in operation the NGL flash system is
not required and plant can produce the normal NGL product as designed.
The NGL flash system consists of the following equipment:
1. PV-16.19 LP Flash Drum.
2. CM-11.02 vent gas recompressor.
3. PV-16.20 reinjection surge drum.
4. PM-17.14 A/B product booster pump.
5. PM-17.15 A/B liquid injection pumps.
6. Liquid injection spray nozzles.

LP Flash Drum PV-16.19

It allows the condensate recovered in the Stabilizer and deethanizer to flash the
light hydrocarbon due to the reduced operating pressure. The LP flash drum
operating pressure is maintained at 0.65 bar. Because of the low operating pressure
an atmospheric NGL product is produced which then can be transferred to another
facilities.
NGL liquid including condensate from Stabilizer not flashed at the reduced
pressure are accumulated at the bottom of the flash drum and are pressured to
NGL surge drum on level control.
The NGL flash vapors exit the top of the flash drum through a coalescing mesh pad
to feed the suction of the vent gas recompressor or to the flare (now in practice).

Vent Gas Recompressor

It is used to boost the pressure of the gas flashed for injection into the plant residue
header. The discharge of the recompressor is cooled and the flashed gas is
recondensed before feeding the reinjection surge drum.

Reinjection Surge Drum

It provides surge capacity for the condensed flash gas after recompression. Liquid
condensed be vent gas recompressor are accumulated in the surge drum while
uncondensed vapor is pressured to the flare header.
The accumulated liquid then pumped from the reinjection surge drum by the liquid
injection pumps into the plant residue header.

44
 Product Booster Pumps
They are used to transfer NGL or condensate from NGL surge drum to the NGL or
condensate pipelines. Because of the reduced pressure, these pumps are required.
Design specification:
Capacity - 6.7 m3/hr at 3 bar Δp
Type - Centrifugal pump

Liquid Injection Pumps

They transfer the NGL flash vapors that were recondensed by the vent gas
recompressor discharge cooler from the reinjection surge drum to the plant residue
header.
Design specification
Capacity - 7.5 m3/hr at 72. 4 bar Δp
Type - positive displacement pump

Liquid Injection Spray Nozzles

The liquid injection spray nozzles are designed to aerosol the injected liquid to help
vaporize the liquid in the residue gas stream. Strainers is used to keep nozzles safe.

45
3.11 NGL Product Handling

NGL Surge Drums PV-16.06 A/B

● The NGL surge drums operate as one and provide some surge (storage)
capacity to continue to run the plant in case of product pipeline or pipeline
pump problems. They also provide positive suction for the pumps.
● Two product pipeline pumps PM-17.02 A/B (positive displacement plunger
type) or PM-17.14 A/B (centrifugal) are designed to pump the NGL liquids to
the RPGCL and the Kailashtilla pipeline.
● The NGL product from deethanizer and stabilizer bottom product joins and
flow into both drums.
● In practice the condensate from Stabilizer bottom is stored in the surge drum
regularly before transferring to Kailashtilla fractionation facilities or to
different condensate refineries.
● The NGL from the deethanizer flows to RPGCL. When RPGCL is offline the
NGL product is flashed in LP flash drum then atmospheric heavy products
transferred to the surge drum. And the flashed vapors are pressed to the
flare, which is a big waste of energy.
● The NGL surge drum is maintained at design 27.2 Bar by two self-contained
pressure control valves, one in a residue gas line to let pressure in set at
design 26.9 bar and other is in a line to flare to let excess pressure out set at
design 27.6 bar.
● A surge drum level controller operates a level control valve to maintain the
surge drum level by recycling the NGL product from the pump discharge
back to the inlet lines to the surge drums. There is a check valve in the
product line to prevent back flow.
● There is density recorder, temperature recorder and flow recorder in the
product line.

46
Chapter 4 Plant Utility System

4.1 Fuel Gas System

The purpose of the fuel gas system is to furnish a constant supply of liquid free fuel
gas to the plant at the proper pressure level. Plant fuel gas is supplied normally
from the stabilizer overhead, which is back pressure controlled at 12.1 Bar by fuel
gas scrubber. The stabilizer overhead line ties into the fuel gas scrubber inlet line
upstream of UV- 1402.
Anytime the stabilizer overhead gas stream is less than the plant fuel gas use,
additional fuel gas is taken from the wet dehydrator regeneration gas system. The
regeneration gas from the regeneration gas Scrubber PV-16.01 has a 3” line with
control valve that connects to the stabilizer overhead line that goes to the fuel gas to
a local direct acting pressure indicating controller PIC-819 set 10.3 Bar pressure.
The controller operates the PV-819 control valve upstream, PV-819 has fail open
action. Decreasing line pressure causes PIC-819 to open PV -819. The PV-16.11
inlet has a 4” connection and line from the fuel gas preheater HE-15.11.
An alternate source of plant fuel gas is supplied from the North/South residue gas
pipeline and downstream of the plant out let shutdown valve UV- 2359. The
alternate fuel gas supply line is used as a back–up and to be able to run the
generators when the cryogenic plant is shutdown. The pipe line gas is supplied in a
3” line with two block valves. The alternate source of fuel gas has a pressure of
about 75.5 Bar and 490C and must be reduced to 10 Bar pressure.
In practice, the fuel gas pressure is maintained at 8 bar.

