Lectures notes in Natural Gas Process Engineering

CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS AND PRINCIPLES OF
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING

1. Natural Gas Production Fundamentals (from reservoir to applications)

The process of getting natural gas out of the ground, and to its final destination to be
used, is a complicated one. There is a great deal of behind-the-scenes activity that goes
into delivering natural gas to your home, even though it takes only the flick of a switch to
turn it on. This section provides an overview of the processes that allow the natural gas
industry to get their product out of the ground, and transform it into the natural gas that is
used in your homes and in industry. The next steps show the different process to produce
the natural gas from the reservoir to the applications:

• Exploration explains how natural gas is found, and how companies decide where
to drill wells for it.
• Extraction focuses on the drilling process, and how natural gas is brought from its
underground reservoirs to the surface.
• Production discusses what happens once the well is drilled, including the
processing of natural gas once it is brought out from underground and completion
of the well.
• Transport presents how the natural gas is transported from the wellhead and
processing plant, using the extensive network of pipelines throughout track of the
pipeline.

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• Processing and the treatment of the natural gas to prepare it at the proper
specifications for the market and applications.
• Storage step describes the storage of natural gas, how it is accomplished, and why
it is necessary.
• Distribution focuses on the delivery of natural gas from the major pipelines to the
end users, whoever they may be.
• Marketing discusses the role that natural gas marketers play in getting the gas
from the wellhead to the end user.

1.1 Exploration

The practice of locating natural gas and petroleum deposits has been transformed
dramatically in the last 20 years with the advent of extremely advanced, ingenious
technology. In the early days of the industry, the only way of locating underground
petroleum and natural gas deposits was to search for surface evidence of these
underground formations. Those searching for natural gas deposits were forced to scour
the earth, looking for seepages of oil or gas emitted from underground before they had
any clue that there were deposits underneath. However, because such a low proportion of
petroleum and natural gas deposits actually seep to the surface, this made for a very
inefficient and difficult exploration process. As the demand for fossil fuel energy has
increased dramatically over the past years, so has the necessity for more accurate
methods of locating these deposits.

The next steps is the main exploration steps:

− Sources of Data
− Geological Surveys
− Seismic Exploration
− Onshore Seismology
− Offshore Seismology
− Exploratory Wells
− Logging

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2.1 Onshore Seismology in Practice

2.2 Offshore Seismic Exploration

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2.3 An Example of 3-D Seismic Imaging Technology

1.2 Extraction

Once a potential natural gas deposit has been located by a team of exploration geologists
and geophysicists, it is up to a team of drilling experts to actually dig down to where the
natural gas is thought to exist. This section will describe the process of drilling for natural
gas, both onshore and offshore. Although the process of digging deep into the Earth's
crust to find deposits of natural gas that may or may not actually exist seems daunting,
the industry has developed a number of innovations and techniques which both decrease
the cost and increase the efficiency of drilling for natural gas. The advance of technology
has also contributed greatly to the increased efficiency and success rate for drilling
natural gas wells.

The decision of whether or not to drill a well depends on a variety of factors, not the least
of which are the economic characteristics of the potential natural gas reservoir. It costs a
great deal of money for exploration and production companies to search and drill for
natural gas, and there is always the inherent risk that no natural gas will be found.

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The exact placement of the drill site depends on a variety of factors, including the nature
of the potential formation to be drilled, the characteristics of the subsurface geology, and
the depth and size of the target deposit. After the geophysical team identifies the optimal
location for a well, it is necessary for the drilling company to ensure that they complete
all the necessary steps to ensure that they can legally drill in that area. This usually
involves securing permits for the drilling operations, establishing a legal arrangement to
allow the natural gas company to extract and sell the resources under a given area of land,
and a design for gathering lines that will connect the well to the pipeline. To learn more
about permitting, leasing, and royalties associated with the extraction of natural gas, visit
the regulation section of our website.

If the new well, once drilled, does in fact come in contact with natural gas deposits, it is
developed to allow the extraction of the natural gas, and is termed a 'development' or
'productive' well. At this point, with the well drilled and hydrocarbons present, the well
may be completed to facilitate its production of natural gas. However, if the exploration
team was incorrect in its estimation of the existence of marketable quantity of natural gas
at a well site, the well is termed a 'dry well', and production does not proceed.

