Page : 1 of 124

KLM Technology
Rev: 01
Group
Practical Engineering Rev 01 July 2015
Guidelines for Processing Solution, Standards, and Software Rev 02 Sept 2017
Plant Solutions

www.klmtechgroup.com
KLM Technology Group Co Author
#03-12 Block Aronia,
Jalan Sri Perkasa 2 Kolmetz Handbook Rev 01 Aprilia Jaya
Taman Tampoi Utama Rev 02 Aprila Jaya
81200 Johor Bahru of Process Equipment Design
Malaysia
Natural Gas Liquid Units (NGL) Editor / Author

(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINE) Karl Kolmetz

KLM Technology Group has developed; 1) Process Engineering Equipment

Design Guidelines, 2) Equipment Design Software, 3) Project Engineering
Standards and Specifications, 4) Petrochemcial Manufacturing Reports and
5) Unit Operations Manuals. Each has many hours of engineering
development.

KLM is providing the introduction to this guideline for free on the internet.
Please go to our website to order the complete document.

www.klmtechgroup.com

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

Scope 5

General Design Consideration 6

DEFINITIONS 27

NOMENCLATURE 29
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 2 of 124
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THEORY OF THE DESIGN

Gas Treatment 31

i. Gas Sweetening (Acid Gas Removal) 31

ii. Dehydration System 38

NGL Recovery 44

i. Refrigeration 47
ii. Joule-Thompson (JT) Valve Expansion 49
iii. Oil Absorption 52
iv. Solid Bed Adsorption 54
v. JT Turbine Expansion 56
vi. Membrane Separation Process 69

Selection of NGL Recovery Processes 70

Equipment Selection 72

Refrigeration system 76

Fractionation 88

Fractionators Design 97

NGL Fractionation Controls and Automation 108

NGL Quantities Calculation 109

APPLICATION 65

REFERENCES 72

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 3 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

LIST OF TABLE

Table 1. The composition of the raw natural gas 11

Table 2: NGLs Component Characteristics 14
Table 3: NGL Composition – A Snapshot 15
Table 4: the values of NGL components 45
Table 5: Measurement objective in NGL fractionation 91
Table 6: Typical Process Conditions 92
Table 7: Typical Fractionators Parameters/Number of Trays 102
Table 8: Typical Fractionator Conditions 105
Table 9: Value of Sizing Constant vs Tray Spacing 106

LIST OF FIGURE

Figure 1: Natural gas development timeline 7

Figure 2: Thermal transformation of kerogen 9
Figure 3: Classification of Hydrocarbons Found in Wellhead 11
Figure 4: Difference between NGL and LPG 14
Figure 5: the NGL supply chain 17
Figure 6: cycles of NGL production effect to prices 18
Figure 7: Schematic steps for natural gas processing 21
Figure 8: Natural Gas Processing System 22
Figure 9: Typical contact tower for batch processes. 32
Figure 10: Continuous process 34
Figure 11: Typical gas sweetening by physical absorption 35
Figure 12 : Acid gas removal by Direct conversion (a). Sour gas treatment
and (b). Acid gas treatment/sulfur production 36
Figure 13: Membrane system 38

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 4 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 14: A typical glycol absorption process 41

Figure 15: Solid desiccant 43
Figure 16: Typical JT unit for water and NGL removal 44
Figure 17: Typical phase diagram of a dry natural gas 46
Figure 18 : Refrigerant 49
Figure 19: Joule-Thompson (JT) Valve Expansion 51
Figure 20: Flow Diagram of a Refrigerated Lean Oil Absorption Process 54
Figure 21: Schematic of a solid bed adsorption plant 56
Figure 22: JT Turbine Expansion 58
Figure 23: A simplified turbo-expander NGL Process 59
Figure 24: Residue Recycle (RR) Process 61
Figure 25: The sub-cooled process (GSP) scheme. 62
Figure 26: The cold residue gas-recycle (CRR) process scheme 65
Figure 27: Recycle split-vapor (RSV) process flow 67
Figure 28: Side Draw Reflux (SDR) Process 68
Figure 29: Schematic flowchart of the membrane separation process 70
Figure 30: A typical three stream counterflow exchanger 75
Figure 31: Process Flow Diagram and Pressure-Enthalpy Diagram of Refrigeration
System 78
Figure 32: NGL Fractionation Conventional Process 92
Figure 33: Recycle coupled deethanizer and depropanizer 93
Figure 34: Recycle coupled deethanizer side stripper 94
Figure 35: Thermo-mechanically integrated deethanizer 96
Figure 36: Depropanizer Side Stripper 97
Figure 37: Schematic view of a fractionating column 100
Figure 38: Relationship between Reflux Ratio and Number of Stages 103

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 5 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

KLM Technology Group is providing the introduction to this guideline for free on
the internet. Please go to our website to order the complete document.

www.klmtechgroup.com

INTRODUCTION

Scope

This design guideline covers the basic elements in the field of Natural Gas Liquids Units
in sufficient detail to allow an engineer to design a NGL unit with the suitable size of
diameter, reflux rate, actual stages, exergy efficiency, liquefied temperature, minimum
work and heat during liquefaction. This design guideline includes design of the
fractionator of NGL unit.

