1. Gas Processing I NGT 140 Chapter 1 Fundamentals “This product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.” Unless otherwise specified, this work by ShaleNET U.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

2. Chapters 1: Fundamentals of Natural Gas Fluid properties Ideal gas law Hydrates Physical properties Composition Heat energy Combustion Applications Flow diagrams

3. Natural gas is colorless, shapeless and odorless Fossil fuel primarily consisting of methane Also contains quantities of other hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon gases Hydrocarbon – gas stream Nonhydrocarbon - contaminants Classification of natural gas Associated – in contact with crude oil as a cap or in solution with crude oil Nonassociated – as a gas without crude oil

4. Natural Gas Processing Plants Use physical and chemical processes Separate and recover valuable hydrocarbons Contaminants must be processed properly Affect gas behavior during treatment Impair efficiency of processing operations Damage equipment

5. Fluids Can be a gas, liquid or solid Flow freely unless restricted by a barrier or containment Are composed of molecules Natural gas reservoir fluids are processed based on their molecular behavior to physical and chemical processes Each fluid has a unique set of properties Gas processing plant design and operation are based on these properties Safe and efficient operation

6. Properties distinguish one fluid from another 1.Composition 2.Temperature 3.Pressure 4.Gravity (density) 5.Miscibility 6.Solubility 7.Phase 8.Vapor pressure 9.Boiling point 10.Freezing point 11.Hydrate point 12.Heat capacity 13.Flammability

7. Fluid Composition (Structure) Everything composed of atoms Atoms often arrange in groups (molecules) Behavior of fluid defined by behavior of the molecules Simplest fluid theory - make the molecules do what you want and the fluid will do what you want.

9. Temperature Usually measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F) Critical temperature – is the highest temperature at which a substance can be separated into two distinct fluid phases Above the critical temperature a gas cannot be liquefied by pressure alone Absolute temperature needed for calculations – degrees Rankine R = 460 + F

10. Temperature Usually measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F) Critical temperature – is the highest temperature at which a substance can be separated into two distinct fluid phases Above the critical temperature a gas cannot be liquefied by pressure alone Absolute temperature needed for calculations – degrees Rankine R = 460 + F

12. Pressure Force per unit area – lbs/square inch (psi) Pressure in pipe or vessel is usually read with a gauge – psig Not the true (absolute) pressure Difference between pressure and atmosphere Absolute pressure – psia MUST be used for calculations involving gases PSIA = PSIG + 14.7psi

13. Critical Pressure Pressure above which the gas will NOT condense into a liquid Important in gas processing when separating gases If pressure is above P c for either component of a mixture of two gases then they cannot be separated by condensation.

14. Gravity Is an expression of fluid weight Specific gravity – relates the density or weight per unit volume of one fluid to the density of another fluid at the same temperature Specific gravity – ratio of the fluid density to that of water at 60F (for liquids) or air at standard conditions (for gases) API Gravity is the measure of petroleum liquid density compared to the density of water