1.3 Production

Once a well has been drilled, and the presence of commercially viable quantities of
petroleum has been verified, the next step is actually lifting the natural gas or oil out of
the ground and processing it for transportation.

Natural gas, as it exists underground, is not exactly the same as the natural gas that comes
through the pipelines to our homes and businesses. Natural gas, as we use it, is almost
entirely methane. Natural gas as we find it underground, however, can come associated
with a variety of other compounds and gases, as well as oil and water, which must be
removed. Natural gas transported through pipelines must meet purity specifications to be
allowed in, so most natural gas processing occurs near the well.

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Once a natural gas or oil well is drilled, and it has been verified that commercially viable
quantities of natural gas are present for extraction, the well must be 'completed' to allow
for the flow of petroleum or natural gas out of the formation and up to the surface. This
process includes strengthening the well hole with casing, evaluating the pressure and
temperature of the formation, and then installing the proper equipment to ensure an
efficient flow of natural gas out of the well.

1.4 Transportation

The efficient and effective movement of natural gas from producing regions to
consumption regions requires an extensive and elaborate transportation system. In many
instances, natural gas produced from a particular well will have to travel a great distance
to reach its point of use. The transportation system for natural gas consists of a complex
network of pipelines, designed to quickly and efficiently transport natural gas from its
origin, to areas of high natural gas demand. Transportation of natural gas is closely linked
to its storage, as well; should the natural gas being transported not be required at that
time, it can be put into storage facilities for when it is needed.

There are essentially three major types of pipelines along the transportation route: the
gathering system, the interstate pipeline, and the distribution system. The gathering
system consists of low pressure, low diameter pipelines that transport raw natural gas
from the wellhead to the processing plant. Should natural gas from a particular well have
high sulfur and carbon dioxide contents (sour gas), a specialized sour gas gathering pipe
must be installed. Sour gas is extremely corrosive and dangerous, thus its transportation
from the wellhead to the sweetening plant must be done carefully. Review the treatment
and processing of natural gas. The main component of the pipeline is as follows:

− Pipes
− Compressor stations
− Metering station

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− Valves
− Control station

2.4 Pipeline construction.

1.5 Processing and Treatment

Natural gas, as it is used by consumers, is much different from the natural gas that is
brought from underground up to the wellhead. Although the processing of natural gas is
in many respects less complicated than the processing and refining of crude oil, it is
equally as necessary before its use by end users. And the details of this step is the main
objective of the course.

1.6 Storage

Natural gas, like most other commodities, can be stored for an indefinite period of time.
The exploration, production, and transportation of natural gas takes time, and the natural
gas that reaches its destination is not always needed right away, so it is injected into
underground storage facilities. These storage facilities can be located near market centers
that do not have a ready supply of locally produced natural gas.

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1.7 Distribution

Distribution is the final step in delivering natural gas to end users. While some large
industrial, commercial, and electric generation customers receive natural gas directly
from high capacity interstate and intrastate pipelines (usually contracted through natural
gas marketing companies), most other users receive natural gas from a local distribution
company (LDC). LDCs are companies involved in the delivery of natural gas to
consumers within a specific geographic area. There are two basic types of local
distribution companies: those owned by investors, and public gas systems owned by local
governments.

The natural gas is periodically compressed to ensure pipeline flow, although local
compressor stations are typically much smaller than those used for interstate
transportation. Because of the smaller volumes of natural gas to be moved, as well as the
small-diameter pipe that is used, the pressure required to move natural gas through the
distribution network is much lower than that found in the transmission pipelines. While
natural gas traveling through interstate pipelines may be compressed to as much as 1,300
pounds per square inch (psi), natural gas traveling through the distribution network
requires as little as 3 psi of pressurization. The natural gas to be distributed is typically
depressurized at or near the citygate, as well as scrubbed and filtered (even though it has
already been processed prior to distribution through interstate pipelines) to ensure low
moisture and particulate content. In addition, Mercaptan - the source of the familiar rotten
egg smell in natural gas - is added by the LDC prior to distribution. This is added because
natural gas is odorless and colorless, and the familiar odor of Mercaptan makes the
detection of leaks much easier.

Traditionally, rigid steel pipe was used to construct distribution networks. However, new
technology is allowing the use of flexible plastic and corrugated stainless steel tubing in
place of rigid steel pipe. These new types of tubing allow cost reduction and installation
flexibility for both local distribution companies and natural gas consumers.

