AGE10503, Gas Processing

Engineering Encyclopedia
Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards
Gas Processing
Note: The source of the technical material in this volume is the Professional
Engineering Development Program (PEDP) of Engineering Services.
Warning: The material contained in this document was developed for Saudi
Aramco and is intended for the exclusive use of Saudi Aramco’s
employees. Any material contained in this document which is not
already in the public domain may not be copied, reproduced, sold, given,
or disclosed to third parties, or otherwise used in whole, or in part,
without the written permission of the Vice President, Engineering
Services, Saudi Aramco.
Chapter : Process For additional information on this subject, contact

File Reference: AGE10503 R.A. Al-Husseini on 874-2792
CONTENTS PAGES
NEED AND PURPOSE OF THE MASTER GAS SYSTEM 1
LIGHT HYDROCARBON SEPARATION 4
GAS PLANT OPERATION 13
NGL PLANT OPERATION 22
PRODUCT QUALITY 28
GLOSSARY 31
Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

NEED AND PURPOSE OF THE MASTER GAS SYSTEM

Historically, large volumes of associated gas were flared from various stages of crude pressure reduction ––
GOSPs, spheroids, crude stabilizers. In 1959, low pressure gas recovery from Abqaiq was begun. The
resulting NGL was shipped to Ras Tanura for separation. This system remains in operation, with a present
capacity of 500 MMSCFD (320 TBD NGL).
Figure 1 is a simplified process flow diagram (PFD) of the low pressure NGL recovery system installed at
Abqaiq plants. Figure 2 is a simplified PFD of the NGL processing system installed at Ras Tanura in the
earliest phase of gas recovery.
FIGURE 1. Abqaiq Low Pressure NGL Recovery
Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 1

FIGURE 2. Ras Tanura Low Pressure NGL Processing

In the early- to mid- 1970s, plans were formed
to recover and process the intermediate and high pressure associated gases. This plan – the Master Gas System
(MGS) – was designed with four basic objectives.
• Provide a source of low cost energy for industry and domestic use
• Provide feedstocks for a planned petrochemical industry
• Expand NGL exports to meet international demand
• Recover sulfur to protect the environment

Phase I of the MGS involved the collection and processing of 3 MMMSCFD of associated gas from Arabian
Light and Extra Light crude production. Several major facilities and projects were constructed, including:
• Berri, Shedgum, and Uthmaniyah gas plants
• East-West NGL Pipeline
• Ju’aymah and Yanbu NGL plants and terminals
Phase II construction was designed to collect approximately 2 MMMSCFD of associated gas from the
production of Arabian Medium and Arabian Heavy crudes, including offshore facilities in the Safaniyah, Zuluf,
and Marjan fields. No additional gas plants or NGL fractionation facilities were required for this phase of
development.
The most recent activities have involved development of sources of nonassociated gas as a back-up to the
Master Gas System. An example of this third stage of development is the recovery and processing of gas from
the Khuff field.
Today the MGS provides economic and strategic benefits for the long-term development of Saudi Arabia.
• A clean, low cost supply of fuel gas and feedstocks for the domestic industrialization program
• A dependable source of energy and feedstocks to international markets
• Strategic security and flexibility provided by three export terminals

LIGHT HYDROCARBON SEPARATION

NGL is separated and treated to provide various products for domestic use and export through a number of
continuous distillation and absorption processes.
The modern distillation process originated as a simple batch still (Figure 3), evolved first into a series of
continuous shell stills (Figure 4), and finally into the continuous distillation process used today (Figure 5).
FIGURE 3. Batch Still

FIGURE 4. Continuous Distillation Using Several Batch Shells in a Continuous Process

FIGURE 5. Continuous Distillation Tower

The internal components of a distillation tower are designed to ensure intimate contact between liquid and
vapor streams. A typical system, using bubble caps to bring the rising vapor into contact with liquid flowing
across a tray, is shown in Figure 6.
FIGURE 6. Tower Internals

Critical controls for distillation include temperatures at the top, bottom, and feed section of the distillation
tower, pressure in the tower, and feed rate. These basic controls are shown in Figure 7.

FIGURE 7. Distillation Controls

The difficulty of component separation through distillation can be
gauged by the difference in the boiling points of the components to be separated. The closer the boiling points
of two components, the more difficult the separation is, and a greater number of stages or trays are required to
accomplish the separation. This results in a distillation tower of greater height than that required for a simpler
separation.
Boiling points (and the difference between them) of the basic components found in NGL are shown in Figure 8.