NGL units play an increasing role in the development of giant gas fields, as most
countries, especially net oil importers, are interested in developing their gas reserves,
however stranded, for greater energy independence and extending domestic oil
reserves where applicable, as well as for environmental reasons.

The design of NGL unit may be influenced by factors, including process requirements,
economics and safety. In the theory section, there are figures that assist in making
these factored calculations from the vary reference sources. Include in this guideline is
a calculation spreadsheet for the engineering design. All the important parameters use
in the guideline are explained in the definition section which help the reader more
understand the meaning of the parameters or the term used.

In the application section of this guideline, three case studies are shown and discussed
in detail, highlighting the way to apply the theory for the calculation. The theory section
explained about fractionator sizing, and feed gas processing.

Example Calculation Spreadsheets are part of this guideline. This Example Calculation
Spreadsheets are based on case studies in the application section to make them easier
to understand.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 6 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

INTRODUCTION

General Design Consideration

Natural gas was, for a long time, an unwanted by-product of oil production. Without
economic ways of bringing it to market, gas was mostly flared or released to the
atmosphere. However, in recent decades, natural gas’s abundance and its low carbon
content compared with other fossil fuels have considerably bolstered interest in natural
gas.

The natural gas industry began to expand rapidly in the 1970s, following technological
breakthroughs in the transportation of gas (e.g. steel pipelines and liquefaction) and in
end uses of gas (e.g. jet-engine gas-turbine technologies applied to power generation),
and as a result of concerns over security of energy supply. In 2013, natural gas demand
reached 3.5 tcm and accounted for 21% of primary energy supply. It continues to lag
behind coal and oil as a primary energy source, but represents an increasing share of
the production portfolio of the majors. Going forward, growth in the natural gas industry
is likely to be supported by new conventional discoveries and by the development of
unconventional sources of gas, which began in earnest in the 2000s, increasing and
diversifying available gas supply

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 7 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 1: Natural gas development timeline

As with oil, natural gas is formed by the gradual decay of organic matter under specific
geological heat and pressure conditions. Organic matter, such as the remains of
recently living organisms (e.g. plants, algae, animals, plankton…), is the origin of all the
hydrocarbons generated in the earth. A very small portion of this organic matter is
deposited in poorly oxygenated aqueous environments (seas, deltas, lakes…), where it
is protected from the action of aerobic bacteria and is mixed with sediments to form the
source rock. Overtime, the weight of gradually accumulating organic material and debris
causes source rock to subside to great depths, where its organic contentment rapped In
a mud-like substance known as kerogen, is subject to increasing temperature and

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 8 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

pressure. These conditions lead to the thermal cracking of kerogen’s long molecular
chains into smaller and lighter hydrocarbon molecules.

Soon after being buried, the organic matter may be converted into dry gas under the
action of methane organic bacteria, in a phase known as diagenis (under50°C). This dry
gas usually leaks into the atmosphere. During the catagenis phase(50-150°C), kerogen
bounds are gradually cracked into oil or into wet gas depending on the kerogen type. As
temperatures rise in proportion with depth, hydrocarbon molecules become lighter as
depth beneath the surface increases.

During a last stage, known as meta genesis, additional heat and chemical changes
eventually convert most of the remaining kerogen into methane and carbon residues.
Hydrocarbon molecules are then expelled from the source rock during a “primary
migration” phase, mainly as a consequence of high pressures. Hydrocarbons will then
set of fona “secondary migration” phase, making their way up ward through rocky
layers. If stopped by an impermeable layer of rock, also referred to as seal,
hydrocarbons may accumulate in the pores and fissures of a reservoir rock. Otherwise,
they may escape from the surface or solidify into bitumen.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 9 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 2: Thermal transformation of kerogen

Natural gas is not solely methane. It is composed of a mixture of hydrocarbon

components, including methane, ethane, propane, butane and pentane – commonly
known as natural gas liquids (NGLs) – and of impurities such as carbon dioxide (CO2),
hydrogen sulfide(H2S), water and nitrogen. The composition is highly variable and
depends on the resource’s location. In some fields, contaminants, especially those that
characterize sour gas (CO2 or H2S), represent a high proportion of the natural gas
mixture, making exploitation harder and more expensive.