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1.8 Marketing

Natural gas marketing is a relatively new addition to the natural gas industry, beginning
in the mid-1980's. Prior to the deregulation of the natural gas commodity market and the
introduction of open access for everyone to natural gas pipelines, there was no role for
natural gas marketers. Producers sold to pipelines, who sold to local distribution
companies and other large volume natural gas users. Local distribution companies sold
the natural gas purchased from the pipelines to retail end users, including commercial and
residential customers. Price regulation at all levels of this supply chain left no place for
others to buy and sell natural gas. However, with the newly accessible competitive
markets introduced gradually over the past fifteen years, natural gas marketing has
become an integral component of the natural gas industry. In fact, the first marketers
were a direct result of interstate pipelines attempting to recoup losses associated with
long term contracts entered into as a result of the oversupply problems of the early 1980s.

Figure 2.5 show schematic overview of the natural gas industry. The diagram explain the
different steps from the well to the applications. As shown in the figure the source of the
gas could be from the gas wells or from oil – gas wells. For crude oil, it is not necessary
to apply some treatment, i.e. the crude oil could be exported as a crude oil. But for the
natural gas the situation is differs, while the natural gas need more treatment and
processing steps to be able for export (dry gas). As well as, Fig. 2.6 shows the natural gas
supply and distribution in the united state.

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Fig. 2.5 Schematic overview of natural gas industry.

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Fig. 2.6 Natural gas supply and disposition in the United States in 2003. Values shown
are in Tcf. (Adapted from Energy Information Administration, 2005.)

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2. Why Natural Gas Processing

The natural gas used by consumers is composed almost entirely of methane. However,
natural gas found at the wellhead, although still composed primarily of methane, is by no
means as pure. Raw natural gas comes from three types of wells: oil wells, gas wells, and
condensate wells. Natural gas that comes from oil wells is typically termed 'associated
gas'. This gas can exist separate from oil in the formation (free gas), or dissolved in the
crude oil (dissolved gas). Natural gas from gas and condensate wells, in which there is
little or no crude oil, is termed 'nonassociated gas'. Gas wells typically produce raw
natural gas by itself, while condensate wells produce free natural gas along with a semi-
liquid hydrocarbon condensate. Whatever the source of the natural gas, once separated
from crude oil (if present) it commonly exists in mixtures with other hydrocarbons;
principally ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. In addition, raw natural gas contains
water vapor, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and other
compounds.

Natural gas processing consists of separating all of the various hydrocarbons and fluids
(even solids) from the pure natural gas, to produce what is known as 'pipeline quality'
dry natural gas. Major transportation pipelines usually impose restrictions on the make-
up of the natural gas that is allowed into the pipeline. That means that before the natural
gas can be transported it must be purified. While the ethane, propane, butane, and
pentanes must be removed from natural gas, this does not mean that they are all 'waste
products'.

In fact, associated hydrocarbons, known as 'natural gas liquids' (NGLs) can be very
valuable by-products of natural gas processing. NGLs include ethane, propane, butane,
iso-butane, and natural gasoline. These NGLs are sold separately and have a variety of
different uses; including enhancing oil recovery in oil wells, providing raw materials for
oil refineries or petrochemical plants, and as sources of energy.

The actual practice of processing natural gas to pipeline dry gas quality levels can be
quite complex, but usually involves four main processes to remove the various
impurities:

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− Oil and Condensate Removal

− Water Removal
− Separation of Natural Gas Liquids
− Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide Removal

3. Natural Gas Composition

Natural gas is defined as gas obtained from a natural underground reservoir. It generally
contains a large quantity of methane along with heavier hydrocarbons such as ethane,
propane, isobutene, normal butane, etc.. Also in the raw state it often contains a
considerable amount of non-hydrocarbons, such as nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide and
carbon diooxode. There are some traces of such compounds as helium, carbonyl sulohide
and various n-rcaptans. It is also generally saturated with water. Table 2.1 below gives
the analysis (composition) of the raw natural gas.

Table 2.1 Natural Gas composition.

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Fig. 2.7 Why gas processing.

4. Natural Gas process

The different aforementioned processes are not the only process used to produce dry
natural gas or natural gas with available exporting properties. The next points details the
most famous processing and treatment operation on the natural gas.

