Category Archives: Pipeline

What is the impact of Nitrogen on the Natural Gas Hydrate Formation Conditions?

Written on January 1, 2016 at 12:00 am, by

The December 2012 Tip of the Month (TOTM) [1] discussed the hydrate phase behavior of sour natural gas mixtures. Specifically, it showed carbon dioxide inhibits the hydrate formation slightly while hydrogen sulfide enhances hydrate formation considerably. This tip will extend the previous study on the natural gas hydrate formation phase behavior. Specifically, it will studyContinue Reading

Improvements in the Steels Used in Oil and Gas Processing Equipment over the Last Half Century

Written on December 1, 2015 at 9:57 am, by

In the post-World war II period, the steels used in the oil and gas industry were quite different from what we use today. This tip of the month (TOTM) presents a brief overview of improvements in the steels used in oil and gas processing equipment for safer and more reliable operations. Plate was SA-285C aContinue Reading

Adsorption Dehydration: Two-Tower vs Three-Tower System

Written on November 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

There are different process configurations for adsorption dehydration systems. The most common arrangements are two-tower and three-tower configurations. One can find the details of the adsorption dehydration process and the descriptions of equipment in Chapter 18 of John M. Campbell textbook [1]. Figures 1 and 2 present a simplified process flow diagram for two-tower andContinue Reading

What is the Impact of Feed Gas Conditions on the Adsorption Dehydration System?

Written on October 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

Download PDF Version Adsorption dehydration units can reduce the water content of a gas stream to less than 0.1 ppmv.  The gas industry normally uses adsorption dehydration units upstream of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant or a deep natural gas liquid (NGL) extraction plant where the gas temperature reduces to less than -160 °CContinue Reading

Gas-Liquid Separators Sizing Parameter

Written on September 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

Download PDF Version In the December 2014 tip of the month (TOTM) [1], we discussed troubleshooting of gas-liquid separators for removal of liquids from the gas stream leaving the separator. There are two methods for sizing gas-liquid separators: 1. Droplet settling theory method, 2. Souders-Brown approach. Historically the Souders-Brown equation has been employed as itContinue Reading

Effect of Relative Density (Specific Gravity) on the Saturated Water Content of Sweet Natural Gases

Written on August 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

In the past Tips of the Month (TOTM), we discussed the phase behavior and water content of lean sweet, sour natural gases and acid gases–water systems. Specifically, in the November 2007 [1], February 2014 [2], and September 2014 [3] Tips of the Month (TOTM), we discussed the phase behavior of water-saturated sour gases and acidContinue Reading

How to Estimate Compressor Efficiency?

Written on July 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

In the November 2011 tip of the month (TOTM) we presented the compressor calculations of a case study. We compared the rigorous method results with the values from the shortcut methods. The rigorous method was based on an equation of state like the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) for calculating the required enthalpies and entropies. The enthalpies andContinue Reading

Effect of Chemical Additive on Crude Oil Pipeline Pressure Drop

Written on June 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

For transportation of crude oil, the pumping power requirement varies as the crude oil viscosity changes. Increasing °API or line average temperature reduces the crude oil viscosity. The reduction of viscosity results in higher Reynolds number, lower friction factor and in effect, lower pumping power requirements. In the March 2009 tip of the month (TOTM),Continue Reading

Process Safety and Low Oil Prices

Written on March 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

In this Tip of the Month, we reflect back to December 2008, and get a reminder from the United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) to remain focused on process safety and accident prevention during this time of lower oil prices. During the economic downturn of 2008, oil prices dropped significantly. The latest drop in crudeContinue Reading

Impact of Solution Gas on Crude Oil Properties in a Gathering Line

Written on November 1, 2014 at 9:00 am, by

In the October 2014 Tip of the Month (TOTM), we demonstrated that Gas-Oil-Ratio (GOR) has a large impact on the capacity of crude oil gathering lines. In general as GOR increased the pressure drop increased which lowered the line capacity. In addition, at high pressures and low GOR, pressure drop was lower than the pressureContinue Reading