11/7/24, 7:45 PM CS: Condensate Stabilization

Condensate Stabilization
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Condensate Stabilization
REFERENCES

Stabilizer

Stabilizer Condensate Flow

Stabilizer Condenser

Stabilizer Feed Drum

Stabilizer Light Ends Flow

Stabilizer Reboiler

Introduction
The term "hydrocarbon condensate" refers to the hydrocarbon components of natural gas that are liquids at
typical atmospheric temperatures and pressures. These components are pentane and larger molecules (hexane,
heptane, octane, nonane, decane and traces of heavier components). Since the chemical formula for pentane is
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C5H12, a shorthand term for hydrocarbon condensate is C5+, meaning "pentanes and above". Hydrocarbon
condensate resembles a lighter more volatile version of gasoline (without the reddish dye that is added to
commercial gasoline).

In different industries the term "condensate" can refer to either hydrocarbon condensate, as described above, or
steam condensate. The latter is the water that is formed when steam condenses. Normally, the term "condensate"
is applied to both fluids, without specifying whether it is hydrocarbon or steam, since the context of the
discussion will make this clear.

When raw natural gas from the field enters a gas processing plant, the first process occurs in the inlet separation
system. An initial separation is made between gases, hydrocarbon liquids, and water. The hydrocarbon liquids
are the condensate. The separated water is often referred to as "produced water" since it comes from reservoir
production. The condensate is removed from the gas for three basic reasons. Firstly, the presence of hydrocarbon
liquids in sales gas would create several transmission and end use problems. For example: (a) most furnace
burners and industrial engines are not designed to handle both gases and liquids (b) most flow meters are not
designed to measure the flow rates of both liquids and gases, and (c) the presence of liquid hydrocarbon in a gas
line increases the potential for hydrates to occur. Secondly, condensate is a valuable commodity in its own right,
being used to enhance gasoline production in refinery processes, and as a liquid diluent for assisting the
transmission of heavy oil through pipelines. Thirdly, since liquid hydrocarbons can cause foaming to occur in
amine gas sweetening processes, the condensate must be removed from the main gas flow before the gas stream
reaches that process.

The initial separation of condensate and liquid water from the inlet gas does not completely isolate these
components. After inlet separation some gases remain dissolved in both the hydrocarbon liquid and the water. In
addition to the actual liquid components of the condensate - that is components that are liquid at atmospheric
temperature and pressure, such as water, pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons - the condensate and water leaving
the inlet separator contain the following dissolved gases: methane, ethane, propane, butane, hydrogen sulphide
and carbon dioxide.

The solubility of gas in a liquid is similar to other types of phase solubility, such as solids dissolved in liquids or
liquids dissolved in gases, in that the amount of gas that can be held in the liquid depends on the temperature and
pressure of the mixture. In the specific case of gas dissolved in liquid, higher mixture pressures and lower
temperatures will enable more gas to be dissolved. In a very basic sense, pressure forces the gas into the liquid.
As temperature increases and/or pressure decreases, the amount of gas that the liquid can absorb decreases, and
the undissolved gases will bubble, or "flash", out of the solution. A familiar situation corresponding to the
presence of dissolved gases in hydrocarbon liquid, is the use of carbon dioxide in soft drink beverages. Carbon
dioxide is added to the liquid, which is a solution of water, sugar and flavoring. In order to dissolve a sufficient
amount of carbon dioxide in the solution, the production process occurs at pressures above 700 kPa. When the
bottle is opened this pressure is released and a portion of the carbon dioxide spontaneously bubbles out of the
solution. Agitation of the solution (i.e. shaking the container) will accelerate this effect by helping to break down
the surface tension of the liquid, since this tension partially restrains the gas from leaving the liquid.

When raw gas from the field arrives at the plant inlet its pressure and temperature determine the amount of gases
that are dissolved in the liquid condensate. One way of expressing this, is that the gas and liquid mixture is in
equilibrium. As long as the condensate remains at, or above, that pressure, and below that temperature, the gas
components will stay dissolved. However, if the mixture pressure is reduced or the temperature is increased, the
gases will become less soluble and partially flash out of the condensate until a new equilibrium condition is
established.