Fuel Gas Pre-heater HE-15.11

To prevent the fuel gas system temperature from decreasing below 26.7°C an
electric power gas heater is provided HE-15.11. The electric power for the heater,
32,4 KW, is provided by a “purchased power” source. The temperature of the heater
outlet gas and pressure of the fuel gas are controlled by indicating controller
through self-contained control valves.

47
 Fuel Gas Scrubber PV-16.11

Both fuel gas lines join and flow into the fuel gas scrubber PV-16.11. The fuel gas
scrubber separates any entrained liquid from the fuel gas and is the final cleanup of
the fuel gas ahead of the engine drivers. The exiting gas must pass through a mist
extractor to help knock-out the liquid. Two overpressure protection safety valves are
provided set at 17.2 Bar with an exhaust line to flare. The pressure PV -16.11 is
sensed by a local reverse acting pressure indicating controller PIC-1404, set 10.4
Bar pressure. The PIC -1404 controller operates pressure valves in the fuel gas line
from the stabilizer and regeneration gas lines. The controller is provided as a back-
up and prevents high pressure on the system, PV-1404 is normally open. Increasing
fuel gas pressure closes PIC-819 in the regeneration gas system fuel gas line and
PIC-1404 takes control at 10.4 Bar. The only fuel gas supply left at the 10.4 Bar
level is from the stabilizer. Decreasing fuel gas pressure and PIC-1404 opens PV-
1404, at 10.3 Bar PIC-819 opens PV-818 and at 10.0 Bar PCV-1414 opens allowing
the alternate source of fuel gas in PI-1429 is also provided on PV-16.11.

4.2 Hot Oil System

The hot oil system furnishes heat to the entire facility on demand. Theol oil is used
as the Heat Medium oil (HMO)which is heated to 307°C by a direct fired heater.
The HMO is circulated throughout the facility to the following users:

 KT-1 Inlet Heater

 KT-2 Inlet Heater
 KT- 3 Inlet Heater
 Deethanizer Reboiler
 Regeneration Gas Heater

Hot Oil Surge Drum

The Hot oil Surge Drum PV-16.13 provides Surge capacity for the HMO system as
the HMO users, demands are constantly changing. All of the HMO users, outlet
returns are combined in a common return header to the temperature is 208 0C. The
Surge drum pressure is maintained at the design 2.06 Bar pressure by blanket
17.03A /B take suction from the Surge drum to circulate the oil through the entire
system.

48
 Hot Oil Pumps

The Hot oil pumps are Used to circulate the HMO throughout the entire system.
One pump is required to circular the design rate of 64.1m 3/hr and 100% spare is
provided. The hot Oil pumps are centrifugal pumps.

Hot Oil Heater

The Hot Oil Heater is a Born, Ltd. Vertical cylindrical, radiant convection, singe
pass natural draft heater used to heat the HMO circulated throughout the facility.
The heater is equipped with 3 John Zink PVYD -18RM burners, each with a John
Zink pilot burner. Each main burner has an air intake duct with muffler and
adjustable damper. The stack has a damper positioned from grade. The heater is
equipped with alarms and shutdowns interlocked to a local heater control panel.
The local panel has a trouble alarm UA-1529 and a heater shutdowns alarm USD-
1530 on the main control panel. A heater shutdown trips the plant ESD system and
the cryogenic plant goes down as well.

4.3 Flare System

The purpose of the flare system is to collect all plant pressure safety valve exhaust
streams and vents from the plant in an oxygen free atmosphere, separate any liquid
from the gas and burn the gas in a 56m high flare stack. The flare system provides
a safe means of incinerating the facility released gases.

The flare system consists of the following

1. A purged 18” flare gathering header to which all pressure safety valves (PVS)
and vent lines.
2. Flare Knockout Drum.
3. Flare Liquids pump pm
4. Plant Flare

Liquids accumulated in the Knockout drum are pumped to the burn pit on level
control. Flare vapors are incinerated in the flare. The flare pilot is automatically
ignited by a flame front generator.

49
 Flare Header

The flare header provides a gathering system throughout the facility for gases
released by PSV’s and blow down systems. The header is held at a positive pressure
by regulating a urge fuel gas supply. The flare header is piped to the Flare
separator Drum PV-16.14 where condensed liquids are separated from the vapor
stream. The drum off-gas vapors are piped to the flare stack.

Flare Separator Drum and Flare Separator Pump

The purpose of the Flare separator Drum PV-16.14 is to provide surge capacity for
liquids condensed in the flare header. Liquid accumulated is pumped to the API
Separator by the Flare Liquids pump. The horizontal flare Separator drum is
designed with the following specifications.

