GAS ENGINEERING

RABIA SABIR
LECTURE #1
 BOOKS

• TEXTBOOK:
• ARTHUR J. KIDNAY , WILLIAM R. PARRISH, “FUNDAMENTALS OF NATURAL GAS
PROCESSING” 2006 BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS GROUP.

• REFERENCES:
• “KEN ARNOLD, MAURICE STEWART, DESIGN OF GAS HANDLING SYSTEMS AND
FACILITIES, VOLUME 1989, GULF PUBLISHING COMPANY
• STEPHEN A. NEWMAN, ACID AND SOUR GAS TREATING PROCESSES, 1985, GULF
PUBLISHING COMPANY
• DONALD L. KATZ, HANDBOOK OF NATURAL GAS ENGINEERING, 1990, MCGRAW-HILL
• E. J. HOFFMAN, MEMBRANE SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY, 2003, GULF PUBLISHING
COMPANY  
 NATURAL GAS
• Natural gas is composed primarily of methane (ch4)with minor amounts of the paraffin
hydrocarbon family, ethane (C2H6), propane (C2H8), and butanes (C4H10).
• Non-hydrocarbon constituents include nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, helium, and
water vapor. Although natural gas occurs as gas under pressure in porous rock beneath the earth's
surface, often it is in solution with crude oil or condensate. Then it may be described as the
volatile portion of petroleum.
• Important background material for engineers in the natural gas industry includes such subjects as
geology and occurrence of natural gas.
• A knowledge of earth temperatures and pressures is required for predicting the gas content of
reservoirs and the rate of delivery therefrom.
 NATURAL GAS HISTORY
• The Chinese are reputed to have been the first to use natural gas commercially, some 2,400 years
ago. The gas was obtained from shallow wells, transported in bamboo pipes, and used to produce
salt from brine in gas-fired evaporators.
• Manufactured, or town, gas (gas manufactured from coal) was used in both Britain and the united
states in the late 17th and early 18th centuries for streetlights and house lighting.
• The next recorded commercial use of natural gas occurred in 1821. William hart drilled a shallow
30-foot (9-meter) well in Fredonia, new York, and, by use of wooden pipes, transported the gas to
local houses and stores (natural gas suppliers association, 2004).
• During the following years, a number of small, local programs involved natural gas, but large-scale
activity began in the early years of the 20th century. The major boom in gas usage occurred after
world war II, when engineering advances allowed the construction of safe, reliable, long-distance
pipelines for gas transportation.
• At the end of 2004, the united states had more than 297,000 miles (479,000 kilometers) of gas
pipelines, both interstate and intrastate.
• In 2004 the U.S. was the world’s second largest producer of natural gas (19.2 trillion cubic feet
[Tcf]*, 543 BSm3) and the leading world consumer (22.9 Tcf, 647 BSm3). (Energy information
administration, 2005h and BP statistical review of world energy, 2005)
• Although the primary use of natural gas is as a fuel, it is also a source of hydrocarbons for
petrochemical feedstocks and a major source of elemental sulfur, an important industrial
chemical.
• Its popularity as an energy source is expected to grow substantially in the future because natural
gas presents many environmental advantages over petroleum and coal, as shown in Table 1.1.
Greenhouse gas linked to global warming, is
produced from oil and coal at a rate approximately
1.4 to 1.75 times higher than production from natural
gas. Both atmospheric nitrogen and nitrogen in fuel
are sources of nitrogen oxides (NOX), which are
greenhouse gases and a source of acid rain. Because
both oil and coal contain nitrogen compounds not
present in natural gas, the nitrogen oxides formed
from burning natural gas are approximately 20% of
those produced when oil or coal is burned.
Particulate formation is significantly less in gas
compared with coal and oil, an important
environmental consideration because in addition to
degrading air quality, high levels of particulates may
pose significant health problems.
 NATURAL GAS (PAKISTAN)
• Pakistan holds 19 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranking
29th in the world and accounting for about 0.4% of the world's total natural gas reserves
of 6,923 tcf.
• Pakistan has proven reserves equivalent to 12.0 times its annual consumption. This
means it has about 12 years of gas left (at current consumption levels and excluding
unproven reserves).
• Pakistan consumes 1,590,904 million cubic feet (mmcf) of natural gas per year as of
the year 2017.
• Pakistan ranks 21st in the world for natural gas consumption, accounting for about 1.2%
of the world's total consumption of 132,290,211 mmcf.
• Pakistan consumes 7,652 cubic feet of natural gas per capita every year (based on
the 2017 population of 207,906,209 people), or 21 cubic feet per capita per day.
• Pakistan produces 1,454,978.00 million cubic feet (mmcf) of natural gas per year (as of
2015) ranking 26th in the world.
• Pakistan imports 3% of its natural gas consumption (48,382 mmcf in 2015).
HISTORY OF GAS RESERVES IN PAKISTAN
NATURAL GAS RESERVES BY COUNTRY
Overview of the Natural Gas Industry
Major Proven Natural reservoirs by
countries
 SOURCES OF NATURAL GAS
• Conventional natural gas generally occurs in deep reservoirs, either associated with crude oil
(associated gas) or in reservoirs that contain little or no crude oil (nonassociated gas). Associated
gas is produced with the oil and separated at the casinghead or wellhead. Gas produced in this
fashion is also referred to as casinghead gas, oil well gas, or dissolved gas.
• Nonassociated gas is sometimes referred to as gas-well gas or dry gas. However, this dry gas can
still contain significant amounts of NGL components. Roughly 93% of the gas produced in the
United States is nonassociated (Energy Information Administration, 2004b).
• A class of reservoirs, referred to as gas condensate reservoirs, occurs where, because of the high
pressures and temperatures, the material is present not as a liquid or a gas but as a very dense,
high-pressure fluid.
 NATURAL GAS COMPOSITIONS
• TRADITIONAL NATURAL GAS
 IMPURITIES IN NATURAL GAS
• Water. Most gas produced contains water, which must be removed. Concentrations range from trace amounts to saturation.
• Sulfur species. If the hydrogen sulfide (H 2S) concentration is greater than 2 to 3%, carbonyl sulfide (COS), carbon disulfide
(CS2), elemental sulfur, and mercaptans* may be present.
• Mercury. Trace quantities of mercury may be present in some gases; levels reported vary from 0.01 to 180 µg/nm3. Because
mercury can damage the brazed aluminum heat exchangers used in cryogenic applications, conservative design requires
mercury removal to a level of 0.01 µg/nm3 (traconis et al., 1996)
• Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) may also present problems in gas processing. The radioactive gas radon
can occur in wellhead gas at levels from 1 to 1,450 pci/l (gray, 1990).
• Diluents. Although the gases shown in Table 1.4 are typical, some gases have extreme amounts of undesirable components.
For example, according to hobson and tiratso (1985), wells that contain as much as 92% carbon dioxide (colorado), 88%
hydrogen sulfide (alberta, canada), and 86% nitrogen (texas) have been observed.
• Oxygen. Some gas-gathering systems in the united states operate below atmospheric pressure. As a result of leaking pipelines,
open valves, and other system compromises, oxygen is an important impurity to monitor. A significant amount of corrosion in
gas processing is related to oxygen ingress.
 UNCONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF NATURAL GAS