Since processed hydrocarbon condensate and produced water are normally stored and often transported at, or
near, atmospheric pressure, we need to ensure that the gases that remained dissolved in the condensate after inlet
separation (which occurs at high pressure) get removed under controlled conditions prior to being stored at the
lower, atmospheric pressure. Not only does this recover valuable hydrocarbons (as well as sulphur, if the inlet
stream contains hydrogen sulphide and the plant has a sulphur recovery unit), but it also prevents the release of

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these gases to atmosphere through tank vents. Furthermore, these dissolved gases must be sufficiently removed
before condensate can be transported by railcars or trucks. If this is not done, the agitation created during
transport can result in a pressurized release of explosive, flammable and, in the case of hydrogen sulphide, toxic
gases on highways or in populated areas.

The process of removing dissolved gases from hydrocarbon liquids is called Condensate Stabilization. It
involves reducing the pressure of the solution, and increasing its temperature, to release the dissolved gases
under controlled conditions. The actual processes that are used to do this also cause the solution to be agitated,
which further assists the removal of the dissolved gases.

In practice, there are two general types of condensate stabilization processes. The simplest of these can be
referred to as "flash", or "multi-stage", stabilization, in which the pressure of the hydrocarbon solution is reduced
in stages using a series of separators and level control valves. In-between the separators the solution is usually
(but not always) heated. The second type of stabilization process is referred to by several names such as
"fractional stabilization", "thermal stabilization", or "distillation stablization". In this process, the solution is
depressured and processed through a distillation tower and reboiler system, where the temperature is sufficient to
ensure that all the dissolved gases are released.

Hydrocarbon Condensate Specifications

The two main specifications for stabilized condensate are its Reid Vapour Pressure (RVP) value and its API
Gravity.

Reid Vapour Pressure (RVP)

The RVP is the pressure produced by dissolved gases that are flashing out of solution at a temperature of 380C
(i.e. 1000F). The higher the RVP the greater the amount of residual gases in the condensate, therefore the RVP
value indicates how well the condensate has been stabilized, and whether it is in suitable condition for transport
and storage.

RVP values for stabilized condensate, that will be stored or transported at atmospheric pressure, generally range
from 50 kPa absolute to 100 kPa absolute, depending on the stabilization process and the specification required
by the receiving company. Since typical, non sea-level atmospheric pressures (that is, unadjusted barometric
pressures) are around 89.0+ kPa absolute, this means that condensate having an RVP between 50 kPa absolute
and 100 kPa absolute, being transported or stored at 380C or less, should not generate sufficient vapors to cause
venting.

API Gravity

The American Petroleum Institute Gravity (API Gravity) value for a liquid is a way of expressing its density.
This scale is an alternative (but industry standard) way of expressing the density of a liquid, rather than using
common density units of measurement, such as kg/m3, or lbs/ft3, relative density or specific gravity. The
relationship between specific gravity (S.G.), and degrees API Gravity, is 0API = (141.5/S.G.)-131.5.

As can be seen from this equation, as specfic gravity increases for a liquid, its 0API value decreases. Therefore,
less dense (or as commonly referred to "lighter") condensates will have higher 0API values than "heavier"
condensates. That is, the higher the API Gravity, the less dense, or lighter, the condensate. For example,
condensate with a density of 550 kg/m3 has a relative density and specific gravity of 0.55 and a corresponding
value of 125.80API, whereas condensate having a density of 600 kg/m3 has a relative density and specific
gravity of 0.6 and a corresponding value of 104 0API. Depending on its composition, i.e. relative amounts of C5,

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C6, C7, C8, and heavier components, API gravity values for condensate will range between 500API and
1200API.

Flash Stabilization
Figure 1 shows the arrangement of vessels in a typical flash stabilization system.

