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1
Composition of Natural gas
Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases and impurities. No one composition
can be referred to as natural gas, each gas stream produced has its own
composition.
Main Constituents of Natural Gas
Natural gas is composed of hydrocarbons (HCs) and non-hydrocarbons
(impurities). The main constituent or component of natural gas is methane (CH4).
In addition, other gases such as ethane, propane, butane, etc. are also found in
natural gas streams.
Other constituents of Natural Gas (impurities)
Non-hydrocarbons such as H2S, CO2, H2O, CS2, mercaptans, etc. are also found in
natural gas streams.
Heating value of natural gas varies for 100 BTU/SCF to 1600 BTU/SCF. Natural
gas compositions are expressed in percentage or fractions.
Effect of Non-Hydrocarbons
Impurities have negative effect on the properties and performance of natural gas
and it also causes difficulties in handling and processing. They must be removed or
converted into less harmful compounds.
Some compounds like H2S, CO2, R-SH, H2O, etc. may cause extremely unreliable
and hazardous combustion conditions. Their removal can eliminate problems of
toxicity, corrosion and freezing in the transmission and distribution systems.
Heating value of the natural gas also reduces due to impurities.
Market value of some of these impurities may make it beneficial for the producer
to remove and market them separately by making the processing of the natural gas
more economical.
Q no.2(a)
1. Heating Value or Calorific Value of Natural Gas: Heating value is the heat
liberated when a unit of fuel is burned with oxygen un specified conditions.
Types of heating value are:
a. Net Calorific Value (NCV) b. Gross Calorific Value (GCV)
2. Flammability of Natural Gas: The ability of gas to ignite and sustain or
support the combustion when proper proportion of fuel is burned with air at
specified conditions is called the flammability of natural gas.
Limits of flammability
a. Lower Flammability Limit (LFL): It is the minimum concentration of
combustible gas. Its value is 5.
b. Higher Flammability Limit (HFL): It is the maximum concentration of
combustible gas. Its value is 15.
3. Thermal Conductivity of Natural Gas: The thermal conductivity of a
material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. Heat transfer occurs at a
lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high
thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of natural gas is generally
very low, and normally rises with temperature and pressure.
Q no.2(b)
Solution
Components Yi GCV GCV*Yi
N2 0.023 0 0
CH4 0.887 1009.7 895.6039
C2H6 0.056 1768.8 99.0528
C3H8 0.021 2517.4 52.8654
i-C4H10 0.003 3252.7 9.7581
n-C4H10 0.006 3262.1 19.5726
C5+ 0.004 4380.4 17.5216
∑. =1094.374
Q no. 3
1. Amine Process (Girbotol’s Process): The most widely used for sweetening
of natural gas are aqueous solutions of alkanolamines. They are generally used
for bulk removal of CO2 and H2S. The acid gas is fed into a scrubber to remove
entrained water and liquid hydrocarbons. The gas then enters the bottom of
absorption tower which is either a tray (for high flow rates) or packed (for
lower flow rate). The sweet gas exits at the top of tower.
2. Sulfinol Process (Shell’s Process): This process uses a solvent which is 40%
sulfolane (tetrahydrothiophene 1-1 dioxide), 40% DIPA (di-
isopropanolamine), and 20% water. Sulfinol is usually used for H 2S/ CO2
ratios greater than 1:1 or where CO2 removal is not required to the same extent
as H2S. The sour gas components are removed from the feed gas by
countercurrent contact with a lean solvent stream under pressure. The
absorbed impurities are then removed from the rich solvent by stripping with
steam in a heated regenerator column. The hot lean solvent is then cooled for
reuse.
Q no.4 (a)
Dew Point: It is temperature at which the water vapor or the hydrocarbons begin
to condense at constant pressure conditions.
Dew Point Depression: It expresses the extent to which the water vapor content in
a gas has been reduced at constant pressure.
Q no.4 (b)
Absorption: Absorption is a process which uses liquid desiccants which have high
affinity for water. The liquid desiccant reacts with water. This process requires
high pressure and low temperature.
Material used for absorption is
• Ethylene Glycol
• Di-ethylene Glycol (DEG)
• Tri-Ethylene Glycol (TEG)
Adsorption: It is the ability of material to attract and hold gas or liquids on its
surface. This is done by solid desiccants. It does not involve any chemical reaction.
Material used for adsorption is
• Activated alumina
• Silica Gel
• Molecular Sieves
Q no. 5 (1)
Natural Gas Odorization and methods to odorize the natural gas
Natural gas that is free from the compounds containing sulfur have no odor. It is
difficult to detect gas leaks or warn immediately of the presence of gas. In order to
deal with this problem, sulfur containing compounds are added to natural gas in
trace quantities. The material used for gas odorization should be non-toxic, distinct
and low cost.
Common methods used for natural gas odorization are direct injection or mass
transfer to gas stream. The amount of odorizer should be proportional to the gas
flow rate.
Q no.5 (2)
Natural Gas Pipeline Construction Activities: It involves following activities
1. Row cleaning and Preparation: Before initiation, any sedimentation,
erosion contract, construction fencing and other preparation is completed
and ROW (right of way) is graded.
2. Pipe Stringing: Pipe is padded on flatbed tracks. Before fitting pipes,
hardwood is dropped to be placed under pipes.
3. Ditching: The ditch is dug along the pipelines with machines.
4. Welding: Pipe is welded to prepare the line after ditching is completed.
5. Field joint and anti-corrosion coating and inspection is carried out.
6. Pipe lowering: Pipe is lowered and placed in the ditch
7. Backfilling, cleanup and restoration
8. Highways, road, railroad and river crossings
9. Tie ins: It is the final welding done at the junctions.
Q no.5 (3)
Natural Gas Distribution System and city gas stations to distribute natural gas
Natural gas is transported to market by long distance pipeline. The design and
construction of these pipelines is of interest as well as of compressor stations
which provide the motive power.
Following are the steps to complete a pipeline project design:
1. Market Survey 2. Pipe size and 3. Pipe specifications
working pressure
4. Map of route 5. Total cost estimate 6. Construction
survey
7. Construction 8. Testing 9. Putting in service
contract
Q no.5 (4)
Design of Amine Process Unit
1. The main equipment in amine processes is absorber (tower)
2. The main operating conditions such as circulation rate, concentration of acid
gases or acid gas loading concentration solvents, team rate for regeneration.
Design of Absorber: For 35 wt% DEA and using 0.5 mole acid gas/mole DEA,
the amine circulation rate qAM is given by
𝑞𝐴𝑀 (𝑔𝑝𝑚) = 𝐾𝑄𝑔 𝑋𝐴𝐺
𝑞𝐴𝑀 (𝑔𝑝𝑚) = 126𝑄𝑔 𝑋𝐴𝐺
where
Qg= Gas flow rate (MMSCF)
XAG= Total acid gas concentration in mole percentage in feed
Absorber Diameter: Assuming an amine drop size of 100 µm, the diameter d (in.)
of the absorber can be calculated as
𝑇𝑍𝑄𝑔 𝜌𝑔
𝑑 2 = 504 [( )𝐶𝑑 ]1/2
𝑃 𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑔
Where Cd is the drag co-efficient
Height of Absorber:
𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠 ∗ 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠
Note: Usually 20 valve trays are used with spacing 24 inch (2 ft)