There are a great many ways in which to configure the various unit processes used in the

processing of raw natural gas. The block flow diagram below is a generalized, typical
configuration for the processing of raw natural gas from non-associated gas wells. It shows how
raw natural gas is processed into sales gas pipelined to the end user markets.[8][9][10][11][12] It also
shows how processing of the raw natural gas yields these byproducts:

Natural-gas condensate
Sulfur
Ethane
Natural-gas liquids (NGL): propane, butanes and C5+ (which is the commonly used term for
pentanes plus higher molecular weight hydrocarbons)[13][14][15]
Raw natural gas is commonly collected from a group of adjacent wells and is first processed at
that collection point for removal of free liquid water and natural gas condensate(1)
First Separation:
- Oil -> oil refinery
- Wastewater -> dispose
- Raw Gas pipeline -> this one we use

Removal of Acid Gases (H2S , CO2)

Amine Treating
Physical Process
Polymeric Membrane. (no reagents consumed)

Side 1:
Sulfur Recovery
Claus Process
Contact Process
Wet Sulfuric Acide

Side 2:
Tail gas treatment
TGTU
Recover and recycle residual sulphur-containing compounds back into Claus Unit.
Scot Process
Clauspol Process
WSA
Dehydration- (remove water vapour)
- Glycol dehydration (regenerable absorption in liquid triethylene glycol)
And/or
- Pressure Swing Adsorption (solid adsorbent)

Mercury removal
- Activated carbon
- Regenerable molecular sieves

Nitrogen Removal

Cryogenic process (Nitrogen Rejection Unit),[18] using low temperature distillation. This
process can be modified to also recover helium, if desired (see also industrial gas).
Absorption process,[19] using lean oil or a special solvent[20] as the absorbent.
Adsorption process, using activated carbon or molecular sieves as the adsorbent. This
process may have limited applicability because it is said to incur the loss of butanes and
heavier hydrocarbons.

NGL Recovery
natural gas liquids (NGL) for which most large, modern gas processing plants use another
cryogenic low temperature distillation process involving expansion of the gas through a turbo-
expander followed by distillation in a demethanizing fractionating column.[21][22]
Or
Some gas processing plants use lean oil absorption process rather than the cryogenic turbo-
expander process.

Fractionation Train
- Deethanizer (overhead ethane
- Depropanize (overhead propane
- Debutanizer (overhead normal and iso-butane
- Bottom is C5+ mixture

Recovered streams of propane,butane and C5+ sweetened in merox process (convert

undersirable mercaptans into disulfides.,

Ethan propane butane and pentane+ (natural gasoline)NGL by-products from the gas processing
plant.