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For questions regarding incorrect/outdated entries or suggestion for adding additional terms, please contact Martin Erne
A formula representing a possible mathematical relationship for molar mass and liquid density.
The Kragcoe correlation was used for molar mass estimation because the laboratory did not have instrumentation to determine molar mass.
A unit which uses the refrigerating effect of adiabatic expansion for improved liquid recovery from rich gas streams.
LTX units may be referred to as LTS (Low Temperature Separation) units.
A unit of concentration representing the space occupied by a component in a liquid mixture relative to the total space occupied by the mixture, expressed as a percentage.
The term volume percent is commonly understood to represent the liquid volume percent, which is also understood to be 1/2 of proof.
An acronym related to efficiencies.
"Maximum Efficient Rate" (MER) is the highest rate at which a well or reservoir may be produced without causing physical waste in the reservoir. "Most Efficient Rate" (MER) is the highest rate at which a reservoir can be produced without either reservoir or surface physical waste. For example, a reservoir may be produced at the MER but at such a rate, gas production will be in excess of the capacity of facilities in the field to handle the gas; so a lower rate may be set up for the reservoir to avoid surface waste of valuable hydrocarbons in the form of flared gas.
A unit for measuring or expressing the volume of a million cubic feet of gas at standard conditions. The pressure and temperature conditions for the standard measurement must be defined.
MMCF is often used, and the standard condition is inferred but may not always be the case.
A unit of concentration representing the mass of a component in a mixture relative to the total mass of the mixture, expressed as a percentage.
The mass percent was used to convert the mass of liquid to volume.
A unit for measuring or expressing the volume of a thousand cubic feet of gas at standard conditions. The pressure and temperature conditions for the standard measurement must be defined.
MCF is often used and the standard condition is inferred but may not always be the case.
A product specification for the heavier liquid products as determined by ASTM test procedure D-323.
The vapor pressure is reported as pounds per sq. in. Reid. The pressure approximates, but is somewhat less than, the absolute vapor pressure of the liquid.
Sediment and water contained in hydrocarbon liquid streams.
The S&W content of the oil is often limited to 0.25% by the contract.
A measuring system on a gas chromatograph which uses the difference in heat transfer between the carrier gas and the component exiting the gas chromatograph column to create an electrical signal.
The TCD is used on a gas chromatograph due to its ability to detect components that do not ionize.
A tower or column that provides contact between natural gas, being processed and a liquid solvent.
The absorber tower is the first vessel of a lean oil process and operates at line pressure.
The maximum volume per day of natural gas that can be processed through an absorber at specified absorption oil rate, temperature, and pressure without exceeding desired recovery, pressure drop or other operating limitations.
The absorber's capacity was designed at 200% of the anticipated initial inlet flow rate.
A factor which is an indication of the tendency for a given gas phase component to be transferred to the liquid solvent. It is generally expressed as A = L/KV where L and V are the molar flows of liquid and vapor, and K is the average value of the vapor-liquid equilibrium constant for the component of concern.
As the absorption factor increases, less stages are required for a component to transfer to the liquid solvent.
A hydrocarbon liquid used to absorb and recover components from the natural gas being processed.
The absorption oil is circulated through the tower to absorb the NGLs from the inlet gas stream.
A plant that processes natural gas with absorption oil, sometimes referred to as a "lean oil" plant.
The original facility was an absorption plant and was converted to a more efficient process to improve recovery and reduce operational costs.
Refer to definition of "absorber."
Trays or packing in the absorption tower increase the surface contact area of the oil to improve the plant efficiency.
A mechanical refrigeration system in which the refrigerant is absorbed by a suitable liquid or solid. The most common system uses ammonia as the refrigerant and water as the absorbing medium. Refer to definition of "compression refrigeration cycle."
The facility has air conditioning for offices provided via absorption-refrigeration cycle using the waste heat from the gas turbine power generating plant.
A vessel used to facilitate the control of the flow of liquid or the separation of liquid from accompanying gas or vapor as the liquid flows through the plant for further processing.
Off-spec product is stored in an accumulator where it can be retained for further processing.
A measure of the non-sphericity of molecules.
Components that have the same acentric factor will have similar behavior at the same conditions of reduced pressure and temperature
A gas stream that contains hydrogen sulfide and/or carbon dioxide.
The removal of the acid gas from the stream results in a directly proportional reduction in volume.
The expansion of a gas, vapor, or liquid stream from a higher pressure to a lower pressure in which the enthalpy of the stream does not change.
An example of adiabatic expansion is the pressure drop through a control valve often resulting in cooling.
A solid substance used to remove components from natural gas being processed.
A molecular sieve bed is an example of an adsorbent often used to remove water from an inlet stream.
Removal of certain components from a gas stream onto a solid substance—including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: acid gases, water vapor, or heavier hydrocarbon vapors.
The acid gases, water vapor, and heavier hydrocarbon vapors are adsorbed on a bed of granular solids due to their molecular attraction to the adsorbent surface.
A fin tube exchanger which utilizes air for cooling. Ambient air contacts the external fins by fan-forced or natural draft to cool the process fluid inside the tubes.
The compressor skid utilizes an air-cooled exchanger to reduce the discharge temperature of the compressed gas stream.
A method for determining the amount of a stream attributable to one of a group of streams.
The US government permits allocation measurement with comingling approvals in many cases.
