10/22/2021

Separation between the Oil &Gas

Sweetening remove the Acid Gases
Conditioning Dehydration remove the Water vapour
Main Target H.C Dew Point & Heating Value

-Extract main component into

separate products which are
Extraction (Processing) Methane
Main Target Ethane
Propone
LPG
Natural Gasoline 1
1

2
2

1
 10/22/2021

• Field Separation.
• Gas Sweetening.
• Gas Dehydration.

1- :
• Large Vessels are used to
separate the gas, oil, water and
sand using their different
densities.

• Sufficient time has to be given to HP Gas

LP Gas
allow the water droplets to settle
from the oil and vice versa.
HP Separator LC LP Separator LC
• Multiple stages are used to
liberate gas and remove water. Heating/ Heating/
Cooling Cooling

• The number of stages is assessed Water

balancing cost, energy efficiency,

effect on the reservoir and safety. Export

• The separation process may Dehydration/

Cooling

require heating to help destabilise Desalter

LC
Pump
oil-water emulsions.

• Chemicals are utilised to assist

droplet coalescence, break foams Water
and prevent corrosion.

• To prevent remixing and effective

separation the separator is fitted 4
with a range of devices. 4

2
 10/22/2021

Separator Internals
• Internals design is often key to
efficient separator operation.
– Inlet device to reduce
liquid momentum
(centrifugal/impingem
ent)
– Distributor plate
– Coalesce pack to
provide surface area
for small droplets to
coalesce to larger
ones, enhancing
liquid/liquid separation
– Vane packs or
demisters to collect oil
droplets from the gas
– Vortex breakers to
prevent gas underflow
– Sand jets to remove
sand from the
separator 5
5
– Foam packs

Separator Internals

Baffle Plate Set Inlet Diffuser & Cascade Tray

Cyclone Inlet Device

Cyclone Inlet Device with Foam Reducing Pack Assembly

Perforated Baffle Plate 6
6

3
 10/22/2021

Separators Types

• Separator features :
• Horizontal Separators
– Large liquid handling
capacity
– Sufficient time for settle out
of liquid droplets from the
gas
• Vertical Separators
(scrubbers)
– High gas volumes
– Small footprint area
7
– Primary separation section to
separate the bulk of the liquid from
the gas
– Sufficient capacity to handle liquid
surges
– Sufficient liquid residence time to
allow small droplets to settle out
– Some inlet device to reduce
turbulence and velocity in the main
separation section
– A mist extractor to capture entrained
droplets
– Back pressure and liquid level
7
controls
7
– Relief and blowdown
– Sand washing

2- :

8
8

4
 10/22/2021

•Sweetening process is to remove acid gases from natural gases.

•This can be done either by adsorption or absorption processes.

•The most famous adsorption process is solid desiccant beds which can
perform Sweetening and dehydration for natural gas at the same time with
higher efficiency.

•The most famous absorption process is amine.

9
9

AMINE PROCESS

10
10

10

5
 10/22/2021

CHEMICAL ABSORPTION

H H

HO-C - C-
H H
11
11

11

12
12

12

6
 10/22/2021

13
13

13

14

14

7
 10/22/2021

FIG. 21-5
Physical Properties of Gas Treating Chemicals
“weak bases”

Mono- Di-Ethanolamine Tri-Ethanolamine

Property Ethanolamine

Formula HOC2H4NH2 (HOC2H4)2NH (HOC2H4)3N

Molecular Wt 61.08 105.14 148.19

Boiling point @ 760 170.5 269 360 (decompose)

mm Hg, °C

Density @ 20°C, 1018 1095 1124

kg/m3.

15

15

A brief review of the more frequent problems and corrective •

procedures follow :

1- Gas is Not “ Sweet “/Dehydrated

Check solution concentration :

• Too low : Check make up water addition.
Check amine flow rate :
• Too low : Open by pass valve.
Check amine regeneration :
• Increase firing rate.
Check reflux rate and temperature :
• Probably too low : Increase firing rate.
Check stripping column pressure :
• It may be too low
Check for foaming :
• Carry over into outlet separator and / or pressure fluctuations across absorber.

16

16

8
 10/22/2021

2- Amine solution not regenerated

• Check reboiler temperature ,pressure and the reflux rate.

