University Of Baghdad

College Of Engineering

Dept. Of Petroleum Engineering

Master Science (M. SC)

PRESENTATION ABOUT :
(FIELD TREATMENT OF NATURAL GAS SEPARATION)

Prepared By :

Safiyya A. Jassam Hiba Ali Baraa Kadhum

Supervised By :

Asst.Prof.Dr. Ayad Abdulhaleem

1442 AH “ Second Course “ 2021 BC

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 Presentation Contents
(CH.1) Introduction.

(CH.2) Field Processing ( Treatment) Operation

2.1) Effect of impurities found in natural gas.
2.2 ) Field processing of natural gas consists of four basic processes.
2.3) Gas field processing in general is carried out for two main objectives.
2.4) Raw natural gas consists of methane along with varying amounts of ..
2.5) Comparison of chemical and physical solvents which used during NG Treating.
2.6) Most important parameters in the design of a system for gas field processing.
2.7) Natural gas processing system.
2.8) Field treatments related to (Acid Gases) and (Liquefied Natural Gas).

(CH.3) Types of main gas sources that we later conduct field treatment to
separate NG.

CH.4) Field Separation Operations : Gas And Liquid Separation

4.1) Gas and liquid separator types.
CH.5) Options of phase change to the treatment of (NGLs) in the
natural gas stream
5.1) Parameters Controlling NGL Separation.

(CH.6)Summary Of This Presentation

6.1) Some of the more important items that must be considered before a process is
selected are summarized from the Engineering Data Book (2004b).

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CH.1) Introduction :

Natural gas produced from the well contains hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide,
hydrogen sulfide, and water together with many other impurities. Raw
natural gas after transmission through a network of gathering pipelines
therefore must be processed in a safe manner and with minimal
environmental effect before it can be moved into long-distance pipeline
systems for use by consumers. Although some of the required processing can
be accomplished at or near the wellhead (field processing), the complete
processing of natural gas takes place at a processing plant, usually located in
a natural gas producing region. The objective of a gas processing plant is to
separate natural gas, associated hydrocarbon liquids, acid gases, and water
from a gas producing well and condition these fluids for sale or disposal.
The processing philosophy depends on the type of project being considered
and the level of treating required, i.e., the difference between the feed gas
and product specifications. This determines what components will need to be
removed or recovered from the gas stream.
Field processing simply removes undesirable components and separates the
wellstream into salable gas and hydrocarbon liquids, recovering the
maximum amounts of each at the lowest possible overall cost.

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CH.2) Field Processing ( Treatment) Operation :

Field processing operations are thus enforced to treat the natural gas in
order to meet the requirements and specifications set by the gas transmission
companies. The main objective is to simply obtain the natural gas as a main
product free from impurities. In addition, it should be recognized that field
processing units are economically justified by the increased liquid product
(NGL) recovery above that obtained by conventional separation.
Gas treating involves reduction of the “acid gases” carbon dioxide (CO2)
and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), along with other sulfur species, to sufficiently
low levels to meet contractual specifications or permit additional processing
in the plant without corrosion and plugging problems. In every case, the
specific processing needed is determined by the flowrate, composition,
temperature, and pressure of the produced gas and by the
components/impurities that must be removed to meet delivery specifications.
Processing may vary from simple separation plus dehydration all the way up
to compression, sweetening, natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery, and
dehydration.

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2.1) Effect of impurities found in natural gas :

2.2 ) Field processing of natural gas consists of four basic

processes :
1) Separation of the gas from free liquids such as crude
oil, hydrocarbon condensate,
water and entrained solids.
2) Processing the gas to remove condensable and
recoverable hydrocarbon vapors.
3) Processing the gas to remove condensable water
vapor which, under certain conditions, might cause
hydrate formation.
4) Processing the gas to remove other undesirable
compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide or carbon
dioxide.

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2.3) Gas field processing in general is carried out for two
main objectives:
1) The necessity to remove impurities from the gas.
2) The desirability to increase liquid recovery above that
obtained by conventional gas processing field
treatment and processing operations of natural gas
and other associated products. These include
dehydration, acidic gas removal (H2S and CO2), and
the separation and fractionation of liquid
hydrocarbons, called natural gas liquid(NGL).

2.4) Raw natural gas consists of methane along with

varying amounts of:
 Heavier gaseous hydrocarbons
 Acid gases that may include hydrogen sulfide, carbon
dioxide and others
 Other gaseous components, such as nitrogen and helium
 Water that may be found in both liquid form and as
water vapor
 Liquid hydrocarbons
 Very small amounts of mercury may be found in
elementary form in some locations.

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2.5)Comparison of chemical and physical solvents
which used during NG Treating:

2.6) Most important parameters in the design of a

system for gas field processing:
1. Estimated gas reserve (both associated and free).
2. The gas flow rate and composition of the feed gas.
3. Market demand, both local and export, for the products.
4. Geographic location and methods of shipping of finished
products.
5. Environmental factors.