Hydrocarbon Formula Boiling Point at Temp. Difference with

Atmospheric Pressure Next Heavier
(°°F) Hydrocarbon
Methane CH4 -259 131
Ethane C2H6 -128 84
Propane C3H8 -44 55
i-Butane C4H10 11 20
n-Butane C4H10 31 51
i-Pentane C5H12 82 -
FIGURE 8. Separation – Degree of Difficulty

Devising a process scheme for the separation of NGL into
its several products is a complicated matter. Guidelines to consider include:
• Process the largest stream the least amount
• Perform difficult separations on minimum quantities
• Minimize heat input
In general, these guidelines will result in a system that requires the lowest capital investment and the lowest
operating costs.

The system used in the NGL fractionation plants is shown in Figure 9.
FIGURE 9. NGL Fractionation

Effective distillation can be assured if the operating conditions are controlled to maintain:
• Vigorous vapor-liquid contact on each tray
• Heat and material balances for the distillation
• A smooth temperature gradient from the top to the bottom of the distillation tower
The effects of process changes to a distillation tower must be carefully considered. A summary of the effects of
various changes to operating towers is shown in Figure 10.
Overhead Product Bottoms Product

Change Made Top Temp Rate Quality Reboiler Rate Quality
Load
Reduce reflux Increase Increase Heavier Decrease Decrease Heavier
Raise reflux Decrease Decrease Lighter Increase Increase Lighter
Raise pressure –– Decrease Lighter Increase Increase Lighter
Lower pressure –– Increase Heavier Decrease Decrease Heavier
Raise feed temp Increase Increase Heavier Decrease Decrease Heavier
Lower feed temp Decrease Decrease Lighter Increase Increase Lighter
NOTE: Feed rate changes – Maintain tower temperature profile to maintain product boiling point.
FIGURE 10. Effects of Process Changes to a Distillation Tower

Absorption (Figure 11) is similar
to distillation. The objective is to selectively separate one or more components from a vapor stream. It is the
process used for recovery of valuable liquid components (physical absorption) and for removal of various
contaminants (chemical absorption) from vapor streams.

FIGURE 11. Absorption System

Absorbent regeneration “strips” the recovered components or
contaminants from the absorbent, generally by heating the absorbent to drive off the absorbed materials.
Key operating variables for absorption include:
• Temperature (absorption improved with lower temperatures)
• Pressure (absorption increases with pressure)
• Lean absorbent loading
• Lean absorbent /vapor ratio

GAS PLANT OPERATION

Processing of recovered gases involves three basic steps.
• Treating to remove contaminants (H 2S, CO2, water)
• Recovery of NGL
• NGL separation to salable products
The first two steps are carried out in the gas plants at Shedgum, Uthmaniyah, and Berri. The final step is
performed at the Ju’aymah and Yanbu NGL plants.
The Shedgum gas plant (Figure 12) can be broken down into several subprocesses.
• Gas receiving and condensate stripping
• Gas treating
• Feed gas compression
• NGL recovery (condensation and demethanization)
• Sales gas compression and NGL shipping
• Refrigeration make-up
• Emergency relief systems (flares)
• Utilities
• Sulfur recovery

FIGURE 12. Block Flow – Shedgum Gas Plant

The Shedgum plant consists of four identical process trains, each train consisting of gas treating and
compression, NGL recovery, and refrigeration and sulfur recovery.
Details of typical gas treating and compression, dehydration, NGL condensation and recovery, sales gas
compression, and refrigeration systems are shown in Figures 13 through 17.
FIGURE 13. Gas Treating and Compression

FIGURE 14. Dehydration System

FIGURE 15. NGL Condensation/Demethanization

FIGURE 16. Sales Gas Compression

FIGURE 17. Typical Refrigeration System

The Uthmaniyah plant is virtually identical to the Shedgum plant except that it has three process trains for gas
treating and NGL recovery.
The Berri plant, based on a slightly older design, uses NGL deethanization rather than demethanization.
As shown in Figure 18, the gas plants produce
• Fuel gas – for internal use and for Jubail Industrial City
• NGL – transported through pipelines to Ju’aymah, Ras Tanura, and Yanbu for separation, and
• Sulfur.

FIGURE 18. Gas Plant Product Distribution

NGL PLANT OPERATION

The liquid NGL is delivered at high pressure to the fractionation plants at Ju’aymah and Yanbu. An overview
of the processes, products, and plant throughputs is presented in Figure 19.
FIGURE 19. NGL Movement and Processing

Figure 20 is a simplified flow diagram of the processing scheme used in the NGL plants. It shows the principal
products from NGL.
• Ethane
• Propane
• Butane
• Naphtha or natural gasoline
FIGURE 20. NGL Plant Block Flow Diagram

The basic NGL fractionation process
(Figure 21) consists of a deethanizer, a depropanizer, and a debutanizer in series.