4.1 Oil and Condensate Removal

The actual process used to separate oil from natural gas, as well as the equipment that is
used, can vary widely. Although dry pipeline quality natural gas is virtually identical
across different geographic areas, raw natural gas from different regions may have
different compositions and separation requirements. In many instances, natural gas is
dissolved in oil underground primarily due to the pressure that the formation is under.

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When this natural gas and oil is produced, it is possible that it will separate on its own,
simply due to decreased pressure; much like opening a can of soda pop allows the release
of dissolved carbon dioxide. In these cases, separation of oil and gas is relatively easy,
and the two hydrocarbons are sent separate ways for further processing. The most basic
type of separator is known as a conventional separator. It consists of a simple closed tank,
where the force of gravity serves to separate the heavier liquids like oil, and the lighter
gases, like natural gas.

In certain instances, however, specialized equipment is necessary to separate oil and

natural gas. An example of this type of equipment is the Low-Temperature Separator
(LTX). This is most often used for wells producing high pressure gas along with light
crude oil or condensate. These separators use pressure differentials to cool the wet natural
gas and separate the oil and condensate. Wet gas enters the separator, being cooled
slightly by a heat exchanger. The gas then travels through a high pressure liquid
'knockout', which serves to remove any liquids into a low-temperature separator. The gas
then flows into this low-temperature separator through a choke mechanism, which
expands the gas as it enters the separator. This rapid expansion of the gas allows for the
lowering of the temperature in the separator.

After liquid removal, the dry gas then travels back through the heat exchanger and is
warmed by the incoming wet gas. By varying the pressure of the gas in various sections
of the separator, it is possible to vary the temperature, which causes the oil and some
water to be condensed out of the wet gas stream. This basic pressure-temperature
relationship can work in reverse as well, to extract gas from a liquid oil stream.

4.2 Water Removal

In addition to separating oil and some condensate from the wet gas stream, it is necessary
to remove most of the associated water. Most of the liquid, free water associated with
extracted natural gas is removed by simple separation methods at or near the wellhead.

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However, the removal of the water vapor that exists in solution in natural gas requires a
more complex treatment. This treatment consists of 'dehydrating' the natural gas, which
usually involves one of two processes: either absorption, or adsorption.

Absorption occurs when the water vapor is taken out by a dehydrating agent. Adsorption
occurs when the water vapor is condensed and collected on the surface.

4.2.1 Glycol Dehydration

An example of absorption dehydration is known as Glycol Dehydration. In this process, a

liquid desiccant dehydrator serves to absorb water vapor from the gas stream. Glycol, the
principal agent in this process, has a chemical affinity for water. This means that, when in
contact with a stream of natural gas that contains water, glycol will serve to 'steal' the
water out of the gas stream. Essentially, glycol dehydration involves using a glycol
solution, usually either diethylene glycol (DEG) or triethylene glycol (TEG), which is
brought into contact with the wet gas stream in what is called the 'contactor'. The glycol
solution will absorb water from the wet gas.

Once absorbed, the glycol particles become heavier and sink to the bottom of the
contactor where they are removed. The natural gas, having been stripped of most of its
water content, is then transported out of the dehydrator. The glycol solution, bearing all
of the water stripped from the natural gas, is put through a specialized boiler designed to
vaporize only the water out of the solution. While water has a boiling point of 212
degrees Fahrenheit (100 oC), glycol does not boil until 400 degrees Fahrenheit (160 oC).
This boiling point differential makes it relatively easy to remove water from the glycol
solution, allowing it be reused in the dehydration process.

A new innovation in this process has been the addition of flash tank separator-
condensers. As well as absorbing water from the wet gas stream, the glycol solution
occasionally carries with it small amounts of methane and other compounds found in the
wet gas. In the past, this methane was simply vented out of the boiler. In addition to

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losing a portion of the natural gas that was extracted, this venting contributes to air
pollution and the greenhouse effect. In order to decrease the amount of methane and other
compounds that are lost, flash tank separator-condensers work to remove these
compounds before the glycol solution reaches the boiler. Essentially, a flash tank
separator consists of a device that reduces the pressure of the glycol solution stream,
allowing the methane and other hydrocarbons to vaporize ('flash'). The glycol solution
then travels to the boiler, which may also be fitted with air or water cooled condensers,
which serve to capture any remaining organic compounds that may remain in the glycol
solution. In practice, according to the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy,
these systems have been shown to recover 90 to 99 percent of methane that would
otherwise be flared into the atmosphere.