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2.7) Natural gas processing system :
For convenience, a system involving field treatment of a
gas project could be divided into two main stages :
(a) Stage I and is known as gas treatment or gas conditioning.
(b) Stage II and is known as gas processing.

The gas treatment operations carried out in stage I include the

removal of gas contaminants, in particular H2S (gas sweetening)
followed by the separation of water vapor (dehydration). On the
other hand, stage II, comprises two operations: NGL recovery and
separation from the bulk of gas and its subsequent fractionation
into the desired products.
A sum up of these operations is given ass follows:
• Gas sweetening and gas dehydration

• Recovery and extraction of NGL (C2 plus)

• Fractionation of NGL into individual products, which may include:

ethane, propane ,butane, isobutene, and natural gasoline.

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2.8) Field treatments related to (Acid Gases) and
(Liquefied Natural Gas) :
A) ACID GAS DISPOSAL
In the case of H2S, four disposal options are available:
1) Incineration and venting.
2) Reaction with H2S scavengers, such as iron sponge
3) Conversion to elemental sulfur by use of the Claus or
similar process
4) Disposal by injection into a suitable underground
formation.
Four scenarios are possible for acid gas removal from
natural gas:
1. CO2 removal from a gas that contains no H2S.

2. H2S removal from a gas that contains no CO2.

3. Simultaneous removal of both CO2 and H2S.

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B) Liquefied Natural Gas:

Bringing the gas from the field to the customer

involves these steps :
1) Gas production, gathering, and processing
2) LNG production, including gas treating,
liquefaction, NGL condensate removal, and LNG
storage and loading
3) LNG shipping, and LNG receiving facilities,
which include unloading, storage, regasification,
and distribution depending on the specific
situation, not all plants will have all the processes
shown, and some plants may have additional
processes

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CH.3)Types of main gas sources that we later
conduct field treatment to separate NG
hydrocarbons contained:
 Gas – well gas whether “wet” o “dry”, is
composed mainly of methane.

 Associated gas is very rich in liquefiable

components and typically must undergo
condensate recovery to meet hydrocarbon dew-
point or maximum heating value requirements.

 Gas – condensate reservoirs contain reservoir fluid

having a high percentage of dissolved heavier
hydrocarbon.

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CH.4) Field Separation Operations : Gas And Liquid
Separation :
Separation of wellstream gas from free liquids is by far the most common
of all field processing operations and also one of the most critical of the
processes. Composition of the fluid mixture determines the design criteria
for sizing and selecting a separator for a hydrocarbon stream. In the case of
low-pressure oil wells, the liquid phase will be large in volume compared to
the gas phase. In the case of high – pressure gas – distillate wells, the gas
volume will be higher compared to the liquid volume. The liquid produced
with high – pressure gas is generally a high API gravity hydrocarbon, usually
referred to as distillate or condensate.

In most cases, the gas, liquid hydrocarbons, and free water should be
separated as soon as possible after bringing them to the surface: these
phases should be handled and transported separately. This separation of
liquids from the gas phase is accomplished by passing the wellstream
through an oil – gas or oil – gas – water separator.

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4.1) Gas and liquid separator types :
Separators are used in many other locations other than at wellhead
production batteries, such as gasoline plants, upstream and
downstream of compressors, and liquid traps in gas transmission lines.
They are also found on inlets to dehydration units, gas sweetening units,
et cetera. At some of these locations separators are referred to as
knockouts, free liquid knockouts, and traps. Sometimes these vessels
are cal1ed scrubbers. Caution should be used when referring to a vessel
required for gas/ liquid separation as a scrubber.

There are four major types or basic configurations of separators,

generally available from manufacturers which are as follows with
figures :
1) Vertical Separator.
2) Horizontal Single Tube.
3) Horizontal Double Tube.
4) Spherical Separator.

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 FIGURE ONE :
VERTICAL (HIGH PRESSURE HP) OR (LOW PRESSURE LP) OIL AND GAS
SEPARATOR
PNEUMATIC CONTROLS.

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 FIGUR FIGURE TWO :
HORIZONTAL (HIGH PRESSURE HP) OR (LOW PRESSURE LP) OIL AND GAS
SEPARATOR PNEUMATIC CONTROLS.

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 FIGURE THREE :
VERTICAL (HIGH PRESSURE HP) OR (LOW PRESSURE LP) OIL - GAS – WATER
SEPARATOR
PNEUMATIC CONTROLS.

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 FIGURE FOUR :
HORIZONTAL (HIGH PRESSURE HP) OR (LOW PRESSURE LP) OIL – GAS – WATER
SEPARATOR PNEUMATIC CONTROLS.