FIGURE 21. NGL Fractionation

The debutanizer bottoms product or natural gasoline must be further
processed prior to shipment. The RVP column removes light boiling pentanes to reduce the vapor pressure
and the decolorizer column removes high boiling components that discolor the product.
Ethane, propane, and butane are stored in refrigerated tanks. This cryogenic storage allows the liquid product
to be held in low pressure containers, saving on the plant investment cost and reducing losses due to
vaporization, which, if not recovered, must be flared.
Liquid products are stored at low temperatures as shown in the following table.
Product Temperature (°F)

Ethane -125
Propane -45
Butane +25
The naphtha is stored in conventional floating roof tanks.

A typical refrigerated LPG storage tank is shown in Figure 22.
FIGURE 22. Refrigerated Storage for LPG

NGL PLANT OPERATION (Cont)
The NGL plants supply a variety of products to the industries in their vicinities and require a number of utilities
from the Royal Commission facilities. The interactions of the Yanbu NGL Plant with its surrounding industries
is shown in Figure 23.
FIGURE 23. NGL Plant/Surrounding Industries

A summary of the Master Gas System is provided in Figure 24.
FIGURE 24. Master Gas System Product Distribution

PRODUCT QUALITY
Products from the gas plants and NGL fractionation plants must meet exacting specifications that are
determined by the end use of the products (Figure 25).
Product Uses
Methane Fuel
Ethane Petrochemical feed
Ethylene
Polyethylene
Ethylene glycol
Fuel
Propane Petrochemical feed
Propylene
Polypropylene
Fuel (LPG)
Butane Petrochemical feed
Fuel
Alkylation process in
Pentane Gasoline blending in
Natural gasoline Gasoline blending
Refinery process feed
FIGURE 25. Products and Uses
High purity (95%) ethane (Figure 26) is delivered as a dry gas,
low in sulfur and carbon dioxide, for ethylene plant feedstock.
Product: Ethane, Chemical Grade

Test Specification
Methane, vol % 2.5 (maximum)
Ethane, vol % 95.0 (minimum)
Propane, vol % 2.5 (maximum)
Carbon dioxide, ppmv 1500 (maximum)
Total sulfur, ppmv 600 (maximum)
Water, pounds per 400 (maximum)
FIGURE 26. Product Specification – Ethane
Ethane is delivered in gaseous form at 250 psig
(minimum) and 150 °F (maximum).

LPG products (liquid propane – Figure 27 – and butane – Figure 28) are also high purity and contaminant free.
They are delivered as refrigerated liquids for petrochemical and refinery process feeds.
Product: Propane
Test Specification
Ethane, vol % 2.0 (maximum)
Propane, vol % 95.0 (minimum)
Butane, vol % 2.5 (maximum)
Pentane, vol % Nil
Corrosion, rating No. 1 (maximum)
H2S, ppmv 5 (maximum)
Total sulfur, ppmw 30 (maximum)
Water, ppmw 10, maximum
Vapor pressure, RVP 200 (maximum)
FIGURE 27. Product Specification – Propane
Product: Butane
Test Specification
Propane, vol % 2.0 (maximum)
Butane, vol % 97.0 (minimum)
Pentane and heavier, 1.0 (maximum)
vol %
Corrosion, rating No. 1 (maximum)
H2S, ppmv 5 (maximum)
Total sulfur, ppmw 30 (maximum)
Water, ppmw 10, maximum
FIGURE 28. Product Specification – Butane

Natural gasoline (Figure 29), also delivered as a liquid, is used primarily for gasoline blending and as refinery
process feed.
Product: Natural Gasoline

Test Specification
Distillation
50% evaporated (°F) 125-180
90% evaporated (°F) 260 (maximum)
Butane, vol % Nil
Color, rating +20 (minimum)
Lead, ppmv 0.05 (maximum)
Total sulfur, wt % 0.01 (maximum)
FIGURE 29. Product Specification – Natural Gasoline

GLOSSARY
absorption The selective removal of components or contaminants from a gas
stream by counterflow contact with a liquid stream.
batch distillation The partial vaporization of a specific volume of liquid followed by

recovery and condensation of the vapors, resulting in separation of
the original liquid into one lighter and one heavier component.
boiling point The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid is equal to
the external pressure on the liquid.
chemical absorption A process where contaminants are removed from a gas stream
through the formation of chemical bonds with one or more
components of an absorbent liquid.
condensate stripper A distillation tower used in the gas plants for stripping light
materials (C1 through C4 hydrocarbons) and contaminants (H 2S,
CO2, water) from condensed gas, leaving a pentane and heavier
NGL product.
condensation The act of removing heat from a vapor and returning it to a liquid
state.
continuous distillation A process using a series of liquid vaporization and vapor

condensation steps to separate a continuous flow of liquid feed into
two or more component liquid products, carried out in vertical
columns with internal trays or packing to ensure liquid-vapor
contact.
counterflow A term used to designate two objects or materials traveling in