4.4 Methanol Injection Pump

A methanol injection pump is provided to inject methanol into the cryogenic plant at
high pressure. The chemical type positive displacement plunger plump is driven by
a 1.4 kw electric motor and is rated for 0.23 m3/hr. With 103 Bar discharge
pressure. It takes suction from a barrel and the pump discharge line has PSV-1619,
set 115 Bar and goes back to suction, and PI-1620.
The pump discharges via 1/2” tubing to the following points:
a. Inlet gas line to gas-gas exchanger
b. Inlet gas line to the deethanizer feed heater
c. Inlet gas line to each expander, total of three (3).
d. Inlet to PV-915 (J-T) control valve

50
4.5 Fire water System
The fire water system is a source of cooling water used to keep cool equipment not
directly involved in the fire and cool metal and equipment involved in the fire.
The system consists of three pumps, a 400,000gallon supply pit and a closed
normally pressurized firewater main 100p. Two firewater pumps, PM-17.05 A&B
are driven by diesel fueled engines and are rated for 284 m 3/hr at 10.5 Bar
differential pressure. An electric motor driven jockey pump PM-17.06 is used to
maintain the firewater 100p pressure and it is rated for 12 m 3/hr at 10.5 Bar
differential pressure.
The following are provided on the firewater loop:

Thirteen (13) 4” fire monitors. The monitors can be set to cover specific pieces of
equipment or areas and unlike a firehose are fixed but direction of flow can be
changed.
a) 13, 6” fire hydrants and each with four (4) points.
b) 2, 6” fire hydrants and each with two (2) points.
The system covers different areas of the plant such as; the Dehydrator area, Inlet
separator area, NGL pump area, NGL surge drum area, A 2” line to the workshop,
A 1” line to the offices, A 1” line to the fire shed.
The diesel engine driven firewater pumps have a diesel storage tank TK- 18.01.
After each use of the pumps the diesel storage tank should be refilled. Each diesel
engine has a sixty (60) gallon diesel fuel tank with level control fed automatically
from TK-18.01.

4.6 Instrument Air System

The instrument air system provides dehydrated instrument air for control
instruments. The system consists of the following equipment:
Instrument air package which consists of two (2) instrument air compressors;

 Two (2) forced air discharge coolers;

 Two(2) instrument air dehydrator beds; pre-filters and after filter and dry air
receiver. One air compressor DU-22.018A is driven by a 22.5 kw electric
motor and it runs as long as a generator is onstream, one air compressor DU-

51
 22.01B is driven by a diesel engine and it runs when required and when all
generators are shutdown.
 A 6 Bar instrument air header is looped throughout the facility with lateral
drops to control instrument.

Instrument Air Package

Two (2) 100% capacity instrument air compressors are provided DU-22.01A/B. One
is electric motor driven and one is driven by a diesel engine. The instrument air
system pressure must be maintained at all times in order to run the plant.
Therefore, the standby (LAG) compressor must start automatically in case of
problem with the onstream (Lead) compressor. Should both compressors need to be
running to maintain system pressure, it is much better than the consequence.
The instrument air package provides 6 Bar dehydrated air to instrument
controllers. The package air compressor discharges through a forced air cooler then
flows through the pre- filter to the instrument air dehydrators where moisture is
removed from the air. The instrument air then flows through an after filter to the
instrument air header.

4.7 Closed Drain System

The closed drain system consists of the following underground vessels:
• Process area drain tank.
• Closed drain sump with sump pump.
• API separator with oil sump pump.
• Hydrocarbon surge tank.

Water (oily water) produced at different process equipment such as; separator,
coalescer, scrubber etc. is pressured to the closed drain initially. Gravity settling
occurs in the closed drain. The oil is then going to the API Separator for further
separation from water through settling and then finally oil pumped to the surge
drums. The water (waste) is disposed off the plant into the soak pit.

52
4.8 Potable Water and Expander Utilities
The potable water system consists of an existing water well and pump PM-17.11.
The water well pump is started/ stopped from level switches on the water storage
tank TK-18.05. The water well pump is driven by a 15kw motor and is rated for 4.5
m3/hr at 4.13 Bar. The well water is stored in potable water storage tank TK- 18.05
and then treated by the water treatment package DU- 24.01. The TK- 18.05 tank
has two level switches, LSH-2013 and when tripped stops the water well pump. The
other switch LSL- 2103. Starts the pump. TK- 18.05 has a high-high level alarm
switch LSHH- 2103 and a low-low level alarm switch LSLL- 2103. When tripped to
the LAHH/ LALL- 2103 alarms sound on the MIMIC panel. The storage tank has a
level indicator LI-2103 and is vented to atmosphere. A 2” overflow line and drain
line with valve are also provided. The water will pump discharge line goes to the
firewater pit for make-up as required. The storage tank is elevated, and all end
users are supplied by gravity flow pressure.

Expander Utilities

The expander utilities consist of a seal gas supply line and an instrument air supply
line. Each unit has a drain line with check valve to the process area drain tank. A 2”
line from the expander lube oil tank PSV to flare. The air-cooled lube oil cooler is
placed close to the expander. The P&ID shows alarm and shutdown signals that go
to the main panel.

4.9 Generator Utility

Each of three packaged power generators GE- 25.01 A/ B/C are identical, only one
GE-A is discussed here. Each unit fuel gas line has an inline strainer with no
bypass. The generator must be shutdown to clean. A lube oil day tank with level
gage LG- 2006 is filled manually on a routine basis from the lube oil storage tank.

The average amount of gas consumed by the generators as fuel gas at MSTE plant
is about 0.06 MMscfd.