Figure 1 Flash Stabilization

The system in figure 1 shows a three drum process, however in practice this can vary from two to four or more
drums, depending on the inlet gas pressure and composition. In each case the condensate is heated in a
temperature controlled heat exchanger and its pressure is reduced as it passes through the level control valve of
the upstream flash drum. Operating pressures and temperatures will also vary depending on flow rates and initial
composition (i.e. the amount of dissolved gases initially in the condensate). In a three drum system some
example pressures would be 2000 kPa for the high pressure drum, 500 kPa for the medium pressure drum and
atmospheric pressure for the low pressure drum. In some systems the low pressure drum is operated at below
atmospheric pressure, in which case a vacuum pump must be used on the overhead gas line, and a pump used to
transfer the bottom, stabilized liquid to storage. The flash gases from the drums can be routed to various
processes or equipment depending on the amount of gas, its composition, and the size of the overall plant. In
large scale systems this gas may be sent to low pressure amine sweetening (if it contains hydrogen sulphide) and
then used as plant fuel gas. In small systems the flash gases may be sent to a recycle compressor and join up with
the gas leaving the overhead of the inlet separator. These compressors are sometimes referred to as VRU's
(vapour recovery units) or VCU's (vapour compression units).

The heat exchangers are typically either of the double tube or shell and tube design. The heat supply to the
exchangers is usually either hot oil, hot liquid glycol, or steam.

Flash type stabilization systems are common in oil batteries, where they are used to stabilize crude oil. In this
case, the heat exchangers may or may not be present. They can also be used in both sweet and sour gas plants,
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typically if the raw gas does not contain a lot of hydrocarbon liquid. In sour service this type of system will
reduce the concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the condensate, however it may not lower it to the point that it
meets sales standards for sweet condensate.

Fractional Stabilization
In fractional stabilization the condensate is processed through a distillation tower system. The pressure of the
condensate is reduced prior to entering the tower, and the tower reboiler supplies sufficient heat to vaporize
pentane (C5), which is more than enough to ensure that the dissolved gases (methane, ethane, propane, butane,
hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide) are removed from the condensate. The vaporized pentane leaving the
tower is condensed and used as reflux. Figure 2 shows the basic layout of the system.

Figure 2 Fractional Stabilization System

The feed drum is a three-phase (gas, hydrocarbon and water) horizontal vessel. The retention time in this vessel
allows the water to separate from the hydrocarbon and drop into the water boot where it is level controlled to the
dump liquid hold tank. The size of the feed drum also provides surge capacity for periods of high and low
condensate production, which, in turn promotes good temperature control. Since some gases will flash off in the
feed drum, it also serves to reduce the overall size required for the stabilizer tower. Overhead gas from the feed
drum goes to recompression and further processing. The hydrocarbon is level controlled from the feed drum to
the stabilizer tower.

The actual stabilization of the condensate occurs in the tower. The liquid condensate (pentanes and heavier
hydrocarbons) is stabilized by driving off hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide gases plus the lighter
hydrocarbons (mostly butane and propane along with ethane and methane). The inlet stream enters part way up
the tower and descends, meeting the hot, lighter vapors that are rising. This causes hydrogen sulfide and lighter
hydrocarbons to be flashed off and rise as well. The heavier hydrocarbons continue falling to the bottom of the
tower where they enter the stabilizer reboiler. Heat is supplied to the reboiler from the hot oil system and
controlled by the temperature indicator controller (TIC) to keep the liquid below the level of dissovled gas
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content allowable for transport or pipeline sales. The measurement used to determine the amount of residual gas
in the condensate is called "Reid Vapor Pressure" (see above).

Stabilized condensate leaves the bottom of the tower and gives up heat to the incoming condensate solution in
the bottoms/feed exchanger. From there the stabilized condensate flows under level control to storage. If
sufficient cooling of the stabilized product does not occur in this exchanger then an additional air cooled
condensate cooler can be used.

Vapors from the top of the Stabilizer Tower go to the Overhead Condenser where any of the heavier ends
(mainly pentane) are condensed, and then to the Stabilizer Reflux Accumulator where the condensed liquids
drop out. These liquids are sent back to the top tray in the tower by the reflux pump using either flow control or
level control, to keep the top part of the tower cold enough that C5+'s are kept in the tower. The noncondensible
vapors and gases (methane, ethane, propane, butane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide) in the reflux
accumulator are pressure controlled off to recompression and further processing. Figure 3 shows a photograph of
a typical thermal stabilization system.