opposite directions. Example: gas travels upwards in an absorption
column while liquid travels downwards in the same column.
cryogenic Refrigerated. Often where the material to be cooled is also the

refrigeration medium.
debutanizer A distillation column in which butane and lighter materials are taken
overhead and heavier materials make up the bottoms product.
deethanizer A distillation column in which ethane and lighter materials are taken
overhead and heavier materials make up the bottoms product.
demethanizer A distillation column in which methane and lighter materials are

taken overhead and heavier materials make up the bottoms product.
depropanizer A distillation column in which propane and lighter materials are
taken overhead and heavier materials make up the bottoms product.
distillation A process in which a liquid is separated into two or more

components by vaporizing the liquid followed by condensation of
the vapors produced.

dry gas Gas from which condensable materials and water have been
removed.
latent heat The heat absorbed or released by a substance when it undergoes a

change of physical state.
LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas, generally propane and butane.
natural gasoline Liquid hydrocarbon product boiling in the range normally associated
with a light gasoline (180-300 °F) that is recovered from oil or gas
production facilities.
NGL A mixture of light hydrocarbon materials, generally ranging from

ethane through pentanes or hexanes, which are condensed from gas
production or from gas associated with crude oil production.
operating variables Any of the physical or chemical parameters that can be controlled to
affect the operation of a process, such as temperature, pressure,
levels, various flows, feed composition, and catalyst contact.
physical absorption A process where components are removed from a gas stream by
condensation into a counterflowing liquid absorbent.
process train A series of subprocesses that work together to form a larger process
system, usually where the product from one subprocess is the feed
for the next subprocess in the system.
sensible heat The heat absorbed or released by a substance without that substance
undergoing a change of physical state.
specific heat A measure of the heat required to increase the temperature on one
unit weight of a substance by one degree, without a change of state.
stabilization A partial distillation of crude oil such that light material (C 1 through
C4 hydrocarbons) and contaminants (H 2S, CO2, water) are stripped
from the crude by reboiled vapors.
stripping The addition of vapors to the bottom of a distillation tower to initiate

fractionation of the downflowing liquid and to “strip” lighter
materials from the bottoms product liquid.
vaporization The act of adding heat to a liquid and converting it to the vapor
state.
vapor pressure The pressure exerted by vapors leaving the surface of a liquid.
wet gas Gas containing significant quantities of condensable components

and water.

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Engineering Encyclopedia

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Chapter : Process For additional information on this subject, contact

NEED AND PURPOSE OF THE MASTER GAS SYSTEM 1

LIGHT HYDROCARBON SEPARATION 4

GAS PLANT OPERATION 13

NGL PLANT OPERATION 22

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

NEED AND PURPOSE OF THE MASTER GAS SYSTEM

FIGURE 1. Abqaiq Low Pressure NGL Recovery

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 1

FIGURE 2. Ras Tanura Low Pressure NGL Processing

• Provide feedstocks for a planned petrochemical industry

• Expand NGL exports to meet international demand

• Recover sulfur to protect the environment

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 2

• Berri, Shedgum, and Uthmaniyah gas plants

• East-West NGL Pipeline

• Ju’aymah and Yanbu NGL plants and terminals

• A dependable source of energy and feedstocks to international markets

• Strategic security and flexibility provided by three export terminals

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 3

LIGHT HYDROCARBON SEPARATION

FIGURE 3. Batch Still

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 4

FIGURE 4. Continuous Distillation Using Several Batch Shells in a Continuous Process

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 5

FIGURE 5. Continuous Distillation Tower

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 6

FIGURE 6. Tower Internals

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 7

FIGURE 7. Distillation Controls

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 8

Hydrocarbon Formula Boiling Point at Temp. Difference with

FIGURE 8. Separation – Degree of Difficulty

• Process the largest stream the least amount

• Perform difficult separations on minimum quantities

• Minimize heat input

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 9

The system used in the NGL fractionation plants is shown in Figure 9.

FIGURE 9. NGL Fractionation

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 10

• Vigorous vapor-liquid contact on each tray

• Heat and material balances for the distillation

Overhead Product Bottoms Product

FIGURE 10. Effects of Process Changes to a Distillation Tower

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 11

FIGURE 11. Absorption System

Key operating variables for absorption include:

• Temperature (absorption improved with lower temperatures)

• Pressure (absorption increases with pressure)

• Lean absorbent loading

• Lean absorbent /vapor ratio

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards 12

GAS PLANT OPERATION

• Treating to remove contaminants (H 2S, CO2, water)

• NGL separation to salable products

• Gas receiving and condensate stripping

• Feed gas compression

• NGL recovery (condensation and demethanization)

• Sales gas compression and NGL shipping

• Emergency relief systems (flares)