Sometimes, NGLs – hydrocarbons that are in gaseous form in the reservoir, but that
become liquid under ambient conditions – account for a significant share of natural gas;
a mix rich in NGLs, known as wet gas. In 2013, wet gas yields 9 million barrels of oil

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 10 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

equivalent a day, contributing 10% to global liquid hydrocarbon supply. In all situations,
natural gas must be processed to remove NGLs and contaminants.

There are primarily three sources for “raw” natural gas. These are recognized as:

1. Crude oil wells

2. Gas wells
3. Condensate wells

Natural gas that comes along with crude oil is normally known as associated gas. It can
exist separately from crude oil, forming what is known as a gas cap or dissolved in the
crude oil. Natural gas from gas wells and from condensate wells-in which there is little
or no oil is termed, on the other hand non-associated or free gas. Gas wells differ from
condensate wells, since the former type produces raw natural gas only, while the latter
one produces natural gas along with very light liquid hydrocarbon known as natural
gasoline. Basically, raw natural gas consists of methane along with varying amounts of:

• Heavier gaseous hydrocarbons

• Acid gases that may include hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and others
• Other gaseous components, such as nitrogen and helium
• Water that may be found in both liquid form and as water vapor
• Liquid hydrocarbons

The schematic diagram shown in Figure 3 illustrates how natural gas produced by gas-
oil separation (associated natural gas), may contain heavier hydrocarbons.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 11 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 3: Classification of Hydrocarbons Found in Wellhead

Natural gas processing begins at the wellhead (Table 1). The composition of the raw
natural gas extracted from producing wells depends on the type, depth, and location of
the underground deposit and the geology of the area. Oil and natural gas are often
found together in the same reservoir. The natural gas produced from oil wells is
generally classified as “associated-dissolved,” meaning that the natural gas is
associated with or dissolved in crude oil. Natural gas production absent any association
with crude oil is classified as “non-associated.”

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 12 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Table 1. The composition of the raw natural gas

Hydrocarbon components Typical Attributes and uses

Methane CH4 70% to 98% Commercial gas for residential, industrial
and power generation use
Ethane C2H6 1% to 10% Colorless, odorless, feedstock for ethylene
Propane C3H8 Trace to 50% Burns hotter than methane, common liquid
fuel; liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
Butane C4H10 Trace to 2% Safe, volatile, used in pocket lighters; LPG
Pentane C5H12 Trace Commonly used solvent
Non-hydrocarbon components
Water vapor H2O Inert Occasionally used for reinjection
Carbon dioxide CO2 Inert Colorless, odorless, used for reinjection
Nitrogen N2 Inert Colorless, odorless, used for reinjection
Helium HE Inert Colorless, odorless, light gas; specialty
uses
Hydrogen sulfide H2S Inert Poisonous, lethal, foul odor, corrosive

Hydrocarbon components of natural gas that are heavier than methane are called
natural gas liquids (NGLs). Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) is those hydrocarbons in natural
gas that are separated from the gas as liquids through the process of absorption,
condensation, adsorption, cooling in gas separators, gas processing, or gas cycling
plants. Generally, natural gas liquids include natural gas plant liquids and lease
condensate. They can be extracted in a processing plant and commercialized as liquid
fuels.

In NGLs as most hydrocarbons have a wide range of labels and at times different
definitions. The very flexibility of NGL uses leads to much uncertainty. To avoid
confusion, it is important to define the terms used:

• Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs): Liquid hydrocarbons suspended as particles in gas,

under conditions of subterranean pressure and temperature, are called NGLs. True
gas consists of methane (one carbon molecule – C1); ethane (C2) is considered
both an NGL in many regions (N. America, Europe and the Mideast), but a part of
natural gas in most of Asia. Other NGLs consist of LPG (C3/C4, propane, butane
and iso-butane) and condensate, C5 and heavier. While LPG is produced in
substantial volumes in refining and ethane in limited volume, most NGLs originate

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 13 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

from gas production. When NGL is contained within a gas stream, it is called “in a
vapor phase.”

• When separated into respective NGL components from ethane to iso-butane, at

least 90% of the NGL stream has only one type of carbon molecule, which NGLs
are known as “purity products.” The term “Heavy NGLs” in the US refers to natural
gasoline and butane/iso-butane, but this is somewhat misleading. The only heavy
NGL that can be separated, stored and transported without special containment is
condensate.

• “Mixed” NGLs: In the US market NGLs are often sold in a mixed stream, particularly
in petrochemicals. The most common is ethane/propane called E/P Mix, consisting
of 80% ethane/20% propane.

• Natural Gasoline: This refers to heavy NGL, taken out of gas in plant processing,
and the term, though widely used in the US market, generally is considered not
used in the rest of the world.

