g a s - h a n d l I n

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condensate, or oil and water from a gas-producing well and condition

these fluids for sales or disposal.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

The objective of a gas-handling facility is to separate natural gas,

Gas-Handling

Gas Dehydration
Gas Processing
Condensate Stabilization

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Gas Sweetening

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PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Figure : Gas field facility block diagram

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Since most gas wells flow at high pressure, a choke is installed to

control the flow. When the flow stream is choked, the gas expands and
its temperature decreases.
If the temperature gets low enough, hydrates will form. This could
lead to plugging, so the gas may have to be heated before it can be

choked to separator pressure.

Low-temperature exchange (LTX) units and indirect fired heaters are

commonly used to keep the well stream from plugging with hydrates.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

The well flow stream may require heating prior to initial separation.

Gas-Handling

amount of gas and liquid is being produced from the well, the flowing
temperature of the well could be very hot even after the choke. In this
case, the gas may have to be cooled prior to compression, treating, or
dehydration.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Some gas reservoirs may be very deep and very hot. If a substantial

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temperatures, so the liquids are normally separated from the gas prior
to cooling to reduce the load on the cooling equipment.

Heat exchangers are used to cool the gas and also to cool or heat fluids
for treating water from oil, regenerating glycol and other gas treating

fluids, etc.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Separation and further liquid handling might be possible at high

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of the wells when flowing-tubing pressures are high and there is a

high temperature drop across the choke.

Liquids retain the reservoir heat better and have less of a

temperature drop associated with a given pressure drop
than gas.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

In some fields, it may be necessary to provide heat during the early life

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pressure, enabling reservoir energy to move the gas through the

process to sales. It is very rare that the flowing-tubing pressure

of a gas well, at least initially, is less than the gas sales pressure.
With time, the flowing-tubing pressure may decline and
compression may be needed prior to further handling of the
gas.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Typically, in a gas facility, there is an initial separation at a high

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size is dictated by gas capacity. That is, the separator will

normally be large enough to provide sufficient liquid retention

time for three phase separation if it's to be large enough to
provide sufficient gas capacity.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

The initial separation is normally three-phase, as the separator

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separation

or

by

using

"condensate

stabilization"

process.

Stabilization of the hydrocarbon liquid refers to the process of

maximizing the recovery of intermediate hydrocarbon components (C3
to C6) from the liquid.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Liquid from the initial separator is stabilized either by multistage flash

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pressure separators can be compressed and then recombined with the

gas from the high-pressure separator. Both reciprocating and
centrifugal compressors are commonly used. In low-horsepower
installations, especially for compressing gas from stock tanks (vapor
recovery), rotary and vane type compressors are common.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Depending on the number of stages, the gas that flashes in the lower

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gas they purchase. They recognize the need for removal for the
efficient operation of their pipelines and their customers' gas-burning
equipment. Consequently, contracts for the sale of gas to transmission
companies always contain provisions regarding the quality of the gas
that is delivered to them, and periodic tests are made to ascertain that

requirements are being fulfilled by the seller.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Gas transmission companies require that impurities be removed from

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are impurities that are frequently found in natural gas and may have
to he removed. Both can be very corrosive, with CO2 forming carbonic
acid in the presence of water and H2S potentially causing hydrogen
embrittlement of steel. In addition, H2S is extremely toxic at very low
concentrations.

When the gas is sold, the purchaser specifies the maximum allowable
concentration of CO2 and H2S. A normal limit for CO2 is between 2 and
4 volume percent, while H2S is normally limited to 1/4 grain per 100
standard cubic feet (scf) or 4 ppm by volume.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Acid gases, usually hydrogen sulfide (H2S ) and carbon dioxide (CO2)

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has essentially no calorific value, it lowers the heating value of gas. Gas
purchasers may set a minimum limit of heating value (normally
approximately 950 Btu/scf). In some cases it may be necessary to
remove the nitrogen to satisfy this requirement. This is done in very
low temperature plants or with permeable membranes.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Another common impurity of natural gas is nitrogen. Since nitrogen

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vapor. Most gas treating processes also leave the gas saturated with
water vapor. The water vapor itself is not objectionable, but the liquid
or solid phase of water that may occur when the gas is compressed or
cooled is very troublesome. Liquid water accelerates corrosion of
pipelines and other equipment; solid hydrates that can form when

liquid water is present plug valves, fittings, and sometimes the

pipeline itself; liquid water accumulates in low points of pipeline,
reducing the capacity of the lines.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Natural gas produced from a well is usually saturated with water

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difficulties and is normally required by gas sales agreements. When

gas is dehydrated its dewpoint (the temperature at which water will
condense from the gas) is lowered.

PME 324 I Natural Gas Engg. Lab.

Removal of the water vapor by dehydration eliminates these possible

Reference

Surface Production Operations Vol. 2 : Design of GasHandling Systems and Facilities

by

KEN ARNOLD
MAURICE STEWART