HYDROCARBON

RECOVERY
SCHEDULE
Introduction
Dew Point Control
Straight Refrigeration
Lean Oil Absorption
Ethane Recovery
Mixed Refrigerant Process
Fractionation Considerations
Mercury Removal
Liquefied Natural Gas Production
Solids Formation
 INTRODUCTION

This presentation will

cover the processes
involved in recovering
light hydrocarbon liquids
for sale.

Source: http://mundominero.com.co/anuncian-impulso-al-gas-licuado-para-generacion-de-energia/
DEW POINT
CONTROL

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Dew point calculations for a gas stream leaving a separator at 100°F and 1000 psia.
Low temperature separation.

• Enough • Joule - • Low

temperature Thompson Temperature
expansion Separation

Refrigeration Expansion LTS Unit

Low temperature separation
The gas leaving the separator has a
hydrocarbon dew point equal to the separator
conditions.
The hydrocarbon and water dew points are
limited by the pressure differential and
composition of the feed gas.
A modification to this process is to add glycol
injection to the high pressure gas to allow
lower water dew points when pressure is
limited.

Source: www.hugecare.pk, Low Temperature Separation Unit.

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Low Temperature Separation Unit.
Refrigeration
Used when excess pressure is not available to operate an LTS system.

Process flow is essentially the same as that used for straight

refrigeration NGL recovery

Gas pressure is generally maintained through the process

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Straight Refrigeration
Stabilization
One of the problems in using dew point
control units is the disposition of the liquids.
The liquids must be stabilized by flashing
or by the use of a stabilization column.
A stabilization column has a reboiler to
produce a specified vapor pressure product.
The column contains trays or packing to
provide necessary mass transfer for
stabilization.
Source: Dewpointcontrol.com, Stabilization Column.
Emerging Technologies

Emerging Technologies
Take advantage of gas expansion for liquid
separation.
Twister
technology.
These processes use static equipment and
are focused on replacing Joule-Thomson
expansion valves. Vortex tube
Twister Technoloy

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Twister Process

Vortex-Tube Device

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Vortex-Tube Device

 STRAIGHT REFRIGERATION

The straight refrigeration process is quite flexible in its application to NGL recovery.
• The recovery level is a strong function of the feed gas pressure, gas composition and
temperature level in the refrigeration chiller.

The straight refrigeration process is typically used with a glycol injection system
• In order to go lower in processing temperature, upstream dehydration and alternative
refrigeration systems must be considered
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Straight Refrigeration .
REFRIGERATION PROCESS ALTERNATIVES

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigeration Process Alternatives .

REFRIGERATION PROCESS ALTERNATIVES

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigeration Process Alternatives .

REFRIGERATION PROCESS ALTERNATIVES

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigeration Process Alternatives .

REFRIGERATION PROCESS ALTERNATIVES

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigeration Process Alternatives .

 Lead to
Higger Recovery higher
separador limited to Richer gas recycle /
pressure propane plus recompressor
rates
 LEAN OIL
ABSORPTION

• Can be operated at ambient

temperatures if only the
heavier NGL products are
desired.

• Have the advantage that the

absorber can operate at
essentially feed gas pressure
with minimal loss of pressure
in the gas stream which exits
the process.

Source: http://petrogassystems.com/technology/natural-gas-processing-
and-dew-point-control/lean-oil-absorption.
 Refrigerated
Lean Oil

• The actual equipment

configuration changes with
different gas feeds and
product recoveries.

• Gas enters the plant inlet

separator upstream of the
main process where inlet
liquids are separated.

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigeration Process Alternatives .

 ETHANE
RECOVERY

In order to achieve higher

propane recoveries and
ethane recovery, cryogenic
temperatures are required.

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Example of Pressure and Temperature to Recover 60 Percent Ethane
ETHANE RECOVERY

Pressure
expansion Oil and Methods
Gas
Chilling

Turbo Mechanical
J-T Expansion
Expander Refrigeration

To achieve these cryogenic

temperatures.
J-T EXPANSION
Low gas rates and modest ethane recovery
Advantages over a
turboexpander

Can be designed with no rotating equipment

Broad range of flows

Simplicity of design and operation

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Refrigerated J-T process.
TURBOEXPANDER
PROCESSING
• In this configuration the
ethane recovery is limited to
about 80% or less.

• Often the high pressure and

low temperature conditions
are near the critical point of
the gas making the operation
unstable.

• One alternative to the

conventional design is the
Source: GPSA Engineering databook , Turboexpander processing .
use of two expanders where
the expansion occurs in two
steps.
 GSP Design

• The Gas Subcooled Process

(GSP) was developed to
overcome the problems
encountered with the
conventional expander
process.

• A portion of the gas from the

cold separator is sent to a
heat exchanger where it is
totally condensed with the
overhead stream .

Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Gsp Desing .

 CRR Process
• The Cold Residue Recycle
(CRR) process is a
modification of the GSP
process to achieve higher
ethane recovery levels.

• This process is attractive for

extremely high ethane
recovery. Recovery levels
above 98% are achievable
with this process.

• This process is also excellent Source: GPSA Engineering databook, CRR Process .
for extremely high propane
recovery while rejecting
essentially all the ethane.
 MIXED
REFRIGERANT Low temperatures can be
PROCESS achieved with significantly
reduced inlet gas pressure.

Is an alternative to the
turboexpander process.
The chilling can be achieved
totally with mechanical
refrigeration or with a
mixture of refrigeration and
expansion.
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Mixed Refrigerant NGL Recovery Process.
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Four-column Fractionation System.
 Gas streams to contain 1 to 100 micrograms/Nm3 (approx. 0.1
to 10 ppbv) of mercury.

The mercury can attack aluminum in the plate fin heat

exchangers.
MERCURY
REMOVAL The mercury must be present as a free liquid. This
situation cannot occur above –40F.

Using a sulfur based trapping material carried on activated

carbon as aremoval bed which reacts to form cinnabar (HgS).
MERCURY REMOVAL
The trapping bed is usually located
downstream of the dehydration.
The mercury beds are designed to remove
the mercury to 0.001 micrograms/Nm3.
Rules of thumb are that the bed should be
sized for:
 superficial flow velocity of about 50 ft/min
Residence time of 10 seconds.

Source: https://online.platts.com/PPS/P=m&e=1107539213686.7319107943054688173/POWER_Mar04_Gas_3Box.jpg
  600- fold reduction in the volume which occurs with the
vapor-toliquid phase change.
 Need to pretreat the gas to remove components, such as
CO2 and water, which will solidify in the liquefaction step
 The liquefaction unit also has to remove hydrocarbon
components, such as benzene and cyclohexane, which can
solidify
LIQUEFIED
NATURAL GAS
Types of
PRODUCTION liquefaction
processes

Precooled
Cascade Mixed
Mixed
Refrigeration Refrigerant
Refrigerant
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Nine-stage Cascade Liquefaction Process.
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Mixed Refrigerant Liquefaction Process.
Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Propane Precooled Mixed Refrigerant Process.
 SOLIDS
FORMATION

• Amines, glycols, and

compressor lube oils in the
gas stream can form
blockages in the system.

• In addition to CO2 and water

which can solidify and cause
blockage and damage in
cryogenic equipment,
hydrocarbons can also
solidify at temperatures
found in LNG plants. Source: GPSA Engineering databook, Solids Formation .