Natural gas that is rich in NGLs is usually called wet gas or rich gas, as opposed to dry
gas or lean gas. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to make a further distinction, is a
subset of NGLs, comprising propane and butane. LPG can be liquefied through
pressurization (i.e. without requiring cryogenic refrigeration), and used as a liquid fuel.
In 2012, supply of NGLs amounted to 9 million barrels a day, representing about 10% of
world liquid hydrocarbon production. While total liquid supply has increased at a 1%
compound average annual growth rate (CAGR) since 1980, NGLs production has more
than doubled with a CAGR of 3.1%.

NGLs all have their own prices and pricing mechanisms. It may become commercially
attractive to produce NGLs, depending on the composition of NGLs in a given natural
gas stream and on average price spreads with methane. For instance, natural gasoline
(the pentanes-plus fraction of NGLs) sells in the U.S. at prices that are 4 to 5 times
higher than natural gas on a comparable energy basis. Conversely, ethane was in 2013
cheaper than natural gas in the U.S.

The mix of hydrocarbon fractions and contaminants in natural gas is specific to each
field1. In some fields, natural gas liquids (NGL) account for significant share of the
natural gas mix, leading to important volumes of liquid hydrocarbons produced.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 14 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

NGLs produced by gas processing are separated from the overall gas stream at a
processing plant, which separates the raw NGL mix from dry gas. The dry gas is then
sent through pipeline to consumers, while the raw mix is sent to a fractionation facility,
which processes and separates the mix into different NGLs (ethane, propane, butane,
iso-butane, and natural gasoline), also known as “purity products.”

NGL (Natural Gas Liquid) typically refers to ethane, propane, butanes, and natural
“gasoline” (pentanes) NGL’s are hydrocarbons removed (condensed) as a liquid from a
hydrocarbon stream that is typically in a vapor phase (i.e. natural gas). NGLs have
traditionally been considered a byproduct of natural gas production. The five NGLs —
ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutene and natural gasoline (pentanes+) — are
produced when natural gas is processed for delivery to market.

Figure 4: Difference between NGL and LPG

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 15 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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Table 2: NGLs Component Characteristics

Product Characteristics Sectors

Ethane (C2) Both dry gas & NGL; major value As in methane; also petchem
as petchem feedstock; needs
pipelines, big gas output

Propane (C3/LPG) Needs containment; generally Generally home & business;

stripped from gas; higher capex transport use; gas supplement
and opex in transport; safer than
butane

Butane (C4/LGP) Containment needed; higher BTU Mainly industrial; also in transport
value; like propane, high capex &
opex

Condensate (C5+) Light, sweet crude lookalike; Like crude, full range of products;
almost always > 50% naphtha; Can strong impact on gasoline &
be naphthenic or paraffinic; petchems; can produce large
Moderate mid-distillate; once a volume of jet & ADO
liquid, remains a liquid; from
wellhead or gas processing; some
output sold as naphtha

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 16 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Table 3: NGL Composition – A Snapshot

NGL Vaporization / Use Notes

Composition Boiling Point
Ethane/C2 - 126F / - 88C Petrochemical, Calorific

Propane/C3 - 44F / - 42C Petrochemicals/Residential/ With butane used to

Commercial/Transport enrich lean regasified
LNG in Asian gas
demand

Butane/C4 32F / 0C Petrochemical/Residential/ Part of LPG

N-Butane, Commercial/Transport/Gasoline
blending and high-purity butane used
to make gasoline component
Iso-butane isomerate

11F / -12C Residential/Industrial/Transport/Indus AKA methylpropane;

trial process heat; gasoline blending isomer of butane;
& basis for component alkylate different arrangement
of hydrogen
molecules; lighter than
butane

Condensate/ Wide range Petrochemical feedstock; Full range Many names;

mainly C5- of oil products; Solvent & ethanol paraffinic or
C10 production, diluent, gas turbine power naphthenic; remains
molecules generation liquid without special
containment.

As shale natural gas production continues to expand, it has a direct impact on supply of
NGLs. Whether the infrastructure and market for NGLs can absorb these increasing
volumes and how the new supplies will impact demand for NGLs and related products
are key questions facing producers and consumers of these important petrochemical
products.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 17 of 124
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Guidelines for Processing Plant
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

The impact of increasing natural gas production on NGL supplies Is a function of three
factors:

(1) the amount of natural gas that is processed to remove the NGLs;
(2) the amount of NGLs that are contained in the natural gas that is processed;
(3) the processing technique used to remove the NGLs.

Increases in the first factor are primarily being driven by the shale revolution. The
second factor is associated with the physical composition of natural gas as it is
produced at the wellhead.