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CH.5) Options of phase change to the treatment of
(NGLs) in the natural gas stream:
There are two basic steps to the treatment of natural gas liquids in
the natural gas stream. First, the liquids must be extracted from the
natural gas. Second, these natural gas liquids must be separated
themselves, down to their base components.
To recover and separate NGL from a bulk of gas stream, a change
in phase has to take place. Two distinctive options are in practice
depending on the use of :
● Energy Separating Agent (ESA) :
The distillation process best illustrates a change in phase using (ESA). To
separate, for example, a mixture of alcohol and water heat is applied. A
vapor phase is formed in which alcohol is more concentrated, and then
separated by condensation. This case of separation is expressed as : (A
Mixture Of Liquids + Heat → Liquid + Vapor).
For the case of NGL separation and recovery in a gas plant, removing
heat(by refrigeration) on the other hand, will allow heavier components to
condense; hence, a liquid phase is formed, where : (A Mixture Of
Hydrocarbon Vapor - Heat → Liquid + Vapor).
Partial liquefaction is carried out for a specific cut, whereas total
liquefaction is done for the whole gas stream.
● Mass Separating Agent (MSA) :
To separate NGL, a new phase is developed by using either a solid material
in contact with the gas stream (adsorption) or a liquid in contact with the gas
(absorption).

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5.1) Parameters Controlling NGL Separation :
A change in phase for NGL recovery and separation always involves control
of one or more of the following three parameters:
• Operating pressure, P.
• Operating temperature, T.
• System composition or concentration, x and y.

To obtain the right quantities of specific NGL constituents,

a control of the relevant parameters has to be carried
out:
1)For separation using (ESA), pressure is maintained by
direct control. Temperature, on the
. other hand, is reduced by refrigeration using one of the
following techniques:
(a) Compression refrigeration.
(b) Cryogenic separation; expansion across a turbine.
(c) Cryogenic separation; expansion across a valve.
2) For separation using (MSA) , a control in the
composition or the concentration of the hydrocarbons to be
recovered (NGL); y and x is obtained by using adsorption
or absorption methods. The efficiency of condensation,
hence NGL recovery, is a function of P, T, gas and oil flow
rates, and contact time. Again, absorption could be coupled
with refrigeration to enhance condensation.

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CH.6) Summary Of This Presentation :
Natural gas processing consists of separating first, all impurities found
including acid gases, water vapor, and inert gases. This stage is called Gas
Treatment. Sweetening of sour natural gas is the initial purification step
which takes care of the removal of acid gases (H2S and CO2).

Amine treatment, physical methods and others are discussed. Gas

dehydration is carried out next using glycols (TEG) or solid desiccants for
gas dehydration. Conditions leading to hydrates formation are highlighted.
Chemicals for hydrate inhibition are recommended.

Gas Processing is the second and most of NGL from natural gas, followed
by fractionation to important stage is concerned with the recovery and
extraction separate components.

Modern gas processing plants use cryogenic low temperature distillation

process based on the expansion of the gas through a turbo-expander. A
fractionation column, called demthanizer follows. Methane, the residue gas
and NGL are the products from this column. Fractionation of NGL requires
the use of a number of distillation columns for the separation to the desired
components and/or products.

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 Schematic Presentation of Field Gas Processing
Operations

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6.1) Some of the more important items that must be considered
before a process is selected are summarized from the
Engineering Data Book (2004b):
1) The type and concentration of impurities and hydrocarbon
composition of the sour gas. For example, COS, CS2, and
mercaptans can affect the design of both gas and liquid treating
facilities. Physical solvents tend to dissolve heavier
hydrocarbons, and the presence of these heavier compounds in
significant quantities tends to favor the selection of a chemical
solvent.
2) The temperature and pressure at which the sour gas is available.
High partial pressures of the acid gases in the feed favor physical
solvents, whereas low partial pressures favor the amines.
3) The specifications of the outlet gas (low outlet specifications
favor the amines).
4) The volume of gas to be processed.
5) The specifications for the residue gas, the acid gas, and liquid
products.
6) The selectivity required for the acid gas removal.
7) The capital, operating, and royalty costs for the process.
8) The environmental constraints, including air pollution regulations
and disposal of by products considered hazardous chemicals.

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 REFERENCES
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(Eds.) - “ Industrial Gas Separations” Industrial Gas
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2) Arthur J. Kidnay And William R. Parrish, “Fundamentals of
Natural Gas Processing” 2006 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
3) H. K. Abdel-Aal , M.Aggour And M. A. Fahim, “Petroleum And
Gas Field Processing” , Copyright 2003 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.
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4) Chi U. Ikoku - Natural Gas Production Engineering -Krieger
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6) Francis S. Manning and Richard E. Thompson, “Oilfield
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7) William A. Poe(USA) And Saeid Mokhatab (Canada), “
Modeling, Control, And Optimization Of Natural Gas Processing
Plants”, 2017 Elsevier Inc.
8) Dr. A.H Younger, University Of Calgary, “Natural Gas
Processing, Principles And Technology, Part II”, April 2004.
9) Ralph T. Yang, “Gas Separation by Adsorption Processes”,
Copyright © 1987 by Butterworth Publishers.
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