• SHALE GAS
• COALBED METHANE
• TIGHT SANDSTONES
• METHANE HYDRATES
 SHALE GAS
• Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations.shale gas has
become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the united states since the
start of this century, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the
world. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U.S. Natural gas production; by 2010 it
was over 20% and the U.S. Government's energy information administration predicts
that by 2035, 46% of the united states' natural gas supply will come from shale gas.
• Shale has low matrix permeability, and so gas production in commercial quantities
requires fractures to provide permeability. Shale gas has been produced for years from
shales with natural fractures; the shale gas boom in recent years has been due to
modern technology in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to create extensive artificial
fractures around well bores.
 METHANE HYDRATES
• Methane hydrate is A crystalline solid that consists of A methane molecule surrounded by A cage of
interlocking water molecules (see image at the top of this page). Methane hydrate is an "ice" that
only occurs naturally in subsurface deposits where temperature and pressure conditions are favorable
for its formation.
• As natural gas from shale becomes a global energy "game changer," oil and gas researchers are
working to develop new technologies to produce natural gas from methane hydrate deposits. This
research is important because methane hydrate deposits are believed to be a larger hydrocarbon
resource than all of the world's oil, natural gas and coal resources combined. [1] if these deposits can
be efficiently and economically developed, methane hydrate could become the next energy game
changer.
 COALBED METHANE
• The term refers to methane adsorbed into the solid matrix of the coal. It is called 'sweet
gas' because of its lack of hydrogen sulfide. The presence of this gas is well known from
its occurrence in underground coal mining, where it presents a serious safety risk.
Coalbed methane is distinct from a typical sandstone or other conventional gas
reservoir, as the methane is stored within the coal by a process called adsorption. The
methane is in a near-liquid state, lining the inside of pores within the coal (called the
matrix). The open fractures in the coal (called the cleats) can also contain free gas or
can be saturated with water
 PROCESSING AND PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS
• The two primary uses for natural gas are as a fuel and as a petrochemical feedstock, and
consequently, the three basic reasons for processing raw natural gas are the following:
• Purification. Removal of materials, valuable or not, that inhibit the use of the gas as an industrial or
residential fuel •
• Separation. Splitting out of components that have greater value as petrochemical feedstocks, stand
alone fuels (e.g., propane), or industrial gases (e.g., ethane, helium) •
• Liquefaction. Increase of the energy density of the gas for storage or transportation.