53
Chapter 5 Plant Control System
Industrial control system (ICS) is a general term that includes several types of
control systems used in industrial production, including SCADA, DCS, and other
smaller control system configurations such as PLC often found in the industrial
sectors and critical infrastructures.
In this plant, Control system is based on SCADA and PLC.

SCADA

 (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is an industrial automation

control system at the core of many modern industries.
 SCADA systems deploy multiple software and hardware elements that allow
industrial organizations to: Monitor, gather, and process data, interact with
and control machines and devices such as valves, pumps, motors, and more,
which are connected through HMI (human-machine interface) software.
 Record events into a log file in basic SCADA architectures, information from
sensors or manual inputs are sent to PLCs or RTUs (remote terminal units),
which then send that information to computers with SCADA software.
 SCADA software analyzes and displays the data in order to help operators
and other workers to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the
manufacturing process.

PLC
A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is an industrial computer control system
that continuously monitors the state of input devices and makes decisions based
upon a custom program to control the state of output devices.

Figure 5-1: A typical Control System. 54

Chapter 6 Plant Safety Issues
Safety is a term consists of some precautionary measures that are observed by the
people at the time of performing a job inside the factory with the help of some
machines & equipment. The ultimate aim of safety is the complete prevention of
personal injury, loss of life & destruction of property. Effective plant safety & fire
protection are essential for every phase of operation and maintenance of
equipment& machines. Equipment & other individual items must be examined time
to time for normal service and also for emergency demand. All buildings,
workshops, installation & equipment must be furnished and maintained so as to
protect the workers against accidents & professional diseases.
In his chapter, I will discuss about the general safety aspects of oil and gas
extraction plants.

6.1 Hazards in Plant

Incidents occur in natural gas processing due to;
 Properties of the medium handled:
-Toxic, Reactive, Flammable, Explosive
 Process upsets:
-Temperature, Pressure, Level, Composition.

Safety hazards associated with gas extraction activities are;

1. Vehicle Collision
2. Struck-By/Caught-In/Caught-Between
3. Explosions & Fire
4. Falls
5. Chemical exposure
6. Confined Spaces
7. Ergonomic Hazard
8. High Pressure lines And Equipment
9. Electrical & Other Hazardous Energy
10. Machine Hazard
11. Gas Flare

Vehicle Collisions
Workers and equipment are required to be transported to and from well sites. Wells
are often located in remote areas and require traveling long distances to get to the
sites. Highway vehicle crashes are the leading cause of gas extraction worker
fatalities. One of the main reasons for these reckless accidents has been

55
carelessness and less alertness or exhausted drivers. Many a time’s trucks were
found to be in disrepair and in a bad condition. OSHA's Motor Vehicle Safety and
NIOSH's provide Prevention Strategies for Employers which give sufficient
guidance and safety regulations to prevent vehicle collisions for oil rig workers.

Struck-By/Caught-In/Caught-Between
Three of every five on-site fatalities in the oil and gas extraction industry are the
result of struck-by/caught -in/caught-between hazards. Workers might be exposed to
struck-by/caught-in/caught-between hazards from multiple sources, including
moving vehicles or equipment, falling equipment, and high-pressure lines. The
following OSHA and NIOSH documents provide guidance on recognizing and
controlling these hazards (Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety, Struck-By Guidelines
on the Stability of Well Servicing Derricks).

Relevant OSHA standards applicable to these hazards include:

 Eye and face protection 1910.133
 Head protection 1910.135
 Foot protection 1910.136
 Hand protection 1910.138
 Handling materials - General 1910.176
 Powered industrial trucks 1910.178 App A
 Crawler locomotive and truck cranes 1910.180
 Slings 1910.184
 Machinery and machine guarding 1910 Subpart O
 General requirements for all machines 1910.212
 Mechanical power-transmission apparatus 1910.219

Explosions and Fires

Oil and gas rigs house a lot of highly combustible chemicals and gas, which means
there is always a chance of a fire breaking out or explosions. Most of the times these
occur without the slightest warning and so are difficult to prevent. You need to be
ready with all possible preventive measures to face such hazards.
A detailed firefighting plant:
 need to have equipment, extinguishers and suppression agents ready in case
of an emergency.
 Most of the accident-prone areas like gas chambers, oil tanks and electricity
rooms are under continuous threat of fire and explosion; it is important that
all the machinery and equipment susceptible to fire should be inspected on a
regular basis.
 Placing adequate amounts of extinguishers and safety equipment in and
around such places.
56
  Offering proper safety training to the employees working in such hazardous
areas.
 Regular inspection and maintenance of such places and equipment can
reduce the risks of such hazard.

Fire Hydrant
A fire hydrant is a connection point by which firefighters can tap from a water
supply. It is a component of active fire protection. The user attaches a hose to the
fire hydrant, then opens a valve on the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water.

Falls
Workers might be required to access platforms and equipment located high above
the ground. OSHA requires fall protection to prevent falls from the mast, drilling
platform, and other elevated equipment.
 It is important that the floor is kept clear of unnecessary tools, ropes or cords.
 Also make it a point to clean oil or chemical spills immediately.
 Making use of slip resistant and waterproof boots to reduce slips and trips.

Figure 6-1: Fire Safety Appliances.

