Gas Refining

Gas refining usually involves the use of several integrated unit processes to remove: (1) oil, (2) water, (3) elements such as sulfur, helium, and carbon dioxide, and (4) natural gas liquids. In addition, it is often necessary to install scrubbers and heaters at or near the wellhead that serve primarily to remove sand and other large-particle impurities. The heaters ensure that the temperature of the natural gas does not drop too low and form a hydrate with the water vapor content of the gas stream.

Many chemical processes are available for processing or refining natural gas. However, there are many variables in the choice of process of the choice of refining sequence that dictate the choice of process or processes to be employed. In this choice, several factors must be considered:

The types and concentrations of contaminants in the gas
The degree of contaminant removal desired
The selectivity of acid gas removal required
The temperature, pressure, volume, and composition of the gas to be processed
The carbon dioxide–hydrogen sulfide ratio in the gas
The desirability of sulfur recovery due to process economics or environmental issues
Padideh Banan Co Field of ActivitiesFields of Activity Gas Refineries

In addition to hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, gas may contain other contaminants, such as mercaptans and carbonyl sulfide. In fact, the variation in the composition of the gases that require cleaning either before being assigned to further use requires a variation of process types to ensure that specifications are met and the environment is protected. The presence of these impurities may eliminate some of the sweetening processes since some processes remove large amounts of acid gas but not to a sufficiently low concentration. On the other hand, there are those processes that are not designed to remove (or are incapable of removing) large amounts of acid gases. However, these processes also capable of removing the acid gas impurities to very low levels when the acid gases are there in low to medium concentrations in the gas.

Padideh Banan Fields of Activity Gas Refineries Phase 19 of South Pars