What is NGL fractionation?

What is NGL fractionation?

What is NGL fractionation?

Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) fractionation is the process used in gas processing plants to separate hydrocarbon mixtures from natural gas into individual products. These NGLs are ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes as well as natural gasoline found in natural gas.

Why is fractionation needed in NGL recovery?

NGL Fractionation Once NGLs have been removed from the natural gas stream, they must be separated into their individual products to be useful. This is accomplished through fractionation. Fractionation works based on the different boiling points of the different hydrocarbons in the NGL stream.

What is the process of NGL?

NGLs are fractionated by heating the mixed NGL stream and processing them through a series of distillation towers. Fractionation takes advantage of the differing boiling points of the various NGL components. As the NGL stream is heated, the lightest (lowest boiling point) NGL component boils off first and separates.

What is the difference between condensate and NGL?

The key difference between condensate and natural gas liquids is that condensate is the end product of a condensation reaction, whereas natural gas liquid is the low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that occurs as gaseous compounds in the raw natural gas that forms from many natural gas fields.

How does gas fractionation work?

Fractionation is the process of boiling off the different hydrocarbons one by one. Each hydrocarbon has a different boiling point so as the temperature increases, the components separate. First, NGLs go through the deethanizer which separates the ethane. Then, the depropanizer which removes the propane.

What are NGL pipelines?

From Global Energy Monitor. Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are commercial products that result from the processing of both crude oil and natural gas. This group includes the processed and liquefied products of the hydrocarbon gases ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and pentane.

What is NGL product?

Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are hydrocarbons—in the same family of molecules as natural gas and crude oil, composed exclusively of carbon and hydrogen. Ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and pentane are all NGLs (see table above).

Is LNG an NGL?

What’s more, you need to keep an eye on autocorrect when you type LNG, because LNG is NOT an NGL. This is a group of hydrocarbons including ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane and pentanes plus, AKA natural gasoline. They are a byproduct of natural gas processing and refining.

How is NGL extracted?

Liquid extraction processes. In these cases, the extraction of NGL is done in a hydrocarbon dewpointing process unit. The process technologies used to carry out an NGL extraction can be categorized into three groups: cryogenic turboexpander recovery technology, mechanical refrigeration and absorption processes.

What are NGL used for?

NGLs are used as inputs for petrochemical plants, burned for space heat and cooking, and blended into vehicle fuel. Higher crude oil prices have contributed to increased NGL prices and, in turn, provided incentives to drill in liquids-rich resources with significant NGL content.