A brief look at the natural gas industry

By
Undergraduates: Robert VanLeeuwen, Matthew Martinez,
Loralie Faulk
Faculty: Dr. Carl Murphy, Dr. Ali Pilehvari, Mohsen Dirbaz
(graduate student)
 Methane – CH4 : 70 – 90%
 Ethane – C2H6 : 0 – 20%
 Propane – C3H8 : 0 – 20%
 Butane – C4H10 : 0 – 20%
 Carbon Dioxide – CO2 : 0 – 8%
 Nitrogen – N2 : 0 – 5%
 Hydrogen Sulfide – H2S : 0 – 5%
 Oxygen – O2 : 0 – 0.2%
 Rare Noble Gases – Ar, He, Ne, Xe : traces
While there is much to discuss in the field of
processing natural gas, this presentation will focus
on three very important steps:

1. Water Removal via Liquid Desiccant

(TEG Glycol)
2. Cryogenic Turbo Expansion
3. Fractionation of Natural Gas Liquids

Cost analysis will also be used to display the

economical aspect of natural gas processing.
When taken from the wellhead,
natural gas is partially
saturated with water.
Water left with natural gas during
processing will tend to form
solid hydrates, which will build
up in pipes and impede the
flow of natural gas in the
system.
Liquid desiccant known as glycol
is dispersed through the top of
the tower which absorbs the
water and dehydrates the gas.
The glycol-water solution exits the bottom of the
tower and is ‘flashed’ in a flash tank to vaporize
any trapped methane or associated gases.
The glycol-water solution is heated to vaporize the
water (boiling point: 212o F) from the glycol
(boiling point: 400o F). This allows glycol to be
recycled in the dehydration process.
Removing water gets rid of solid hydrates and lowers
the dew point (the temperature at which
condensate first forms) of the natural gas.
Demethanization requires the natural
gas be cooled and then put into an
expansion chamber to reduce the
gas temperatures to a range of
-120 to -150 degrees Fahrenheit.
By reaching these low temperatures,
the heavier hydrocarbons
condense to a liquid state, while
methane remains gaseous, thus
separating them.
Energy gained from the expansion
process is used to recompress the
gaseous methane which can then
be shipped off. This process also
allows for a high ethane recovery
rate of up to 95%.
In order to be distributed and
sold to consumers, natural
gas liquids must be broken
up into their components.
This can be easily done because
each component has different
boiling points, so starting
with the lightest hydrocarbon
(and therefore, easiest to
boil), each is brought to a
vapor while the heavier
hydrocarbons remain liquids
and continue through the
process until all components
are separated.
Using the Capcost program, simulation
processing plants can be accurately
modeled financially, to find out
whether or not building a plant with
certain specifications will be
profitable.
Modeling requires plant manufacturing
costs, raw material costs,
maintenance costs and expected
profits from processed products.

Project simulation rate of return (over a

period of ten years, discounted
profitability) – 14.9%
 Cash Flow Diagram

15.0
Project Value (millions of dollars)

10.0

5.0

0.0

-5.0

-10.0

-15.0
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Project Life (Years)
 Natural Gas Processing is an exciting and
rewarding career choice for promising
Chemical Engineers.
 The future of Natural Gas Processing looks
very bright, as consumer demand grows.