Gas Processing & NGL Fundamentals

68 engineering guides for gas treating, NGL recovery, and cryogenic processing

Gas Treating & Dehydration

Amine Treatment Fundamentals

GPSA / API

H2S and CO2 removal using MDEA, DEA, and MEA amine solvents including absorber/regenerator column design.

GPSA Sweetening

Glycol Dehydration Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 20

TEG and DEG dehydration system design including contactor sizing, reboiler duty, and water removal capacity.

TEG Dehydration

Molecular Sieve Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 20

Adsorption dehydration using molecular sieves including bed sizing, regeneration cycles, and breakthrough analysis.

Adsorption Regeneration

Claus Process Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 22

Sulfur recovery unit (SRU) design with thermal and catalytic reactor stages for H2S conversion to elemental sulfur.

Sulfur Recovery SRU

SCOT Process Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 22

Shell Claus Off-gas Treating process for tail gas cleanup using hydrogenation and amine absorption.

Tail Gas SCOT

Thermal vs Catalytic Claus Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 22

Comparison of thermal reactor and catalytic converter stages in Claus sulfur recovery including reaction kinetics.

Claus Stages Catalytic

Selexol Process Fundamentals

GPSA

Physical solvent process using DMPEG for selective CO2 and H2S removal from natural and synthesis gas.

Physical Solvent DMPEG

Rectisol Process Fundamentals

GPSA

Chilled methanol physical solvent process for deep acid gas removal in syngas and IGCC applications.

Methanol Syngas

Sulfinol Process Fundamentals

GPSA

Hybrid solvent system combining sulfolane physical solvent with DIPA or MDEA for COS and mercaptan removal.

Hybrid Solvent Sulfolane

Propylene Carbonate (Fluor Solvent) Fundamentals

GPSA

Physical solvent process using propylene carbonate for bulk CO2 removal with flash regeneration.

Fluor Solvent CO2 Removal

Activated Carbon Adsorption Fundamentals

GPSA

H2S, mercury, BTEX, and VOC removal using activated carbon beds including breakthrough and mass transfer zone design.

Adsorption Mercury

Amine System Foaming Fundamentals

GPSA

Causes, detection, and prevention of foaming in amine treating systems including antifoam selection.

Foaming Antifoam

Amine System Corrosion Fundamentals

API 945 / NACE

Heat stable salt formation, amine degradation, and material selection for corrosion control in treating systems.

API 945 HSS

Amine Inlet Separation Fundamentals

GPSA

Inlet scrubber and mist eliminator design for liquid hydrocarbon removal upstream of amine contactors.

Inlet Scrubber Coalescer

Amine Filtration Fundamentals

GPSA

Mechanical filter and carbon bed design for amine contaminant removal and foaming prevention.

Filtration Carbon Bed

Hydrate Prediction Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 20

Gas hydrate formation temperature and pressure prediction for pipeline and process facility design.

Hydrate Prevention

Hydrate Temperature Fundamentals

GPSA

Hydrate equilibrium curve determination and formation temperature estimation methods for gas composition.

Equilibrium Temperature

Water Content Fundamentals

McKetta-Wehe

Natural gas water content determination using McKetta-Wehe charts and Bukacek correlation for saturation conditions.

McKetta-Wehe Moisture

TEG Dehydration & Dewpoint Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 20

Triethylene glycol purity, water dew point depression, and stripping gas requirements for pipeline specifications.

TEG Dew Point

Silica Gel Dehydration Fundamentals

GPSA

Silica gel adsorption drying systems for gas dehydration applications and regeneration procedures.

Silica Gel Adsorption

Presaturation in Glycol Systems Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 20

BTEX and hydrocarbon absorption in TEG glycol systems including VOC/HAP emission estimation methods.

BTEX Emissions

Gas Properties & Separation

Gas Quality Fundamentals

Pipeline Tariff Specs

Pipeline gas quality specifications including heating value, hydrocarbon dew point, and inert content limits.

Gas Quality Custody Transfer

Wobbe Index & Gas Interchangeability Fundamentals

ISO 6976 / AGA

Wobbe Index calculation and gas interchangeability indices for burner tip performance and fuel gas blending.

ISO 6976 Wobbe

Flash Calculations Fundamentals

VLE Theory

Vapor-liquid equilibrium flash calculations including Rachford-Rice solution and K-value estimation methods.

VLE Flash

Gas Dewatering Fundamentals

GPSA Standards

Natural gas dehydration technology comparison including glycol, molecular sieve, and membrane methods.

Dewatering Dehydration

Dehydration Utility Systems Fundamentals

GPSA / API 12GDU

Support equipment design for glycol dehydration including pumps, heat exchangers, and reboiler systems.