Natural gas production at the wellhead is typically composed of a number of

hydrocarbon and other compounds. The largest hydrocarbon component of most
natural gas is methane. But wellhead gas, also known as “wet gas” or “gross gas
production,” contains NGLs. NGLs are generally in gaseous form at the wellhead and
are extracted from natural gas by chilling to very low temperatures to produce liquid
hydrocarbons—hence the name “natural gas liquids”. In some situations, NGL
extraction is required to produce a natural gas stream that can meet pipeline or
industrial specifications. In other cases, when the price of NGLs is higher than that of
natural gas, NGLs are extracted for economic reasons.

Figure 5 is a simplified representation of the NGL supply chain. NGLs are produced by
both natural gas processing plants and petroleum refineries. Natural gas processing
plants separate dry gas (i.e., methane) from wellhead gas production, or wet gas
(natural gas containing quantities of NGLs—i.e., ethane, propane, normal butane
isobutane, natural gasoline), while refineries produce NGLs as a byproduct of refinery
distillation and cracking processes.

Each successive NGL has an additional carbon molecule and different chemical
properties. For example, ethane is C2H6, propane is C3H8, butane is C4H10, and natural
gasoline is C5H12. NGLs are used by the petrochemical industry as feedstock to
produce a variety of plastic products, for heating in the case of propane, as components
in the motor gasoline pool (“motor gasoline”), and are exported in some cases.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 18 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

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Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 5: the NGL supply chain

Fundamentals of the NGL Market pricing is cyclical. As the primary consumer of NGLs,
the petrochemical industry is an integral factor in determining prices, particularly in the
case of ethane, which represents roughly 40% of the NGL stream. Industrial consumers
bid for NGLs depending on the difference between the price of NGLs and the price of
gas, also known as the “spread.”

During periods of strong industrial-sector demand, the spread increases and gas
processors continue to pull ethane out of the natural gas stream. As NGL production
increases, prices for NGLs come down and it is more economic for gas processors to
leave ethane in the gas stream, a process known as “ethane rejection.”

Leaving ethane in the gas stream increases the physical volume of natural gas, putting
downward pressure on prices and reducing gas—and NGL—production. Declines in
NGL production leads to an increase in prices, and the trend repeats itself (see Figure
6).

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 19 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Figure 6: cycles of NGL production effect to prices

By studying the natural gas and NGL outlook country by country, four global trends in
natural gas production can be identified that impact NGL supply. The importance of
each trend varies by country or region, while multiple trends blur the picture in some
regions. Trends 1 to 3 have a positive impact on the supply outlook for NGLs and the
liquids ratio, while trend 4 has a negative impact.

1. Large scale natural gas developments characterized by

• Participation by International Oil Companies (IOC) that tend to have a high NGL
awareness compared to prevailing host country awareness.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 20 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

• The development of large gas condensate fields. The IOCs often see a larger
potential in such fields than in standalone gas projects.
• The development of LNG projects for which it is important to strip liquids out of the
gas to make the sales gas match the spec of the target market and to optimize the
value of the project by monetizing valuable associated liquids. Integrated LNG and
NGL infrastructure reduce the costs in the NGL value chain.

2. Increased utilization of associated gas

• Higher awareness of the value of associated gas, both as marketed gas and for
reinjection to support oil production.
• Initiatives to reduce flaring of associated gas.
• Better infrastructure to gather and process associated gas.

3. Higher liquids content in traditional dry non-associated gas

• When traditional shallow gas reservoirs are depleted, oil companies drill deeper
down and find structures with higher pressure, generally containing more
condensate and other NGLs.
• Technology improvement, higher energy prices and experience make oil
companies less reluctant to develop complex reservoirs.
• The NGL awareness is higher, and therefore the value of gas condensate fields is
rated higher.

4. Wet associated gas is being replaced by dry non-associated gas

• As oil production declines in many countries compared to gas production,

traditional associated gas with a high liquids content declines too.
• Countries must replace associated gas with non-associated gas to meet domestic
needs. This non-associated gas tends to be drier.
• Growth in non-conventional gas production may result in lower liquids ratios.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 21 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

The number of steps and the type of techniques used in the process of creating
pipeline-quality natural gas most often depends upon the source and makeup of the
wellhead production stream. In some cases, several of the steps shown in Figure 7 may
be integrated into one unit or operation, performed in a different order or at alternative
locations (lease/plant), or not required at all.

Natural gas collected at the well head must usually be processed to meet the pipeline-
quality standards defined by each system (energy content, water content…) and to
ensure safe and clean operation, both of the grid and of end-appliances. The type of
gas processing required depends on the composition of the raw gas and on the pipeline
system’s quality specifications. Although it is less complex than crude-oil refining,
natural-gas processing is a crucial stage in the natural gas value chain. In addition to its
primary purpose, cleaning, processing also performs the vital role of extracting the
heavier hydrocarbons that raw natural gas contains, to varying degrees (these
hydrocarbons are gaseous at underground pressure, but liquefy under ambient
conditions into natural gas liquids).

