Configurations and Methods to Improve NGL Recovery

Several different methods are directed to improve the efficiency and economy of processes for the recovery of natural gas liquids (NGL) from a gas feed, e.g., raw natural gas or a refinery or petrochemical plant gas stream [1]. These methods may be employed with most, if not all, conventional separation methods using a distillation tower, e.g., a demethanizer or deethanizer column. Different processes for the recovery of propane and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas steam explained in the patents [1, 2, 3, 4, and 5]. It is desired to have a process, which is capable of recovering propane and heavier hydrocarbon components from a gas steam in which only a minor amount of propane is lost to the residue gas while at the same time rejecting essentially all of the ethane. In this paper the plant data [1] are used. The process is simulated using Hysys software. For maximum propane recovery, the optimum split flow, power consumption for residue gas compression, power consumption for refrigeration cycle, and a trade off for optimum pressure are determined.Accordingly, it is quite common to see the same basic processing scheme used for either ethane recovery or propane recovery, with only the heat exchanger arrangement modified to accommodate the different operating temperatures within the process.

کلیدواژه ها:

Propane Recovery ، Refrigerant cycle ، Turbo expander