• Check for leaks in lean/rich amine heat exchanger.
• Check the re-claimer for primary amine.
• Check for foaming in stripper :
- pressure fluctuations.

17

17

3- Dirty, degraded amine

• Gas contains oxygen.

• Storage or make up tank blanket gas valve is not
functioning: - Repair if any.
• Make up water contains free oxygen:
- Add oxygen scavenger or use distillated water.
• Sparge amine with sweet gas to strip oxygen.

18

18

9
 10/22/2021

4- Excessive Corrosion

Amine concentration is too high:

❑ Add make up water .
Amine is highly degraded:
❑ Replace .
Make up water is high in dissolved solids :
❑ Treat make up water or use deionized water.
Insufficient amine regeneration:

Insufficient amine filtration :

❑ Increase filter rate or change filter elements more frequently.
Qxygen is entering system:
❑ Eliminate.
Velocities too high :
❑ reduce temperature to stripper.

19

19

5- Foaming of amine solution

• Foaming is a very unpredictable phenomenon. It can be

caused by any or a combination of the following conditions:

❑ Dirty amine (solids) – check filter elements.

❑ Degraded amine.
❑ Liquid hydrocarbon in gas or amine.

20

20

10
 10/22/2021

6- Hydrocarbon condensation

• It will be caused by lower inlet amine temperature.

• So the Inlet amine temperature must be at least 10-15 oF

above the inlet gas temperature to eliminate H.C
condensation .

21

21

7- Wrong or off-spec –
chemicals

• Well treating chemicals.

• Surfactants.
• Corrosion inhibitors.
• Very fine particles. e.g. iron sulfide, in sour gas.
• Inadequate cleaning of amine plant before start-up.

22

22

11
 10/22/2021

9- Incoming gas is not adequately

scrubbed and contains salt water

• Make up water contains iron, sulfides, chlorides, etc…

(Use deionized or de-mineralized water)

23

23

10- Tray down comers are plugged,

causing amine to stack up in the trays

• (This is really not a foaming problem but behaves so; usually

with older plants).
• Note :
❑ Always add antifoaming downstream of the carbon filter.
❑ The following antifoaming are recommended
Dilute with 50% isopropyl alcohol use in concentrations of
5 to 50 PPMW .

24

24

12
 10/22/2021

3- :
•Dehydration process is to remove water vapor from natural gases.
•This can be done either by adsorption or absorption processes.
• (gas 2 solid) (gas 2 liquid)
• The most famous adsorption process is solid desiccant beds which can
perform Sweetening & Dehydration for natural gas at the same time with
higher efficiency according to its material affinity and pour size .

• The most famous absorption process is Glycol unit.

☺Water in NG :
 Most free associated water removed by simple extraction method at
or near wellhead
 Water vapor in NG solution need more complex treatment
 Process of dehydration of NG – absorption or adsorption
 Pipeline specs: 7.0 lb H2O/MMSCF { max. =1 ppmv}

25
25

25

Water Removal

☺Absorption “Glycol Dehydration”:

 Glycol solution (high affinity to water) – diethylene glycol (DEG) or

triethylene Glycol (TEG)
 TEG/DEG contact wet gas stream (called contactor) → absorb water →
glycol soln. sink to bottom → removed
 Glycol recovery – vaporize glycol using special boiler
 New tech: addition of flash tank separator condensers before boiler to
condense methane (90 – 99% recovery)

26

26

13
 10/22/2021

☺Solid-Desiccant Dehydration : “Adsorption”

 Adsorption process consists of 2 or more adsorption tower filled with solid

desiccant.
 At least 1 working, 1 regenerating
 Desiccants: activated alumina or granular silica gel
 Wet NG → pass through towers from top to bottom → H2O retains on
particle surface → dry NG exits → saturated desiccant heated with heater
to vaporize water
 Best suite for large volumes gas under very high P

27

27

28
28

28

14
 10/22/2021

HYDRATES IN NATURAL GAS SYSTEMS

• A hydrate is a physical combination of water and other small molecules

to produce a solid which has an “ice-like” appearance but possesses a
different structure than ice. , it cause flow interrupting.

• There are three recognized crystalline structures I,II,H

• Their formation in gas and/or NGL systems can plug pipelines,

equipment, and instruments, restricting or for such hydrates. In both,
water molecules build the lattice and hydrocarbons, nitrogen, CO2 and
H2S occupy the cavities.

