Dew Point Control Plants

OVERVIEW
ENERFLEX LTD • DEW POINT CONTROL PLANTS

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CDN FABRICATION FACILITIES

Calgary – Barlow Trail Head Fabrication Facility

• 100,000 sq. ft..

production space

• 30 assembly bays
60 ft. in length

• 600,000 available
man hours per year

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OUR PRODUCTS

Compression Units:
• Gas Gathering
• Gas Transmission
• Gas Storage
• Recycle/Overhead Compression
• Acid Gas Injection
• Fuel Gas Compression
• Process Compression (VRU, Refrigeration)

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OUR PRODUCTS

Process Units:
• Inlet Separator Packages
• Amine Units
• Dehydration Units
• Dew point Control Plants
• Stabilizer Packages
• CO2 Purification and
Liquefaction Plants
• SO2 Liquefaction Plants
• Process Refrigeration

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STOCK DEW POINT CONTROL PLANT

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CDN PIPELINE SPECIFCATIONS

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EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATIONS

Dehydration Tower
• Water Dew point control only
• Low Specific Gravity Gas with no Hydrocarbon dew point issues
• Contactor with TEG Regenerator
JT Plant
• Gas-Gas Exchanger, Expansion Valves, LTS-optional Liquids Column
• Let down a Recompression, High Power consumption
• HC Liquids and water dew point control
Mechanical Refrigeration
• Gas-Gas Exchanger, Chiller Exchanger, LTS – Liquids Column
• Mechanical Refrig, Lower power consumption, typical stock plant design
• HC Liquids and water dew point control
Turbo Expander Plants
• High gas flow rate applications >300 mmsfd

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STOCK PLANT DESIGN PARAMETERS

• 15mmscfd, 0.68 sg Gas @ 0 deg F LTS Temp & 500 psig , 900 psig & 1100psig
• Mechanical design for 1415 psig @ 15 Deg F High Side, 350 psig @ Low side
• 15-20 psi pressure drop
• 95 deg Ambient with 110 deg F condensing
• Turn-up:
 Gas Side: 8mmscfd
 Liquid side 50% depending upon sizing and liquids flow

• Turn-up:
 17mmscfd < Need applications to check, Pressure drops
& Velocities could be excessive
• Plant is designed to utilize refrigeration grade propane
2 % Ethane
97 % Propane
0.5 % n-butane
0.5 % i-butane

** Note: Gas is always assumed as water saturated conditions @ inlet to Dew

point Control Facilities, unless otherwise stated by client **

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PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM
Enerflex Stock Mechanical Refrigeration Plant

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 NATURAL GAS LOOP
Gas-Gas Exchangers

• Reduction of HC Dew point by Reduction

of temperature
• Lower temperature = increased liquids recovery Gas Chiller
• Gas-Gas Exchangers provide energy recovery
• Overall pressure Drop of System 15-30 psi
• Gas-Gas Exchanger designed for 10-45 deg Approach & ρV2 > 450 Low Temp
Separator
(~15fps)
• Chiller designed for 6-10 degree approach
• LTS sized for 30 min liquids retention time (Liquid-Vapor & Liquid-Liquid
Separation)
• EFX Gas plant designed to maximize turndown by free-drainage of
equipment
• Can run @ interstage of Final discharge
• Better liquids recovery/dew point control @ interstage pressures
(typically)

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REFRIGERATION LOOP
Condenser
Chiller with
surge drum
• Propane Refrigerant
most common
• Air cooled Compressor
condenser (110
Deg Condensing)
Subcooler
• -20 deg F bath
temperature (Max) with Accumulator
Flash (JT) Valve
reciprocating compressor
(-9 Ratios)
• Colder temperatures possible screw / with two stage units
• -40 deg F bath temperatures with screw compressors (15 + Ratios)
• Lower temperatures possible with alternate refrigerant / materials of
construction

** Note: Optimized Gas-Gas & Chiller design will reduce refrigeration HP

requirements providing better overall efficiency.
More power does not necessarily mean a better package **

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HYDRATES

A gas hydrate is a physical combination of water

and hydrocarbon to produce a solid, crystalline
structure (“ice-like” appearance).