The processing layout can be configured in numerous ways. It can be sited, entirely or
partially, at the field or at a compressor station close to the producing area. Processing
facilities may be split up along these locations or grouped together in a dedicated
processing plant.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 22 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

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Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Separate oil & Remove water Remove Extract natural gas

condensate contaminants liquids (NGL)

Figure 7: Schematic steps for natural gas processing

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 23 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

The process above can be simplified in figure 8

Figure 8: Natural Gas Processing System

(a) Stage I and is known as gas treatment or gas conditioning

(b) Stage II and is known as gas processing

The gas treatment operations carried out in stage I include the removal of gas
contaminants, in particular H2S (gas sweetening) followed by the separation of water
vapor (dehydration). On the other hand, stage II, comprises two operations: NGL
recovery and separation from the bulk of gas and its subsequent fractionation into the
desired products. A sum up of these operations is given as follows.

• Gas sweetening
• Gas dehydration
• Recovery and extraction of NGL (C2 plus)
• Fractionation of NGL into individual products, which may include: ethane,
propane, butane, isobutene, and natural gasoline.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 24 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Among the several stages (as lettered in figure 8) of gas processing/treatment are:

Gas-Oil Separators:

In many instances pressure relief at the wellhead will cause a natural separation of gas
from oil (using a conventional closed tank, where gravity separates the gas
hydrocarbons from the heavier oil). In some cases, however, a multi-stage gas-oil
separation process is needed to separate the gas stream from the crude oil. These gas-
oil separators are commonly closed cylindrical shells, horizontally mounted with inlets at
one end, an outlet at the top for removal of gas, and an outlet at the bottom for removal
of oil. Separation is accomplished by alternately heating and cooling (by compression)
the flow stream through multiple steps. Some water and condensate, if present, will also
be extracted as the process proceeds.

Condensate Separator:

Condensates are most often removed from the gas stream at the wellhead through the
use of mechanical separators. In most instances, the gas flow into the separator comes
directly from the wellhead, since the gas-oil separation process is not needed. The gas
stream enters the processing plant at high pressure (600 pounds per square inch gauge
(psig) or greater) through an inlet slug catcher where free water is removed from the
gas, after which it is directed to a condensate separator. Extracted condensate is routed
to on-site storage tanks.

Dehydration:

A dehydration process is needed to eliminate water which may cause the formation of
hydrates. Hydrates form when a gas or liquid containing free water experiences specific
temperature/pressure conditions. Dehydration is the removal of this water from the
produced natural gas and is accomplished by several methods. Among these is the use
of ethylene glycol (glycol injection) systems as an absorption* mechanism to remove
water and other solids from the gas stream. Alternatively, adsorption* dehydration may
be used, utilizing dry-bed dehydrators towers, which contain desiccants such as silica
gel and activated alumina, to perform the extraction.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 25 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Contaminant Removal:

Removal of contaminates includes the elimination of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide,

water vapor, helium, and oxygen. The most commonly used technique is to first direct
the flow though a tower containing an amine solution. Amines absorb sulfur compounds
from natural gas and can be reused repeatedly. After desulphurization, the gas flow is
directed to the next section, which contains a series of filter tubes. As the velocity of the
stream reduces in the unit, primary separation of remaining contaminants occurs due to
gravity. Separation of smaller particles occurs as gas flows through the tubes, where
they combine into larger particles which flow to the lower section of the unit. Further, as
the gas stream continues through the series of tubes, a centrifugal force is generated
which further removes any remaining water and small solid particulate matter.

Nitrogen Extraction:

Once the hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are processed to acceptable levels, the
stream is routed to a Nitrogen Rejection Unit (NRU), where it is further dehydrated using
molecular sieve beds. In the NRU, the gas stream is routed through a series of passes
through a column and a brazed aluminum plate fin heat exchanger. Using
thermodynamics, the nitrogen is cryogenically separated and vented. Another type of
NRU unit separates methane and heavier hydrocarbons from nitrogen using an
absorbent* solvent. The absorbed methane and heavier hydrocarbons are flashed off
from the solvent by reducing the pressure on the processing stream in multiple gas
decompression steps. The liquid from the flash regeneration step is returned to the top
of the methane absorber as lean solvent. Helium, if any, can be extracted from the gas
stream in a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) unit.

Methane Separation:

The process of demethanizing the gas stream can occur as a separate operation in the
gas plant or as part of the NRU operation. Cryogenic processing and absorption
methods are some of the ways to separate methane from NGLs. The cryogenic method
is better at extraction of the lighter liquids, such as ethane, than is the alternative
absorption method. Essentially, cryogenic processing consists of lowering the
temperature of the gas stream to around -120 degrees Fahrenheit. While there are
several ways to perform this function the turbo expander process is most effective,

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 26 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

using external refrigerants to chill the gas stream. The quick drop in temperature that
the expander is capable of producing condenses the hydrocarbons in the gas stream,
but maintains methane in its gaseous form.

