Condenstae Stabilization
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satishchemengCondenstae Stabilization
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satishchemengCONDENSTAE STABILIZATION
The process of increasing the amount of intermediates (C3 to C5) and heavy (C+6 )
components in the condensate is called “condensate stabilization. In other word, the
scope of this process is to separate the very light hydrocarbon gases, methane and
ethane in particular, from the heavier hydrocarbon components (C+3 ).
Hydrocarbon condensate recovered from natural gas may be shipped without further
processing but is stabilized often for blending into the crude oil stream and thereby sold
as crude oil.
This process is performed primarily in order to reduce the vapor pressure of the
condensate liquids so that a vapor phase is not produced upon flashing the liquid to
atmospheric storage tanks.
Stabilized liquid, however, generally has a vapor pressure specification, as the product
will be injected into a pipeline or transport pressure vessel, which has definite pressure
limitations. Condensates may contain a relatively high percentage of intermediate
components and can be separated easily from entrained water due to its lower viscosity
and greater density difference with water. Thus, some sort of condensate stabilization
should be considered for each gas well production facility.
STABILIZATION PROCESSES:
Stabilization of condensate streams can be accomplished through either flash
vaporization or fractionation.
Flash Vaporization
flash vaporization as a condensate stabilization method is old technology and is not
used in a modern gas plant.
As shown, condensate from the inlet separator after passing through the exchanger
enters to the high-pressure flash tank, where the pressure is maintained at 40 kg/cm2-g.
A pressure drop of 20 kg/cm2-g is obtained here, which assists flashing of large
amounts of lighter ends, which join the sour vapor stream after recompression.
The vapor can either be processed further and put into the sales gas or be recycled into
the reservoir and used as gas lift to produce more crude oils. The bottom liquid from the
high-pressure tank flows to the middle pressure flash tank operated at 20 kg/cm2-g.
Additional methane and ethane are released in this tank. The bottom product is
withdrawn again to the low-pressure tank operated at 3.5 kg/cm2-g. To ensure efficient
separation, condensate is degassed in the stripper vessel at the lowest possible
pressure prior to storage.
This reduces excess flashing of condensate in the storage tank and reduces the
inert gas blanket pressure required in it.
Stabilization by Fractionation
It is a single tower process, as only one specification product is required. The bottom
product of the column is capable of meeting any kind of rigid specifications with the
proper operating conditions.
The liquid hydrocarbon (condensate) is brought into the system from the inlet separator
and preheated in the stabilizer feed/bottoms exchanger before entering the stabilizer
feed drum.1 Liquid from the feed drum is fed to the stabilization tower at approximately
2.5 kg/cm2-g to 12 kg/cm2-g depending on whether they are sour (sour stabilization is
carried out at the low end of the range and sweet stabilization at the high end of the
range).
The condensate stabilizer reduces vapor pressure of the condensate by removing the
lighter components. The stabilization is typically carried out in a reboiled absorber, with
tray type internals. However, if a better separation is required, typically the column is
changed from a top feed reboiled absorber to a refluxed distillation tower. Liquids
leaving the bottom of the tower have undergone a series of stage flashes at ever-
increasing temperatures, driving off the light components, which exit the top of the
tower. These liquids must be cooled to a sufficiently low temperature to keep vapors
from flashing to atmosphere in the condensate storage tank.
Gas suppliers sell the condensate product with a Reid vapor pressure (RVP) defined by
the customer. In this instance, a distributed control system is used by the APC system
to maintain RVP within quality limits and push this to a higher specification
