ABUTEC, Venture Engineering Create Custom NGL Processing System

Advanced Burner Technologies (ABUTEC) and Venture Engineering have created a custom natural gas liquid (NGL) adsorption system to help a natural gas production company in Southwestern Pennsylvania meet pipeline and dew point requirements, according to a case study by ABUTEC.

The Venture Engineering/ABUTEC NGL adsorption system can remove propane, butane and other C4+ compounds. Gas flows through the vessel, which is filled with special adsorption media to capture the contaminants. Over time, the media becomes full and must be regenerated to release the captured contaminants. To accomplish this, pressure inside the vessels is lowered, which allows the contaminants to desorb.

During the regeneration process, the desorbed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are directed to an ABUTEC flare. ABUTEC customized five ABUTEC 200s to aid in thermally destructing the VOCs separated from the raw natural gas. The burner design was customized to accommodate the varying process gas heating value, and the unit was further modified to handle high pressure. Insulation was added for personnel protection.

The processed contaminants are  VOCs and must be combusted for environmental compliance.

The Venture Engineering and ABUTEC systems communicated regularly throughout the conditioning process, which allowed the flare to be shut off when inactive and gas flow rates to be adjusted continuously to maintain safe operation.

While the NGL adsorption system allows for gas with a less than three percent liquid makeup to pass through its system, the unit can be customized to fit a slightly higher percentage.

The modular, skid-based system can be used at the well site and does not require piping gas to a remote treatment facility. It can treat the gas at elevated pressures, such as 1,000 to 1,400 psig, enabling the treated gas to be sent directly into a pressurized transmission line.

The system is controlled by an on-board PLC system, which allows the regeneration process to happen unattended and enables remote monitoring and alarming.