The absorption* method, on the other hand, uses a “lean” absorbing oil to separate the
methane from the NGLs. While the gas stream is passed through an absorption tower,
the absorption oil soaks up a large amount of the NGLs. The “enriched” absorption oil,
now containing NGLs, exits the tower at the bottom. The enriched oil is fed into distillers
where the blend is heated to above the boiling point of the NGLs, while the oil remains
fluid. The oil is recycled while the NGLs are cooled and directed to a fractionator tower.
Another absorption method that is often used is the refrigerated il absorption method
where the lean oil is chilled rather than heated, a feature that enhances recovery rates
somewhat.

Fractionation:

Fractionation, the process of separating the various NGLs present in the remaining gas
stream, uses the varying boiling points of the individual hydrocarbons in the stream, by
now virtually all NGLs, to achieve the task. The process occurs in stages as the gas
stream rises through several towers where heating units raise the temperature of the
stream, causing the various liquids to separate and exit into specific holding tanks.

Natural gas processing and the removal of various components from it tend to involve
the most complex and expensive processes. All of the H2S and most of the water vapor,
CO2, and N2 must be removed first. The separation of the hydrocarbons, known as NGL
(C2 plus) is carried out next producing methane as the sole product commercially
marketed as natural gas.

The following are some of the most important parameters to be considered in the design
of a system for natural gas processing:

1. Estimated gas reserve (both associated and free)

2. Gas flow rate and its composition
3. Market demand for both local export
4. Geographic locations and methods of shipping of finished products
5. Environmental factors
6. Risks imposed in implementing the project and evaluation of its economic feasibility

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 27 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

In general, the type of processing operations recommended for any specific plant,
depend on the kind of gas under consideration along with the distribution of the
hydrocarbons found in the gas. In particular the following factors are significant:

• The contents of heavier hydrocarbons

• The percentage of acid gases
• The presence of inert

Transportation and Storage

Pipeline
Some NGL pipelines carry mixed NGLs to fractionation facilities. Other NGL pipelines
transport purity products, many times in batches, from fractionators or storage facilities
to end users or related storage. In the current fast gas growth environment, NGL
available pipeline capacity is limited; therefore, truck and rail become viable options.

Truck/Railroad Transport

Due to its high vapor pressure, ethane is not typically transported by truck or rail.
However, heavier NGLs are commonly transported via truck or railroad. These methods
of transport are normally more costly than pipeline, and therefore less preferred

Cargo Ships

Hundreds of ships carry propane and butane between different ports around the world.

Storage
While NGL storage is seasonal for propane and normal butane, it is relatively steady for
ethane, isobutene and pentanes plus. Since demand for propane as a heating fuel is
seasonal like natural gas, propane stocks build during the warmer months and are
drawn down in colder months. Refineries produce more butane than they consume in
the summer, and the opposite is true during the winter. Sufficient storage capacity for
NGLs balances the market and allows it to cope with seasonality or supply/demand
disruptions.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 28 of 124
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Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

DEFINITIONS

Acid Gas - Natural Gas containing Carbon Dioxide or Hydrogen Sulphide which forms
an acid compound when combined with water.

Field production of crude oil: Represents crude oil production on leases, including
lease condensate. Excludes plant condensate and other processed liquids.

Fractionation: Fractionation is the process that involves the separation of the NGLs
into discrete NGL purity products (i.e., ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane, and
natural gasoline).

Gas plant operator: Any firm, including a natural gas processing plant owner that
operates a gas plant and keeps the gas plant records.

Hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL): A group of hydrocarbons including ethane, propane,

butane, isobutane, and pentanes plus, and their associated olefins, ethylene, propylene,
butylene, and isobutylene. Equivalent to sum of natural gas plant liquids and liquefied
refinery gases on the supply side, and the sum of natural gas liquids and olefins on the
market side. Includes propane and normal butane produced at gas-to-liquids plants.
Excludes liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Lease condensate: Light liquid hydrocarbons recovered from lease separators or field
facilities at associated and non-associated natural gas wells. Mostly pentanes and
heavier hydrocarbons. Normally enters the crude oil stream after production

Liquefied petroleum gases (LPG): A group of hydrocarbon gases, primarily propane,

normal butane, and isobutane, derived from crude oil refining or natural gas
fractionation. These gases may be marketed individually or mixed. They can be
liquefied through pressurization without refrigeration for convenience of transportation or
storage.