4.2.2 Solid-Desiccant Dehydration

Solid-desiccant dehydration is the primary form of dehydrating natural gas using

adsorption, and usually consists of two or more adsorption towers, which are filled with a
solid desiccant. Typical desiccants include activated alumina or a granular silica gel
material. Wet natural gas is passed through these towers, from top to bottom. As the wet
gas passes around the particles of desiccant material, water is retained on the surface of
these desiccant particles. Passing through the entire desiccant bed, almost all of the water
is adsorbed onto the desiccant material, leaving the dry gas to exit the bottom of the
tower.

Solid-desiccant dehydrators are typically more effective than glycol dehydrators, and are
usually installed as a type of straddle system along natural gas pipelines. These types of
dehydration systems are best suited for large volumes of gas under very high pressure,
and are thus usually located on a pipeline downstream of a compressor station. Two or
more towers are required due to the fact that after a certain period of use, the desiccant in
a particular tower becomes saturated with water. To 'regenerate' the desiccant, a high-
temperature heater is used to heat gas to a very high temperature. Passing this heated gas

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through a saturated desiccant bed vaporizes the water in the desiccant tower, leaving it
dry and allowing for further natural gas dehydration.

4.3 Separation of Natural Gas Liquids

Natural gas coming directly from a well contains many natural gas liquids that are
commonly removed. In most instances, natural gas liquids (NGLs) have a higher value as
separate products, and it is thus economical to remove them from the gas stream. The
removal of natural gas liquids usually takes place in a relatively centralized processing
plant, and uses techniques similar to those used to dehydrate natural gas.

There are two basic steps to the treatment of natural gas liquids in the natural gas stream.
First, the liquids must be extracted from the natural gas. Second, these natural gas liquids
must be separated themselves, down to their base components.

There are two principle techniques for removing NGLs from the natural gas stream: the
absorption method and the cryogenic expander process. According to the Gas Processors
Association, these two processes account for around 90 percent of total natural gas
liquids production.

4.3.1 The Absorption Method

The absorption method of NGL extraction is very similar to using absorption for
dehydration. The main difference is that, in NGL absorption, an absorbing oil is used as
opposed to glycol. This absorbing oil has an 'affinity' for NGLs in much the same manner
as glycol has an affinity for water. Before the oil has picked up any NGLs, it is termed
'lean' absorption oil. As the natural gas is passed through an absorption tower, it is
brought into contact with the absorption oil which soaks up a high proportion of the
NGLs. The 'rich' absorption oil, now containing NGLs, exits the absorption tower
through the bottom. It is now a mixture of absorption oil, propane, butanes, pentanes, and
other heavier hydrocarbons. The rich oil is fed into lean oil stills, where the mixture is
heated to a temperature above the boiling point of the NGLs, but below that of the oil.

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This process allows for the recovery of around 75 percent of butanes, and 85 - 90 percent
of pentanes and heavier molecules from the natural gas stream.

The basic absorption process above can be modified to improve its effectiveness, or to
target the extraction of specific NGLs. In the refrigerated oil absorption method, where
the lean oil is cooled through refrigeration, propane recovery can be upwards of 90
percent, and around 40 percent of ethane can be extracted from the natural gas stream.
Extraction of the other, heavier NGLs can be close to 100 percent using this process.

4.3.2 The Cryogenic Expansion Process

Cryogenic processes are also used to extract NGLs from natural gas. While absorption
methods can extract almost all of the heavier NGLs, the lighter hydrocarbons, such as
ethane, are often more difficult to recover from the natural gas stream. In certain
instances, it is economic to simply leave the lighter NGLs in the natural gas stream.
However, if it is economic to extract ethane and other lighter hydrocarbons, cryogenic
processes are required for high recovery rates. Essentially, cryogenic processes consist of
dropping the temperature of the gas stream to around -120 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are a number of different ways of chilling the gas to these temperatures, but one of
the most effective is known as the turbo expander process. In this process, external
refrigerants are used to cool the natural gas stream. Then, an expansion turbine is used to
rapidly expand the chilled gases, which causes the temperature to drop significantly.

This rapid temperature drop condenses ethane and other hydrocarbons in the gas stream,
while maintaining methane in gaseous form. This process allows for the recovery of
about 90 to 95 percent of the ethane originally in the gas stream. In addition, the
expansion turbine is able to convert some of the energy released when the natural gas
stream is expanded into recompressing the gaseous methane effluent, thus saving energy
costs associated with extracting ethane.