Confined Space
Workers are often required to enter confined spaces such as petroleum and other
storage tanks, mud pits, reserve pits and other excavated areas, sand storage
containers, and other confined spaces around a wellhead. Safety hazards associated
with confined space include ignition of flammable vapors or gases. Health hazards
include asphyxiation and exposure to hazardous chemicals. Confined spaces that
contain or have the potential to contain a serious atmospheric hazard must be
classified as permit-required confined spaces, tested prior to entry, and
continuously monitored.

57
  Avoid entering confined spaces, e.g. by doing the work from outside.
 If entry to a confined space is unavoidable, develop and implement a safe
system of work.
 And devise an appropriate emergency plan before the work start

Chemical Exposure
Most of the gas rigs release high concentrations of H 2S (Hydrogen sulfide). Pipeline
operator faces maximum risks caused by dangerous levels of H 2S. It can cause
paralysis, leukemia and other cancers or even death. Other side effects of toxic
exposure that have been reported are headaches, nausea, dizziness, eye and skin
irritation and chemical burns. It is important that proper eye, face and respiratory
protection masks are used on gas plant.

Ergonomic Hazard
Oil and gas workers might be exposed to ergonomics-related injury risks, such as
lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads,
working in awkward body postures, and performing the same or similar tasks
repetitively. Risk factors and the resulting injuries can be minimized or, in many
cases, eliminated through interventions such as pre-task planning, use of the right
tools, proper placement of materials, education of workers about the risk, and early
recognition and reporting of injury signs and symptoms.

High Pressure Line and Equipment

Workers might be exposed to hazards from compressed gases or from high-pressure
lines. Internal erosion of lines might result in leaks or line bursts, exposing workers
to high-pressure hazards from compressed gases or from high-pressure lines. If
connections securing high-pressure lines fail, struck-by hazards might be created.
 Ensure the regulator and pipework is appropriate for the type of gas and
pressure regime.
 Do not use grease or PTFE tape on threads. This can present an explosion
risk and indicates unsatisfactory seal being made which could leak.
 Ensure the cylinder is secured in a trolley or securely chained/strapped to the
wall or bench.
 Do not store flammable gases near any source of ignition.

Electrical and Other Hazardous Energy

Workers might be exposed to uncontrolled electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, or other
sources of hazardous energy if equipment is not designed, installed, and maintained
properly. Further, administrative controls such as operating procedures must be
developed and implemented to ensure safe operations.

58
  Have only licensed electricians install, repair and dismantle jobsite wiring.
 Do a thorough check for electrical wiring before cutting through any wall,
floor or ceiling.
 Inspect power tools on a regular basis.
 Check insulated tools for damage before each use.
 Ensure that all electrical components stay dry.

Machine Hazard
Oil and gas extraction workers may be exposed to a wide variety of rotating
wellhead equipment, including top drives and Kelly drives, draw works, pumps,
compressors, catheads, hoist blocks, belt wheels, and conveyors, and might be
injured if they are struck by or caught between unguarded machines.
 Machines used for drilling activities generally cause a lot of noise and
vibration which can harm the operator. While using such equipment the
operator should make it a point to wear protective gear like gloves and
earplugs.
 It is important to follow OSHA regulations to guard machinery, update
equipment and keep them in good working condition to ensure safe use.
 The following OSHA and NIOSH documents provide guidance on recognizing
and controlling these hazards: (Barrier Guard for Draw-works Drum at Oil
Drilling Sites, Caught-Between Machine Safety)

Gas Flare
A gas flare alternatively known as a flare stack, is a gas combustion device used in
industrial plants such as Gas plant. Fire stacks are primarily used for burning off
flammable gas released by pressure relief valves during unplanned over-pressuring
of plant equipment, during plant or partial plant starts and shutdowns.
When industrial plant equipment items are over pressured, the pressure relief valve
is an essential safety device that automatically releases the gases. The released
gases and liquids are routed through large piping systems called flare headers to a
vertical elevated flare.

6.2 Hazard Mitigation Planning & Prevention

 Identification & Evaluating the hazards at the worksite is very important.
Many companies within the oil and gas industry use the Job Safety Analysis
Process (also referred to as a JSA, Job Hazard Analysis, or JHA) to identify
hazards and find solutions.
 Establishing ways to protect workers, including developing and
implementing safe practices for:
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 1. Confined space; excavations.
2. Chemical handling; exposure.
3. Chemical storage.
4. Electrical work.
5. Emergency response.
6. Equipment/machine hazards.
7. Fall protection.
8. Fire protection.
9. Hot work, welding, flame cutting operations.
10. Personal protective equipment uses.
11. Power sources (lockout/tag out provisions, safe distance from power lines).
12. Working in the heat, long shifts.

 Providing personal protective equipment (PPE). When engineering controls

alone cannot protect worker overexposure to chemicals, noise, or other
hazards, the employer must provide PPE.
 Training of the workers & planning for contractor safety and their training
also.