Figure 3 Fractional Stabilization Equipment

Equipment and System Variations

There are several common variations in the type and arrangement of fractionation type stabilization systems.

Reflux Systems

A common departure from the system described above is one which uses a "self-refluxing" arrangement. In this
arrangement, the overhead gases from the tower go to recompression without going through an overhead
condenser, and therefore cannot provide cold reflux liquid to the tower. Instead, the incoming liquid from the
Stabilizer Feed Drum is routed to the top of the tower so that it provides reflux cooling as well as being the
tower feedstock. These systems are also referred to as "Cold Feed" Stabilizers. This arrangment eliminates the
need for an overhead condenser, reflux drum and reflux pump, as well as the power requirements for the
condenser fan motors and reflux pump motor; however it is less effective at removing the heavier components
from the overhead gas stream than a standard refluxing system. Figure 4 shows a self-refluxing tower system.
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Figure 4 Self-Refluxed Stabilization System

Reboiler Systems

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The stabilizer reboiler supplies the heat to the tower to stabilize the condensate. Different equipment
arrangments are used for the reboiler and tower, based on the size of the system and the heat medium that is
used. For example, in the system shown in figure 2 the stabilized liquid outlet flows from the bottom of the
stabilizer tower, through the feed exchanger and out to storage. In that system the (overhead) outlet of the
stabilizer reboiler is a wet vapour (or vapour/liquid) solution that separates into phases when it returns to the
lower section of the tower. In the self-refluxing system shown in figure 4, the stabilized liquid flows from the
downstream side of a weir plate on the shell side of the reboiler, to the feed exchanger. The overhead stream
flowing from the reboiler to the tower is a wet vapour.

Further variations in reboiler systems are:

The condensate in the tower can be heated either directly, by circulating through a fired heater, or
indirectly, by using an intermediate heat medium. When the condensate is heated in a directly fired heater,
the heater design typically has the condensate flowing through a tube, or tubes, surrounded by the
combustion gases. For indirectly heated reboilers, some common heat mediums used are hot oil, glycol
and steam. Typically, steam will only be used if the plant has a sulphur recovery process that generates
steam. The system shown in the photograph in figure 3 uses a fired reboiler, whereas the photograph in
figure 4 shows a reboiler supplied by hot oil.
If a heat medium is used, the reboiler may be located external to the tower (as shown in Figures 2 and 4),
or located inside the tower. Internal heaters can be either a simple coil or a finned unit. Figure 5 shows a
simplified drawing of this arrangement.

Figure 5 Internal Reboiler Coil

Reboilers can use a variety of heat sources, including (i) steam, (ii) hot oil, (iii) hot glycol, (iv) hot gas
from a directly fired furnace. The choice of which to use depends on the temperature requirements for the
stabilization process (which in turn is affected by the composition of the condensate), and the availability
of heating fluids (which is affected by the heat supply strategy and design of the overall facility). Even if
steam is available as a heat medium for the stabilizer reboiler, a hot oil system may still be used because
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the bottom temperature required in some stabilizers is higher than the typical operating temperature of
non-superheated utility steam systems. Note that the process furnaces and circulation equipment (pumps
and valves) associated with hot oil systems have their own operational requirements. If you would like
more information on the design and operation of hot oil systems please refer to the eLearning unit entitled
"Hot Oil Systems".

De-Watering Lines

It is common for fractionation stabilization systems to be equipped with de-watering lines. Although the
Stabilizer Tower is typically preceeded in the process stream by an Inlet Separator and a Stabilizer Feed Drum, it
is still possible for small amounts of water to reach the tower because these vessels do completely separate water
and condensate. De-watering lines are typically connected to a fractionation stabilization system either at the
bottom of the Reflux Drum (in the case of a refluxed tower), or a few trays below the top of the tower itself (in
both refluxed and non-refluxed towers). Figure 2 (above) shows a de-watering line on a Reflux Drum, and in
Figure 4 a de-watering line can be seen leaving the side of the Stabilizer Tower. These lines may either remove
the water under level control, or be equipped with skimmer connections that are manually opened and closed.

