Definitions of words and terms used in the gas processing industry.
For questions regarding incorrect/outdated entries or suggestion for adding additional terms, please contact Martin Erne
Gas containing little or no recoverable natural gas liquids.
Lean gas is typically found as the residue of gas processing plants but can also be produced directly from some hydrocarbon formations.
Oil from which the absorbed constituents have been removed.
Lean oil is used to absorb constituents from gas streams in lean oil processing plants.
Low boiling point components of a hydrocarbon fluid.
Methane and ethane are typical light ends of hydrocarbon fluids.
Low molecular weight hydrocarbons.
Examples of light hydrocarbons are methane and ethane.
The process whereby a substance in its gaseous or solid state is liquefied.
Melting and condensation are both liquefaction processes.
The components of a hydrocarbon gas which are typically recovered as liquid products.
Propane and butanes are typical liquefiable hydrocarbons.
Natural gas that has been converted from a gaseous state to a liquid state, generally by the use of refrigeration.
LNG is created in a cryogenic plant to allow for easier transportation and storage due to higher density. Typically, LNG is most commonly transported via truck, barge, or ship. LNG is not the same as NGL or LPG.
Commercially available fuel products produced from gas processing, fractionation, and refining.
LPG consists of predominantly propane and butane. Also referred to as LP gas. LPG produced from refining, sometimes referred to as LRG (liquified refinery gas), typically contains olefins.
A liquid used to remove water from other fluids.
Glycols are commonly used as liquid desiccants.
A structural and piping installation alongside a railroad track or roadway used for the purpose of filling and/or emptying railcars or trucks.
Loading racks are commonly found at gas processing plants, terminals, and refineries to load and unload product.
Adding piping with a connection to an existing line at each end.
Looping is commonly performed to provide additional capacity, to provide additional connection points for compression or pumping, or to reduce pressure drop.
(1) In contractual terms, the amount of gas delivery specified for which a buyer has paid for but not taken. (2) In gas processing, the amount of gas required to keep the inlet volume or energy whole at the outlet. This is typically defined by contract or regulation. (3) In gas analysis, the additional carrier gas added upstream of the detector to achieve optimal flow
We have provided three of the common definitions for "make-up gas" however more use cases may exist.
Gas, which meets the purchaser's or the transporter's specifications.
Marketable gas is also referred to as merchantable gas.
Any of a series of compounds of the general formula RSH, analogous to the alcohols and phenols, but containing sulfur in place of oxygen. "R" in the formula above represents the hydrocarbon radical. I.e., methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, etc.
Mercaptans are used as an odorant to hydrocarbons lacking a smell, such as propane, so that it's presence can be detected.
The lightest member of the aliphatic hydrocarbon series, with a chemical formula of CH4.
Natural gas is composed predominately of methane.
The lightest alcohol, having the chemical formula CH3OH.
Methanol is also referred to as "wood alcohol". It is not recommended to drink this.
A colorless, flammable, gas compound of disagreeable odor.
Methyl mercaptan was used to odorize the gas sold by the local distribution company.
A property which indicates whether two fluids can be mixed without separation of the fluids.
Alcohol and water are miscible and can be mixed without separation.
Vessel internals which remove free liquid from gas.
A mist extractor can be perforated plates, wire mesh, vanes, etc.,
A facility built primarily in off-site shops on fabricated skids and shipped to the facility site upon completion.
A modular plant is also referred to as a skid mounted plant.
A unit of concentration representing the number of molecules of a component in a mixture relative to the total number of molecules in the mixture, expressed as a percentage.
The analysis reports the mole percentages for the components of interest.
Synthetic zeolites packaged in bead or pellet form.
Molecular sieves are commonly used in recovering contaminants or impurities from liquid and vapor product streams by selective adsorption and/or a catalyst.
A mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly pentanes and heavier, with a maximum final boiling point of about 400oF.
Naphtha is commonly used to reduce the viscosity of oil to flow through pipelines.
A hydrocarbon mixture that exists in a vapor phase consisting of primarily methane and commonly includes various amounts of other hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and/or helium.
Natural gas is colorless, odorless, and is most commonly used as a heating source as well as to generate electricity. Typically, a sulfur-smell is added for early detection of leaks.
Liquid-phase hydrocarbons primarily derived from a natural gas stream.
NGLs include ethane, propane, butanes, and natural gasoline.
