Category Archives: Gas Processing

In facilities operations the understanding of where the process is on a phase diagram can often help the engineer and operator avoid extremely embarrassing design and operating mistakes. The oil and gas industry is full of many “war stories” about “phase diagram disasters.” Most instances are never related back to the phase diagram misunderstanding. InContinue Reading

In order to continue the last tip of the month’s discussion on MEG injection plant, in this “Tip of the Month”, we will focus on two more questions: Does MEG have any dehydration ability at the three phase cold separator condition of a typical mechanical refrigeration plant? What is the dehydration ability of MEG ifContinue Reading

In this “Tip of the Month”, we will focus on the question of: Which technology should you choose? The answer, of course, is “It depends.” It depends on what you are trying to accomplish, the constraints imposed on your system and the relative economics. A Rule of Thumb is “Use MEG injection if you haveContinue Reading

Introduction Engineers are frequently asked to calculate the fluid pressure drop in a piping system. Many software programs are available for solving complicated hydraulic problems; however’ they can be complex and difficult to use. In addition, there are many tables or shortcut methods that give adequate answers but they usually apply to predefined conditions whichContinue Reading

In the last two “Tip of the Month” we briefly discussed the importance of liquid density for process simulation and equipment design. Three different methods were introduced to compute liquid density. The methods were (a) charts and monographs, (b) correlations and (c) EoS or volume translated EoS. We also presented a comparison between accuracy ofContinue Reading

In the previous “Tip of the Month” we briefly discussed the importance of liquid density for process simulation and equipment design and introduced different methods of their predictions. In addition to direct laboratory measurement, three different methods were introduced to compute liquid density. The methods were (a) charts and monographs, (b) correlations and (c) EoSContinue Reading

Liquid density is needed for process simulation and equipment design. For example, accurate predictions of liquid density are needed for calculation of pressure drop in a piping/pipeline and vessel sizing. Accurate liquid density is also essential for custody transfer. Liquid density ranges from a few hundred above thousand to couple of 100 kg/m3. Table 1Continue Reading

In the previous “Tip of the Month”, we presented several methods for estimating Kvalues. The methods presented were the GPA correlations and charts, Raoult’s law, Wilson’s correlation, EoS approaches, activity coefficient models and JMC Charts and Tables. However, the question arises as to which equation or method should be used? The answer to this questionContinue Reading

Modeling and design of many types of equipment for separating gas and liquids such as flash separators at the well head, distillation columns and even a pipeline are based on the phases present being in vapor-liquid equilibrium. The thermodynamic equilibrium between vapor and liquid phases is expressed in terms equality of fugacity of component iContinue Reading

Many years ago a generalized procedure was developed by the Hydraulic Institute (HI) for correcting centrifugal pump performance when handling viscous fluids. Their procedure was universally accepted by pump manufactures and industry users. HI has recently issued a revised procedure for predicting pump performance based on new research and field test data [1]. The revisedContinue Reading