6.3 Safety systems and functional safety

The function of safety systems is to take control and prevent an undesirable event
when the process and the facility are no longer operating within normal operating
conditions. Functional safety is the part of the overall safety of a system that
depends on the correct response of the safety system response to its inputs,
including safe handling of operator errors, hardware failures and environmental
changes (fires, lightning, etc.).
The definition of safety is “freedom from unacceptable risk” of physical injury or of
damage to the health of people, either directly or indirectly. It requires a definition
of what is acceptable risk, and who should define acceptable risk levels. This
involves several concepts, including:

1. Identifying what the required safety functions are, meaning that hazards and
safety functions have to be known. A process of function reviews, formal hazard
identification studies (HAZID), hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies and
accident reviews are applied to identify the risks and failure modes.
2. Assessment of the risk-reduction required by the safety function. This will involve
a safety integrity level (SIL) assessment. A SIL is defined as a relative level of risk-

60
reduction provided by a safety function, applies to an end-to-end safety function of
the safety-related system, not just to a component or part of the system.
3. Ensuring the safety function performs to the design intent, including under
conditions of incorrect operator input and failure modes. Functional safety
management defines all technical and management activities during the lifecycle of
the safety system. The safety lifecycle is a systematic way to ensure that all the
necessary activities to achieve functional safety are carried out, and also to
demonstrate that the activities have been carried out in the right order. Safety
needs to be documented in order to pass information to different engineering
disciplines.

For the oil and gas industry, safety standards comprise a set of corporate, national
and international laws, guidelines and standards. Some of the primary
international standards are:
•IEC 61508 Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic
safety-related systems.
•IEC 61511 Functional safety - Safety instrumented systems for the process
industry sector.

A safety integrity level is not directly applicable to individual subsystems or

components. It applies to a safety function carried out by the safety instrumented
system (end-to-end: sensor, controller and final element). IEC 61508 covers all
components of the E/E/PE safety-related system, including field equipment and
specific project application logic. All these subsystems and components, when
combined to implement the safety function (or functions), are required to meet the
safety integrity level target of the relevant functions.

There is never one single action that leads to a large accident. It is often a chain of
activities. There are many layers to protect against an accident, and these are
grouped two different categories:
•Protection layers – to prevent an incident from happening. Example: rupture disk,
relief valve, dike.
•Mitigation layers – to minimize the consequence of an incident. Example: Operator
intervention or safety instrumented system (SIS).

An SIS is a collection of sensors, controllers and actuators that execute one or more
SIFs/safety loops that are implemented for a common purpose. Each SIF has its
own safety integrity level (SIL) and all sensors, controllers and final elements in
one SIF must comply with the same SIL, i.e., the end-to-end safety integrity level.
The SIS is typically divided into the following subsystems:

61
• Emergency shutdown system (ESD) to handle emergency conditions (high
criticality shutdown levels)
• Process shutdown system (PSD) to handle non-normal but less critical shutdown
levels
• Fire and gas systems to detect fire, gas leakage and initiate firefighting,
shutdown and isolation of ignition sources

The purpose of an SIS is to reduce the risk that a process may become hazardous to
a tolerable level. The SIS does this by decreasing the frequency of unwanted
accidents. SIS senses hazardous conditions and takes action to move the process to
a safe state, preventing an accident from occurring.

Emergency shutdown and process shutdown

The emergency shutdown (ESD) and process shutdown (PSD) systems will take
action when the process goes into a malfunction or dangerous state. For this
purpose, the system maintains four sets of limits for a process value, Low-Low (LL),
Low (L), High (H) and High-High (HH). L and H are process warning limits which
alert to process disturbances. LL and HH are alarm conditions and detect that the
process is operating out of range and there is a chance of undesirable events and
malfunction. Separate transmitters are provided for safety systems. One example is
the LTLL (level transmitter Low-Low) or LSLL (level switch Low-Low) alarm for
the oil level. When this condition is triggered, there is a risk of blow-by, which
means gas leaks out of the oil output and causes high pressure in the next
separation stage or other following process equipment, such as a desalter.
Transmitters are preferred over switches because of better diagnostic capabilities.
Emergency shutdown actions are defined in a cause-and-effect chart based on a

62
HAZOP of the process. This study identifies possible malfunctions and how they
should be handled. On these charts, we have possible emergency scenarios and
possible shutdown actions. At an oil and gas facility, the primary response is to
isolate and depressurize. In this case, the typical action would be to close the inlet
and outlet sectioning valves (EV 0153 20, EV 0108 20 and EV 0102 20 in the
diagram) and open the blowdown valve (EV 0114 20). This will isolate the
malfunctioning unit and reduce pressure by flaring of the gas.

Events are classified on a scale, e.g., 0 to 5, where a full abandon platform/facility

shutdown (APS–ESD 0) as the highest level means a complete shutdown and
evacuation of the facility. The next levels (ESD1, ESD2), define emergency complete
shutdown. The lower levels (e.g., PSD 3, PSD 4 and PSD 5) represent single
equipment or process section shutdowns. A split between APS/ESD and PSD is done
in large installations because most signals are PSD and can be handled with less
strict requirements. These actions are handled by the emergency shut down system
(ESD) and process shut down system (PSD) according to functional safety
requirements and standards. Thus, a typical ESD function might require a SIL 3 or
even SIL 4 level, while PSD loops could be SIL 2 or SIL 3. Smaller ESD systems,
e.g., on wellhead platforms, can be hydraulic or hardwired (non-programmable).