Their formation in gas and/or NGL systems can

plug pipelines, equipment, and instruments,
restricting or interrupting flow.

Primary conditions which

affect Hydrate Formation:
• Gas or liquid must be at or below its
water dew point or saturation
condition (NOTE: Free liquid water
does not have to be present for
hydrates to form)
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Composition
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ETHYLENE GLYCOL LOOP

Primary Function: EG Flash

• Hydrates Suppression Vessel
through Water Removal
Filters
• EG Sprayed through Still Column
distribution
nozzles on Tubesheets of
exchangers
• Typical Composition Regenerator
80 / 20 % by W1EG/H2O
• Dual Filters for
Particulate/Hydrocarbon
removal Surge c/w
• Flash vessel for Lean/Rich coil
venting/skimming Hydrocarbons
• EG pump for De-Ethenizer
Reboiler application EG Piston Pumps
(forced fluid heat transfer) 20 – 1200 psig lift

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LIQUIDS PROCESSING
LTS

De-ethanizer Specification: Air cooler

• % SPLIT = (Mol fraction bundle common
C2/ Mol fraction C3) *100 Subcooler with Condenser
bay
• Standard is a 2%
Reboiler
Stabilizer Specification:
• Based on TVP or RVP
• Standard is 12 psia TVP @ 60 Deg F
• Atmospheric storage Tanks
• Higher Temperature and Heat duty De-Ethanizer
• Generally larger columns
• Often included for handling inlet separator liquids

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LIQUIDS PROCESSING

Liquids Processing:
• EFX standard design has
separate reboiler
• Subcooler is included on
15mmscfd plant and smaller
• Gas-liquids exchanger on larger facilities

** Note Reboiler Temperatures dependent

upon maximum Temperature available from
heating source:
EG - 220F
TEG - 300 F
Hot Oil - 400F (usually only for Stabilizers or De-Butanizers)

Optional Configurations:
• Separate direct Fired Heater (TEG or Hot Oil) for increased duties and
temperatures
• Kettle Style Reboilers, Larger Liquid Inventory

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LIQUIDS PROCESSING

Column Design
• Column Internals (random packing typical)
• Liquid Feed midway up column with increase in Diameter
• 250 psig Operating pressure
• Lower pressures = Higher overhead rates with increased
compression HP
• Turndown a key consideration.
An oversized column is
not necessarily the best design!
• EFX STD column designed
12” bottoms and Flexible top diameters
• Top of column designed once process
conditions are known.
Can impact immediate delivery.

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GAS PLANT QUESTIONS TO CLIENTS

• Location (elevation and ambient)?

• Operating pressure?
• Gas Composition (gas analysis)?
• Dew point Spec?
 Based on Temperature
 Cricondentherm
 LHV
 LTS Temperature
 C5 Content
• Liquids Specification?
 Reid Vapor Pressure, True Vapor Pressure
 C2/C3 Split
 Additional inlet Liquids from Separators
• De-Ethanizer or Stabilizer?
• OH Gas to recycle? Or Sales OH Compressor?
• Operator experience / familiarity with plant?

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PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

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PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM • 20mmscfd Plant

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 20 MMSCFD GAS PLANT • 35F LTS
Gas Chiller

De-eth column

Screw Compressor

Gas-Gas Exchanger
Glycol Regen

LTS

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REFRIGERATION COMPONENTS

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GAS CHILLER / REFRIG EVAPORATOR

• A heat exchanger in which the liquid refrigerant is vaporized by a

process stream which is in turn cooled.
• Tube side of the exchanger contains the process gas and the liquid
refrigerant is evaporating at a constant temperature and pressure on the
shell side.
• There are two general types of chiller:
 BKM (Kettle type exchanger)
 BEM (with horizontal surge drum)

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SEPARATOR

• A vessel used to separate a mixed-phase stream into gas and liquid

phases that are “relatively” free of each other
• Typically provided when the compressor is located remote from the
chiller.