• Depending on the situation, a process may be classified as either separation or purification. For
example, if a small amount of H2S is removed, incinerated, and vented to the atmosphere, the
process is purification, but if large amounts of H2S are removed and converted to elemental
sulfur, often a low-priced commodity, the process is considered separation.
Generic Raw Gas & Product Slate
 SUBDIVISION OF NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY

1. DISCOVERY AND DRILLING OF PETROLEUM DEPOSITS.

2. PRODUCTION FROM RESERVOIRS.
3. SURFACE SEPARATION OR PROCESSING.
4. TRANSPORTATION AND DISTRIBUTION.
5. UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF GAS NEAR THE MARKET.
 1.DRILLING AND DISCOVERY OF PETROLEUM
DEPOSITS
• Drilling and discovery of petroleum deposits in the porous rock of the earth's crust. A knowledge of
geology and geophysics is essential to locate and map undrilled or partially drilled traps for petroleum.
• The drill is a primary tool for exploration.
• Recent experience shows that, of each 100 wells drilled in the united states, 38 are dry holes, i.e.,
Unproductive, 52 produce crude oil, and 10 produce natural gas or gas-condensate.
• Knowledge of the properties of reservoir rock that contains the fluids is needed to understand the behavior
of wells.
 2. PRODUCTION FROM RESERVOIRS

• Production from reservoirs with or without accompanying liquid hydrocarbons. In the exploitation aspect of the
industry, the technical problems shift from those of geology to those generally classed as problems in petroleum or
reservoir engineering.

• The prediction of the quantity of natural gas in a given reservoir or the "estimation of reserves" is important.
Knowledge of the rates at which the gas can be produced efficiently, or the "deliverability," is necessary for
calculating pipeline supplies.
 3. SURFACE SEPARATION OR PROCESSING
• Surface separation or processing plants to recover liquid hydrocarbons from natural gas and to remove
impurities.
• The design of separators to remove crude oil or condensate at wells, of natural gasoline or cycling
plants to extract natural gasoline and LP gas, i.e., Propane and butane, of sweetening plants to remove
hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, and of dehydration units, embraces most branches of
engineering.
• Chemical engineering deals with the material and energy balances, phase separations, and rate
processes of the fluid streams passing through the processing plants.
 4. TRANSPORTATION AND DISTRIBUTION.

• Transportation and distribution of natural gas to market.

• A vast network of transmission lines with associated compressor stations delivers gas from the
fields to the centers of population.

• In many cases, distribution systems in the city previously used for coal gas are enlarged and
converted to the distribution of natural gas.
5. UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF GAS NEAR THE
MARKET

• Natural gas fields often are 1,000 miles or more from the ultimate consumer.
• Economical delivery of gas requires that the seasonal variations in load for the heating of
houses, space heating, be accommodated ' by removing gas from storage fields near the market
rather than by variations in pipeline load.
 NATURAL GAS ENGINEER

• Requires data on the behavior of natural gas and associated liquids so that can be used to predict the properties,
such as density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and heat capacity, needed in the design of pipelines, gas wells,
meters, and processing equipment.
• Vapor-liquid phase separations among the constituents become complex because of the multicomponent systems
involved, and study of these is important background for process design.
• The flow of gas through porous media governs the recovery of natural gas from reservoirs and controls the
capacity of individual wells.
• Water-hydrocarbon phase relations are specific to the natural gas industry, because natural gas and water may form
solid hydrates above 32°F. Knowledge of the behavior of natural gas under pressure is basic to engineering in the
five areas just described.
 BASIC ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS
• Engineering may be divided into three broad divisions:
• Concepts,
• Basic data
• Design procedures.
• The student or young engineer unfamiliar with the gas industry will find a description of the concepts or
methods of describing the behavior of natural gas and processing operations.
• The highest form of engineering is the conceptual design, which can be made on a rational basis only
when a general knowledge of the entire field is part of the engineer's background.