Fire and gas system

The fire and gas system are not generally related to any particular process. Instead,
it divides into fire areas by geographical location. Each fire area should be designed
to be self-contained, in that it should detect fire and gas by several types of sensors,
and control fire protection and firefighting devices to contain and fight fire within
the fire area. In the event of fire, the area will be partially shut off through closure
of ventilation fire dampers. A fire area protection data sheet typically shows what
detection exists for each fire area, and which fire protection action should be taken
in case of an incident. The type and number of the detection, protection and fighting
devices depends on the type of equipment and size of the fire area and will vary for
different process areas, e.g., electrical rooms and accommodation rooms.
Fire detection:
•Gas detection: Combustible and toxic gas, electro-catalytic or optical (IR) detector
•Flame detection: Ultraviolet (UV) or infra-red (IR) optical detectors
•Fire detection: Heat and ionic smoke detectors
•Manual pushbuttons

Firefighting, protection:

63
•Gas-based firefighting, such as CO2
•Foam-based firefighting
•Water-based firefighting: sprinklers, mist (water spray) and deluge
•Protection: Interface to emergency shutdown and HVAC fire dampers.
•Warning and escape: PA systems, beacons/lights, fire door and damper release.

A separate package related to fire and gas is the diesel- or electrically-driven fire
water pumps for the sprinkler and deluge ring systems.
For fire detection, coincidence and logic are often used to identify false alarms. In
such schemes, several detectors in the same area are required to detect a fire
condition or gas leakage for automatic reaction. This will include different detection
principles, e.g., a fire, but not welding or lightning strike. Action is controlled by a
fire and gas system (F&G). Like the ESD system, F&G action is specified in a cause
and action chart called the Fire Area Protection Datasheet. This chart shows all
detectors and fire protection systems in a fire area and how the system will operate.
The F&G system often provides supervisory functions, either in the F&G or the
information management system (IMS) to handle such tasks as maintenance,
calibration or replacement and hot work permits, e.g., welding. Such actions may
require that one or more fire and gas detectors or systems are overridden or
bypassed. Specific work procedures should be enforced, such as a placing fire guards
on duty, to make sure all devices are re-enabled when the work permit expires, or
work is complete.

Pressure Safety Management

A major requirement in the design and engineering of a plant or system is to ensure
safe equipment operation. Much of the effort in this respect is directed to deter-
mining the pressure limits of equipment and to protect that equipment from
dangerous overpressure conditions. Pressure relief valves are normally used for this
protection service, although under certain conditions, bursting disks (rupture disks)
may be used.
Several types of pressure relief valves are used in the natural gas processing
industry
 Conventional Safety Relief Valves
 Pilot operated Safety Relief Valves
 Balanced Safety Relief Valves
 Resilient-Seated Safety Relief Valves
 Rupture Disk (RD, PSE)
The following definition of terms used in the design of safety systems helps to
understand the design and criteria of safety systems:

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6.3.3.1 Pressure relief valve

Pressure relief valve (PRV) is a generic term

applied to relief valves (RV), safety valves (SV),
pressure safety valves (PSV), or safety relief
valves (SRV). It is used to control or limit the
pressure in a system or which can build up for a
process upset, instrument or equipment failure,
or fire. The pressure is relieved by allowing the
pressurized fluid to flow from an auxiliary
passage out of the system. The relief valve is
designed or set to open at a predetermined set
pressure to protect pressure vessels and other
equipment from being subjected to pressures that
exceed their design limits. Figure 6-2: Pressure Relief
Valve.
Accumulation
Accumulation is the pressure increase over the maximum allowable working
pressure of the vessel during discharge through the pressure relief device expressed
as a per-cent of that pressure or in psi or bar.

Atmospheric discharge
Atmospheric discharge is the release of vapors and gases from pressure relief and
de-pressurizing devices to the atmosphere.

Back pressure
Back pressure is the pressure existing at the outlet of the pressure relief device due
to pressure in the discharge system at the time the device must relieve. This is
some-times imposed by relief or venting of other devices simultaneously.

Design pressure
Design pressure is the pressure used in the design of a vessel to determine the
minimum permissible thickness or physical characteristics of the different parts of a
vessel.

Flare
A flare is a means for safe disposal of waste gases by combustion. With an elevated
flare, the combustion is carried out at the top of a pipe or stack where the burner
and igniter are located. A ground flare is similarly equipped except that combustion

65
is carried out at or near ground level. A burn pit differs from a flare in that it is
normally designed to handle both liquids and vapors.

Overpressure
Overpressure is the pressure increase over the set pressure of the primary relieving
device; it would be termed accumulation when the relieving device is set at the
maximum allow-able working pressure of the vessel. Note: When the set pressure of
the first (primary) pressure relief valve to open is less than the maximum allowable
working pressure of the vessel, the overpressure may be greater than 10 % of the
set pressure of that valve.

Set pressure
Set pressure, in psig or barg, is the inlet pressure at which the pressure relief valve
is adjusted to open under service conditions. In a safety or safety relief valve in gas,
vapor, or steam service, the set pressure is the inlet pressure at which the valve
pops under service conditions. In a relief or safety relief valve in liquid service, the
set pressure is the inlet pressure at which the valve starts to discharge under
service conditions.