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COMPRESSOR

• The function of the compressor is to maintain a certain pressure in the

chiller corresponding to the desired temperature.
 Typical Pressure ranges for Reciprocating refrig
compressors is ~9 ratios in a single stage
 Typical Pressure ranges for Screw compressors
~15 to 20 ratios
 Piston machine to 25mmsfd
 Over and above 25mmscfd will be a screw compressor

** Above statements based

on assumptions relevant
to entire plant **

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CONDENSER

• A heat exchanger in which the refrigerant, compressed to a suitable

pressure, is condensed by rejection of heat to a cooling medium.
• There are three general types of condensers:
 Air-Cooled
 Water-Cooled
 Evaporative

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AIR COOLED CONDENSERS

• Air-Cooled condensers use air to remove heat from the refrigerant vapor
• The refrigerant vapor flows through finned tubes while the cooling air is
circulated around the outside of the tubes
• The air is circulated by fans or blowers
• 8.3C-11.1C (15F-20F) approach temperature

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ACCUMULATOR (RECEIVER)

• A storage vessel for liquid refrigerant and provides and to provide a

liquid seal in the system
• It also acts as a surge drum to ensure a steady liquid refrigerant supply
to the chiller
• Refrigerant accumulator sized to
hold a full system charge @ 80% of full
• Also known as a Refrigerant Receiver
• Can be used to save Refrigerant
charge during shutdown periods

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EXPANSION VALVE

• Pressure and temperature is reduced due to flashing a portion of the

liquid refrigerant in vapor
• This action takes place at constant enthalpy
• The expansion valve controls the
flow of refrigerant to a chiller
(maintains the refrigerant liquid
level in the chiller).

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BACK PRESURE CONTROL VALVE

• Installed on refrigeration
systems to maintain a Top Center Adjusting
High Pressure Relief
Screw
constant discharge (Discharge/Differential
(Approximately 200
Psig)
pressure in winter Pressure Control)
months when the
condensing temperatures
and pressures are
extremely low

• It also maintains a differential

pressure across the
compressor in order to Bottom Center
Adjusting Screw
assure proper operation
1 (Manual/Automatic
Mode)

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HOT GAS BYPASS VALVE

• Installed on refrigeration systems

to allow warm discharge gas to
recycle back to the chiller

• The Hot Gas Bypass is utilized

for start-up and low load
condition operation

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WINTER BYPASS CONTROL

• Installed on refrigeration systems

to maintain pressure in the
refrigerant accumulator in
winter months when the
condensing temperatures
and pressures are extremely low

• It maintains enough pressure

to drive the liquid propane
from the accumulator to the chiller

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FILTER DRIERS

• Filters contaminates out of the

refrigerant system and removes
any residual moisture which may
have been introduced during the
installation and / or charging process

• For stock plants

(1) filter canister is included
with isolation for change out

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SIMPLE REFRIGERATION CYCLE
Refrigerant
2
Condenser
3

Refrigerant
Compressor 4

1
Refrigerant
Evaporator

5 4 Refrigerant
Storage Tank

Refrigeration Effect = h1-h5

= 195-95 = 100 BTU/lb

Compressor Flow per Ton

= 12000 BTU/hr/TR
100 BTU/lb
= 120 lb/hr/TR

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SUB-COOLED REFRIGERATION CYCLE

Refrigeration Effect = h1-h5

= 195-60 = 135BTU/lb

Compressor Flow per Ton

= 12000 BTU/hr/TR
135 BTU/lb
= 88.9 lb/hr/TR

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ECONOMIZED
Economized
Refrig Cycle

Refrigeration Effect = h1-h10

= 195-85 = 110 BTU/lb

Compressor Flow per Ton

= 12000 BTU/hr/TR
110 BTU/lb
= 109 lb/hr/TR

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12-15 MMSCFD STOCK PLANT PHOTOS

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COMPRESSOR & DRIVER

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LOW TEMPERATURE SEPARATOR

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DE-ETHANIZER

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EG INJECTION PUMPS

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EG REGENERATION SYSTEM

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LAYOUT

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Questions?