29
29

29

• HYDRATES IN NATURAL GAS SYSTEMS

• Smaller molecules (CH4, C2H6, CO2, H2S) stabilize a body-centered cubic

called Structure I.

• Larger molecules (C3H8, i-C4H10, n - C4H10) form a diamond-lattice called

Structure II.

• Normal paraffin molecules larger than n-C4H10 do not form Structure I and
II hydrates as they are too large to stabilize the lattice.
However, some iso paraffins and cyclo –alkanes larger than pentane are
known to form Structure H hydrates.

30

30

15
 10/22/2021

31
31

31

Hydrocarbons (C1,C2,C3,iC4+nC4)
and / or H2S, N2, CO2
+
Metastable H20
@
(P, T)
------------------------------------------
=
HYDRATES

Metastable water is liquid water which, at equilibrium, will

exist as a hydrate 32
32

32

16
 10/22/2021

The conditions which affect hydrate formation are:

1- Primary Considerations

• Gas or liquid must be at or below its water dew point or saturation condition.
To allow water droplet condensation
• Temperature.

• Pressure.

•Composition.

2- Secondary Considerations

• Mixing.

• Kinetics

• Physical site for crystal formation such as a pipe elbow, orifice, thermowell, or line
scale.

• Salinity.
33
33

33

FIG. 20-4 Water Content of Hydrocarbon Gas

hydrate
formation line ,
function of
composition

Th 34
34

34

17
 10/22/2021

Hydrate Inhibition

•The formation of hydrates can be prevented by dehydrating the gas or

liquid to eliminate the formation of a condensed water (liquid or solid)
phase.
• In some cases, however, dehydration may not be practical or
economically feasible.
• In these cases, chemical inhibition can be an effective method of
preventing hydrate formation.

• Chemical inhibition utilizes injection of thermodynamic inhibitors or low

dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHIs).

•Thermodynamic inhibitors are the traditional inhibitors (i.e., one of the

glycols or methanol), which lower the temperature of hydrate diminish
formation “Th”

•LDHIs are either kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) or anti -

agglomerants (AAs).
• They do not lower the temperature of hydrate formation, but do its
effect. 35
35

35

Natural Gas Dehydration

by: Liquid & Solid Desiccants

36

36

18
 10/22/2021

37

37

38

38

19
 10/22/2021

39

39

40

40

20
 10/22/2021

41

41

42

42

21
 10/22/2021

43

43

44

44

22
 10/22/2021

Glycol Dehydration Unit

45

45

46

46

23
 10/22/2021

GLYCOLS PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

HO—(CH2)2—OH Ethylene Glycol Di-ethylene

Glycol
Tri-ethylene
Glycol
Tetraethylene
Glycol
Formula C2H6O2 C4H10O3 C6H14O4 C6H18O5
Molecular weight 62.1 106.1 150.2 194.2
Boiling point at 760 mm Hg, °F 387.1 472.6 545.9 597.2

Boiling point at 760 mm Hg, °C 197.3 244.8 285.5 314

Vapor pressure at 77°F (25°C) mm Hg 0.12 0.002 0.0004 0.00005
Vapor pressure at 140°F (60°C) mm Hg 1.5 0.08 0.025 < 0.01
Density (g/cc) at 77°F (25°C) 1.110 1.113 1.119 1.120
Density (g/cc) at 140°F (60°C) 1.085 1.088 1.092 1.092
Density (Kg/m3 ) at 77°F (25°C) 1110 1113 1119 1120
Freezing point, °C -13 -8 -7 -5.5
Pour point, °C - -54 -58 -41
Viscosity in centipoise at 77°F (25°C) 16.5 28.2 37.3 44.6
Viscosity in centipoise at 140°F (60°C) 4.68 6.99 8.77 10.2
Surface tension at 77°F (25°C), dynes/cm 47 44 45 45
Specific heat at 77°F (25°C), kJ/(kg.K) 2.43 2.30 2.22 2.18
Flash point, °C (PMCC) 116 124 177 204
Fire point, °C (C.O.C.) 118 143 166 191
Initial decomposition temperature °C 165 164 207 238

47

47

48
48

48

24
 10/22/2021

GLYCOL DEHYDRATION UNIT

49
49

49

25