Stabilizer Bottoms/Feed Exchanger - Temperature Control

The Stabilizer Bottoms/Feed Exchanger, also referred to as a Stabilizer Inlet Feed Exchanger, is designed to
preheat incoming condensate (on its way to the tower), and cool the stabilized condensate leaving the tower on
its way to storage and shipping. This heat exchange increases the overall thermal efficiency of the system and
reduces the required size and capacity of the tower reboiler. Figure 2 and Figure 4 above show simplified
versions of these flows entering and leaving the exchanger. The Bottoms Feed Exchanger is usually located
between the Stabilizer Feed Drum and the Stabilizer Tower (i.e. the condensate flows from the Feed Drum,
through the exchanger, and then to the tower), but there are also systems in which the exchanger preceedes the
Feed Drum.

In practice, the feed exchanger is equipped with a control system to keep the temperature of the fluid going to
the tower as steady as possible. This reduces the response demands on the tower bottom temperature control
system. Maintaining the correct temperature at the bottom of the tower (by controlling the flow of hot oil to the
tower reboilers) is essential for meeting the required storage and transport specifications of the stabilized
condensate product, such as its Reid Vapour Pressure (see above).

Figure 6 shows a typical arrangement of vessels, lines and controls for this section of the stabilization process.
The inlet stream, coming from the inlet separation system, enters the bottom of the tube side of a U-Tube feed
exchanger. Hot, stabilized condensate, from the bottom of the tower, or in this case from the bottom of the tower
reboiler, enters the shell side of the feed exchanger. Inside the exchanger, the incoming raw condensate is heated
by the outgoing stabilized condensate, thus (i) reducing the amount of heat that must be provided by the hot oil
supply to the reboilers, and (ii) cooling the stabilized product so that it is at a suitable temperature for storage
and shipping.

Figure 6

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In this system, several control loops work together to maintain the required process temperatures. Heat is
supplied to the Stabilization System externally from a Hot Oil system, in which fuel gas is burned in a furnace to
heat oil that is circulated throughout the plant by hot oil pumps. Alternative sources of heat can also be used (see
above under "Reboiler Systems"). As shown in figure 6, the amount of hot oil supplied to the Stabilizer Reboiler
is determined by the temperature of the overhead vapours leaving the reboiler to return to the tower. Hot,
stabilized condensate from the bottom of the reboiler then flows to storage via the Bottoms/Inlet Feed
Exchanger. The stabilized condensate approaching the exchanger can flow either through the exchanger, or
bypass it by flowing through a 3-way control valve. The amount of stabilized condensage going through the
exchanger is determined by the temperature of the raw condensate flowing through the tube side of the
exchanger to the Stabilizier Feed Drum. From the outlet of the Bottoms/Inlet Feed Exchanger the stabilized
condensate combines with the stabilized condensate bypassing the exchanger, and flows to the Condensate
Cooler. In figure 6, this is a fin-fan cooler equipped with a manually controlled regulator (i.e. Hand Control HC)
on the cooler louvres. The unit operator can make manual adjustments to the louvre setting in order to cool the
condensate sufficiently for storage.

Operation
The routine operation of a stabilization system includes taking daily readings and maintaining the required
operating conditions of pressure and temperature. These pressures and temperatures vary from one plant to
another depending on the required RVP specifications for the stabilized product, and the composition of the
incoming condensate, that is, the type and amounts of gases that are dissolved in the condensate, as well as the
types and amounts of the liquid components that make up the condensate, for example the percentages of
pentane, hexane and octane in the condensate mixture. Note that the overall composition of the incoming,
unstabilized condensate, can change depending on which formations or wells are delivering raw gas and liquids
to the plant. The composition of the product, i.e. stabilized condensate, is measured by laboratory tests such as
the Reid Vapor pressure, and/or chromatograph analyses that determine the amount and types of butane or lighter
components in the sales product.