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The extraction of NGLs from the natural gas stream produces both cleaner, purer natural
gas, as well as the valuable hydrocarbons that are the NGLs themselves.

4.3.3 Natural Gas Liquid Fractionation

Once NGLs have been removed from the natural gas stream, they must be broken down
into their base components to be useful. That is, the mixed stream of different NGLs must
be separated out. The process used to accomplish this task is called fractionation.
Fractionation works based on the different boiling points of the different hydrocarbons in
the NGL stream. Essentially, fractionation occurs in stages consisting of the boiling off of
hydrocarbons one by one. The name of a particular fractionator gives an idea as to its
purpose, as it is conventionally named for the hydrocarbon that is boiled off. The entire
fractionation process is broken down into steps, starting with the removal of the lighter
NGLs from the stream. The particular fractionators are used in the following order:

• Deethanizer - this step separates the ethane from the NGL stream.
• Depropanizer - the next step separates the propane.
• Debutanizer - this step boils off the butanes, leaving the pentanes and heavier
hydrocarbons in the NGL stream.
• Butane Splitter or Deisobutanizer - this step separates the iso and normal butanes.

By proceeding from the lightest hydrocarbons to the heaviest, it is possible to separate the
different NGLs reasonably easily.

4.4 Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide Removal

In addition to water, oil, and NGL removal, one of the most important parts of gas
processing involves the removal of sulfur and carbon dioxide. Natural gas from some
wells contains significant amounts of sulfur and carbon dioxide. This natural gas, because
of the rotten smell provided by its sulfur content, is commonly called 'sour gas'. Sour gas
is undesirable because the sulfur compounds it contains can be extremely harmful, even

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lethal, to breathe. Sour gas can also be extremely corrosive. In addition, the sulfur that
exists in the natural gas stream can be extracted and marketed on its own. In fact,
according to the USGS, U.S. sulfur production from gas processing plants accounts for
about 15 percent of the total U.S. production of sulfur.

Sulfur exists in natural gas as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and the gas is usually considered
sour if the hydrogen sulfide content exceeds 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of
natural gas. The process for removing hydrogen sulfide from sour gas is commonly
referred to as 'sweetening' the gas.

The primary process for sweetening sour natural gas is quite similar to the processes of
glycol dehydration and NGL absorption. In this case, however, amine solutions are used
to remove the hydrogen sulfide. This process is known simply as the 'amine process', or
alternatively as the Girdler process, and is used in 95 percent of U.S. gas sweetening
operations. The sour gas is run through a tower, which contains the amine solution. This
solution has an affinity for sulfur, and absorbs it much like glycol absorbing water. There
are two principle amine solutions used, monoethanolamine (MEA) and diethanolamine
(DEA). Either of these compounds, in liquid form, will absorb sulfur compounds from
natural gas as it passes through. The effluent gas is virtually free of sulfur compounds,
and thus loses its sour gas status. Like the process for NGL extraction and glycol
dehydration, the amine solution used can be regenerated (that is, the absorbed sulfur is
removed), allowing it to be reused to treat more sour gas.

Although most sour gas sweetening involves the amine absorption process, it is also
possible to use solid desiccants like iron sponges to remove the sulfide and carbon
dioxide.

Sulfur can be sold and used if reduced to its elemental form. Elemental sulfur is a bright
yellow powder like material, and can often be seen in large piles near gas treatment

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plants, as is shown. In order to recover elemental sulfur from the gas processing plant, the
sulfur containing discharge from a gas sweetening process must be further treated. The
process used to recover sulfur is known as the Claus process, and involves using thermal
and catalytic reactions to extract the elemental sulfur from the hydrogen sulfide solution.

In all, the Claus process is usually able to recover 97 percent of the sulfur that has been
removed from the natural gas stream. Since it is such a polluting and harmful substance,
further filtering, incineration, and 'tail gas' clean up efforts ensure that well over 98
percent of the sulfur is recovered.

Gas processing is an instrumental piece of the natural gas value chain. It is instrumental
in ensuring that the natural gas intended for use is as clean and pure as possible, making it
the clean burning and environmentally sound energy choice. Once the natural gas has
been fully processed, and is ready to be consumed, it must be transported from those
areas that produce natural gas, to those areas that require it.

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