Liquefied refinery gases (LRG): Hydrocarbon gas liquids produced in refineries from
processing of crude oil and unfinished oils. They are retained in the liquid state through
compression and/or refrigeration. The reported categories include ethane, ethylene,
propane, propylene, normal butane, butylene, isobutane, and isobutylene.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 29 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Natural gas liquids (NGL): A group of hydrocarbons including ethane, propane, normal
butane, isobutane, and pentanes plus. Generally include natural gas plant liquids, and
all liquefied refinery gases, except olefins.

Natural gas liquids (NGL): NGLs are extracted from the raw natural gas stream into a
liquid mix (consisting of ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and natural gasoline). The
NGLs are then typically transported via pipelines to fractionation facilities.

Natural gas plant liquids (NGPL) Production: The reduction in volume of natural gas
due to the removal of natural gas plant liquids constituents such as ethane, propane,
butane, and pentanes plus.

Natural gas plant liquids (NGPL): Those hydrocarbons in natural gas that are
separated as liquids at natural gas processing plants, fractionating and cycling plants.
Products obtained include ethane, liquefied petroleum gases (propane and butanes),
and pentanes plus. Component products may be fractionated or mixed. Lease
condensate is excluded

Natural gasoline: A commodity product commonly traded in NGL markets, which

comprises liquid hydrocarbons (mostly pentanes and hexanes) that generally remain
liquid at ambient temperatures and atmospheric pressure. A subset of pentanes plus.

Olefinic hydrocarbons (olefins): Unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds with the

general formula CnH2n containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double-bond. Olefins
are produced at crude oil refineries or petrochemical plants and are not naturally
occurring constituents of oil and natural gas. Sometimes referred to as “alkenes” or
“unsaturated hydrocarbons.” Excludes aromatics.

Paraffinic hydrocarbons (paraffins): Saturated hydrocarbon compounds with the

general formula CnH2n+2 containing only single-bonds. Sometimes referred to as
alkanes or natural gas liquids

Pentanes plus: A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons, mostly pentanes and heavier,

extracted from natural gas in a gas processing plant (i.e., plant condensate) or from
crude oil in a refinery. Natural gasoline is the largest component of pentanes plus.

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 30 of 124
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Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
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Plant condensate: Liquid hydrocarbons recovered at inlet separators or scrubbers in

natural gas processing plants at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperatures.
Mostly pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons, equivalent to pentanes plus

Raw NGL Mix. Raw NGL mix or “y” grade refers to the heavier NGL components that are
extracted via natural gas processing. The resulting NGL mix is commingled product
consisting of ethane (depending on whether ethane rejection took place), propane,
butane, isobutane, and natural gasoline. It is not until fractionation, the next step in the
NGL value chain, that the raw NGL mix is further separated into individual NGL
components.

Refinery gas: Still gas consumed as refinery fuel

Still gas: Any form or mixture of gases produced in refineries by distillation, cracking,
reforming, and other processes. The principal constituents are methane and ethane.
May contain hydrogen and small/trace amounts of ethylene, propane, propylene, normal
butane, butylene, isobutane, and isobutylene. Still gas is typically consumed as refinery
fuel or used as petrochemical feedstock.

NOMENCLATURE

B = bottoms molar flow rate, lb/hr

C = sizing constant, ft/s
D = distillate molar flow rate, lb/hr
d = column diameter, ft
Eoc = overall plate efficieny
F = feed molar flow rate, lb/hr
hB = enthalpy of bottom product,
hD = enthalpy of distillate product,
hF = enthalpy of feed,
M = number of theoretical stages in the stripping section,
N = number of theoretical stages in the rectifying section,
QC = condenser heat duty,
QR = reboiler heat duty,
QV = volumetric vapor flow rate, ft3/s
R = actual reflux ratio,

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied, reproduced or
in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 KLM Technology Kolmetz Handbook Page 31 of 124
Group Of Process Equipment Design

Practical Engineering Natural Gas Liquid Unit (NGL) Rev: 02

Guidelines for Processing Plant
Solutions
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES) Sept 2017

Rm = minimum reflux ratio,

S = actual number of theoretical trays,
Sm = minimum number of theoretical trays
tS = tray spacing, in
Vmax = maximum vapor velocity, ft/s
XB = mole fraction of a component in the bottoms
XD = mole fraction overhead light key
XF = mole fraction of a component in the feed,
XHK = mole fraction of the heavy key component,
XHKD = composition of heavy key in the distillate.
XHKF = composition of heavy key in the feed,
XLK = mole fraction of the light key component,
XLKB = composition of light key in the bottoms,
XLKF = composition of light key in the feed,

Greek letters

α = relative volatility
μL = liquid viscosity, Cp
ρL = liquid density, lb/ft3
ρV = vapor density, lb/ft3

These design guidelines are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases. They
were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must always be
guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the amount of up front
engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for young engineers or a
resource for engineers with experience.

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