Superimposed back pressure

Superimposed back pressure is static pressure existing at the outlet of a pressure
relief device at the time the device is required to operate. It is the result of pressure
in the dis-charge system from other sources. This type of back pressure may be
constant or variable; it may govern whether a conventional or balanced-type
pressure relief valve should be used in specific applications.

Relief device
A relief device that consists of a thin metal plate or disk designed to burst or fail
when a specific pressure differential is imposed on the disk. Once the disk has
failed, it must be replaced. It will not stop flowing after the overpressure condition
is relieved. These are sometimes used to protect a relief valve from corrosive or
otherwise compromising process fluids, in addition to providing full flow relief in a
large overpressure event (e.g., failure of a high-pressure hydrogen stream into a
Safety Systems for Petroleum Processing cooling water exchanger).

66
Chapter 7 Products of MSTE plant

Natural gas
 The natural gas is produced here from four wells; KTL-2, KTL-3, KTL-4 &
KTL-6. The gas production from these gas wells is about 19-20, 8-9, 24-25 &
8-9 MMscfd respectively.
 The pipeline quality dry gas produced in MSTE plant is supplied to national
grid pipeline, N/S line (north south) and JGTDCL line.
 The daily average gas supply to N/S line is about 41 MMscfd (1.152 m 3/d) at a
pressure of 57 bar. The gas temperature is maintained around 36-41 0C.
 The daily average gas supply to JGTDCL line is about 20 MMscfd (0.57 m 3/d)
at a pressure of 30-32 bar.
So, the total amount of pipeline quality dry gas supplied by MSTE plant is around
60-62 MMscfd.

Condensate
Significant amount of condensate is produced from the wells at MSTE plant. These
condensates are then supplied to the fractionation unit (capacity-300 bbl/day) at
Kailashtilla-1 of Kailashtilla Gas Field where the condensates are fractionated to
produce Petrol and Diesel. The condensates are also supplied to some private
refineries for fractionation.
The average condensate production from KTL-2, KTL-3, KTL-4 & KTL-6 is around
188-190, 75-77, 43-46 & 236-239 bbl/day respectively which make the total
condensate production from MSTE plant of around 540-550 bbl/day.

NGL
A unique product of MSTE plant which is solely supplied to Kailashtilla LPG plant
of state-owned company RPGCL where the NGLs are fractionated to produce LPG
and petrol.
On average 520-540 bbl/day NGL is produced from MSTE plant.

Water
The unwanted by-product, water is produced in a significant amount with
condensate at surface separation facilities. The average water production from
KTL-2, KTL-3, KTL-4 & KTL-6 is around 3-5, 91-92, 28-30 & 24-25 bbl/day
respectively which make the total water production of around 125-130 bbl/day.

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Chapter 8 Conclusion
Natural gas industry is one of the main driving force of our nation’s energy sector.
With exponentially growing demand, number of gas processing plants are providing
the nation with significant amount of this fossil fuel and other valuable products.
SGFL is one of the biggest providers. MSTE plant is one of their assets which is
unique in the country producing NGL along with the natural gas and Condensates.
As a trainee of this plant I learned a lot about natural gas processing. Incorporating
these knowledges with my academic lessons I made this report. I took help from
several reference books, websites, research papers, plant operation manual and
most importantly, from the plant personnel for which I am grateful to all of them.

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8.1 References

Devold, H. (2013). Oil and gas production handbook. [Milton Keynes]: Lightning
Source.
Glossary.oilfield.slb.com. (2018). The Oilfield Glossary - Schlumberger Oilfield
Glossary. [online] Available at: https://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/
[Accessed 16 Dec. 2018].
Guo, B., Liu, X. and Tan, X. (2007). Well Components. Petroleum Production
Engineering, pp.3-17.
Imama, B. (2013). Energy resources of Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Grants
Commission of Bangladesh.
Kamruzzaman, S., 1999. Simulation of Kailashtilla ii gas processing plant.
Kumar, S. (1987). Gas production engineering. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company.
L. Katz, D. and L. Lee, R. (1991). Natural Gas Engineering: Production and Storage.
McGraw-Hill Economics Dept.
Mokhatab, S., Poe, W. and Mak, J. (n.d.). Handbook of natural gas transmission and
processing.
Naturalgas.org. (2018). NaturalGas.org - Brought to you by NGSA . [online]
Available at: http://naturalgas.org/ [Accessed 13 Dec. 2018].
Osha.gov. (2018). Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. [online]
Available at: https://www.osha.gov [Accessed 22 Dec. 2018].
Petrobangla.org.bd. (2018). Petrobangla. [online] Available at:
https://www.petrobangla.org.bd/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2018].
Sgfl.org.bd. (2018). Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (A Company of Petrobangla) . [online]
Available at: http://www.sgfl.org.bd/ [Accessed 18 Dec. 2018].
Slb.com. (2018). Gas Processing & Treatment | Schlumberger. [online] Available at:
https://www.slb.com/services/processing-separation/gas-treatment.aspx
[Accessed 13 Dec. 2018].
Stewart, M. (2014). Surface production operations. Waltham, MA: Gulf Professional
Publishing.
Wikipedia.org. (2018). Wikipedia. [online] Available at: https://www.wikipedia.org/
[Accessed 08 Dec. 2018].

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