API 12GDU Utilities

Dehydration Gas Loss Fundamentals

GPSA

Gas solubility and absorption losses in glycol dehydration systems including economic impact assessment.

Gas Loss Solubility

Miscibility & Solubility Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 1

Phase behavior, liquid-liquid equilibrium, Henry's Law, and Raoult's Law for hydrocarbon-water-glycol systems.

Phase Behavior LLE

Membrane Separation Fundamentals

GPSA

Permeation-based gas separation for CO2 removal and nitrogen rejection using polymeric membranes.

Permeation CO2 Removal

Nitrogen Rejection Unit Fundamentals

GPSA

Cryogenic nitrogen removal technology for gas quality compliance and pipeline specification meeting.

NRU Cryogenic

PSA for Nitrogen Rejection Fundamentals

GPSA

Pressure swing adsorption using carbon molecular sieves for nitrogen rejection with methane recovery optimization.

PSA Nitrogen

Cryogenic Absorption NRU Fundamentals

GPSA

Cold solvent methanol wash process for nitrogen rejection with high methane recovery from cold box systems.

Cold Solvent NRU

Cryogenic Distillation NRU Fundamentals

GPSA

Single and double column cryogenic distillation for nitrogen rejection and helium recovery from natural gas.

Distillation Helium

Mercury Removal Unit Fundamentals

GPSA

Mercury adsorbent bed design for protecting downstream aluminum heat exchangers in cryogenic gas plants.

MRU Adsorbent

Absorption Theory Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 16

Kremser-Brown absorption factor method, equilibrium stages, and K-value estimation for absorber column design.

Kremser-Brown K-Values

Process Equipment & Optimization

JT Valve Cooling Fundamentals

GPSA

Joule-Thomson expansion cooling calculations for choke valves and pressure letdown applications in gas processing.

Joule-Thomson Expansion

Turboexpander Fundamentals

GPSA

Isentropic expansion efficiency and NGL recovery optimization using turboexpander-compressor systems.

Turboexpander Isentropic

Packed Column Fundamentals

GPSA

Tower packing selection, HETP calculations, and flooding analysis for absorption and distillation columns.

HETP Packing

Condensate Stabilization Fundamentals

GPSA

Stabilizer column and flash separation design for reducing vapor pressure of produced condensate for storage.

Stabilizer RVP

McCabe-Thiele Method Fundamentals

Distillation Theory

Graphical distillation design method for determining theoretical stages, reflux ratio, and feed location.

McCabe-Thiele Stages

Lean Oil Absorption Fundamentals

GPSA Ch. 16

Absorption oil NGL recovery process design including lean oil selection and absorber-still column configuration.

Lean Oil Absorption

Air-Gas Blending Fundamentals

NFPA / AGA

Propane-air peakshaving and standby plant design including blending ratios and Wobbe Index matching.

Peakshaving LPG-Air

Inhibitor Injection Rate Fundamentals

Hammerschmidt

Methanol and glycol hydrate inhibitor injection rate calculations using Hammerschmidt equation.

Methanol Hydrate

Process Efficiency Fundamentals

GPSA

Thermal efficiency analysis and energy balance methods for gas processing plant performance evaluation.

Efficiency Energy

Process Optimization Fundamentals

GPSA

Simulation-based optimization, heat integration, and pinch analysis for gas processing plant improvement.

Optimization Heat Integration

NGL Recovery Optimization Fundamentals

GPSA

Ethane and propane extraction optimization including process selection and economic evaluation methods.

NGL Recovery Economics

Vapor Recovery Fundamentals

EPA NSPS

VRU sizing and NSPS OOOOa compliance for tank and process vessel vapor recovery systems.

VRU NSPS

Boil-Off Gas (BOG) Fundamentals

API 625

LNG storage boil-off gas rate calculations and ship loading BOG management including reliquefaction.

LNG Boil-Off

Glycol/Propane Combined Dew Point Fundamentals

GPSA

Combined glycol injection and low-temperature separation for simultaneous water and hydrocarbon dew point control.

Dew Point MEG Injection

Pinch Analysis Fundamentals

Heat Integration

Composite curve construction, grand composite curves, and minimum utility targeting for heat exchanger networks.

Pinch HEN

Gas Subcooled Process (GSP) Fundamentals

GPSA

GSP process design for enhanced NGL recovery using subcooled overhead reflux in demethanizer columns.

GSP Subcooling

NGL & Cryogenic Processing

NGL Fractionation

Gas Processing Quick Reference

TREATING Acid Gas Removal

Pipeline H2S spec: typically 4 ppm or 0.25 grains/100 SCF

NGL RECOVERY Cryogenic Processing

Typical ethane recovery: 85-98% with turboexpander

FRACTIONATION NGL Product Separation

HD-5 propane: min 90% propane, max 5% propylene