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Stabilization systems, on their own, typically operate with a minimum of problems. However, the key to
stabilization operation is often in the effectiveness of the inlet separation system. If inlet separators and slug
catchers are operated correctly, then the flow of condensate going to the stabilization system is steady and
contains only small amounts of water. If the inlet separation system malfunctions, and flow rates to the stabilizer
become unsteady, or excessive water starts to carry over to the stabilizer, then operation of the stabilizer system
becomes more difficult. One reason these conditions can occur is that the water and condensate level control
columns on the inlet separators become plugged. For example, if the water leg level controller on an inlet
separator is plugged, so that the float sensor sticks, then the level control system will not be able to sense an
increasing level of water in the vessel. Eventually, this water level may rise to the point where it spills over into
the condensate outlet line going to the stabilizer. Good operation of the stabilizer system begins with routine care
of the inlet separation system.

When too much water enters a stabilizer tower a condition called "water binding" can occur. De-watering lines
are typically sized for normal operation, and if the flow of water entering the tower exceeds the rate that it can be
removed the overflow from the de-watering tray will continue down the tower where it will boil into steam.
Then, as it rises to the top of the tower the reflux system will condense it and return it to the tower. This cycle
repeats itself, essentially blocking up the tower with water so than the flow of hydrocarbon to the tower is
restricted. The remedy for this situation is to clear some of the water from the tower by stopping the inlet flow
from the feed drum for a short period of time, and removing water from the tower. The water can be removed by
temporarily opening a bypass line around the de-watering line level control valve. Following this step, the inlet
condensate feed from the feed drum can be gradually re-established. It is also important, however, to determine
the reason why the change in water flow to the stabilizer occurred. The following operational conditions can
result in a larger than normal amount of water making its way to the tower:

an abnormally high volume of water enters the plant inlet, reducing the available settling and separation
time in the inlet separator
closely related to the previous point, intermittent high volumes of water enter the inlet - a condition
referred to as "slugging". This is often associated with pigging operations and introduces instability in the
level and, in particular, the temperature control systems in the stabilizer, since temperature control has an
inherent thermal lag
the raw gas entering the plant inlet separation system contains a water-condensate emulsion that does not
effectively separate in the inlet separator
the water level control system on the inlet separator or on the stabilizer feed drum does not function
correctly (possible causes: (i) the float column may be plugged with sediment, (ii) an emulsion may be
affecting the level sensing, (iii) the level controller set point has been changed)
the water outlet of the inlet separator or the stabilizer feed drum may be restricted, so that water is carrying
over into the condensate space (possible causes: (i) the outlet line is plugged with sediment, scale, or
garbage, such as pieces of rubber pigs, (ii) an in-line strainer may be plugged, (iii) if the water is removed
by pump, the pump strainer may be plugged or the pump may be wearing out).

Visual Checks
Besides the daily process readings there are visual checks that can be done on the stabilizer system:

check all system pumps for seal leakage and vibration

check all fin-fan coolers or condensers for belt noise, vibration, and in cold weather for frost build up on
screens
if the system contains a fin-fan type reflux condenser watch the pressure differential across the condensers
for evidence of hydrate formation
verify liquid levels in the Stabilizer Feed Drum, Tower/Reboiler and Reflux Accumulator gage glasses
with those showing on control room displays

Hazards
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1. In plants processing sour inlet gas, the condensate leaving the inlet separation system contains sufficient
hydrogen sulphide to be fatal. Any work on these vessels or lines must be done using breathing apparatus
and following all the safe work procedures associated with working in toxic environments.
2. Even though the stabilized condensate produced by a fractionation system has had its hydrogen sulphide
removed, it should be initially considered as being hydrogen sulphide toxic until testing proves otherwise,
since system malfunctions or tube leaks in the Bottoms/Feed Exchanger can result in hydrogen sulphide
contamination of the stabilized condensate.
3. Flash stabilization systems processing sour condensate can produce stabilized condensate that is "sweet"
by sales standards, but contains enough residual hydrogen sulphide to be fatal.
4. Sweet, stabilized condensate is flammable, explosive, toxic, and contains carcinogenic aromatics such as
benzene. Doing work around exposed stabilized condensate requires supplied breathing air.
5. Stabilization systems that contain their own fired heaters to provide heat to the Stabilizer Tower, require
all of the routine and non-routine checks associated with proper furnace operation.
6. Subsequent to proper vessel shutdown, purging and isolation, all stabilization system vessels should be
checked for the presence of NORMS before any personnel enter those vessels.
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