Gas Condensate
Gas Condensate
Gas condensate is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons that are condensed from natural gases.
Gas condensate is a colorless or lightly colored liquid. Under natural conditions (in deposits), as a rule, it exists in its gaseous state. It is condensed from natural (reservoir) gases at a pressure drop (below the condensation pressure) and/or temperature (dew point for hydrocarbons). It consists of petrolic (boiling range from 30-80 to 200°C), kerosene (200-300°C) and, to a lesser extent, higher boiling components. For most gas condensates, the yield of petrolic fractions is 70-85%.
Depending on the presence/absence of gas in the product, there is an unstable gas condensate (crude gas condensate), which contains dissolved gases in its composition, and a stable gas condensate obtained by degassing the unstable one (mainly by rectification method).
In turn, the stable condensate, depending on the place of production, is divided into commercial condensate (leasecondensate), obtained directly in the field, next to the well, and a plant condensate (plantcondensate) produced in gas processing plants.
Stable gas condensate is used exclusively as a raw material for conversion into the following products: gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, oils, as well as for the production of aromatic hydrocarbons: benzene, toluene, xylene.
Unstable gas condensate belongs to the class of viscous compressible liquids. Unstable condensate may be transported to the GPP without drying, but at the same time, to prevent hydrate formation, it is necessary to provide for the supply of methanol to the arterial pipeline.
Unstable condensate and LPG should be stored in horizontal metal tanks (bullets) to make use of weathering gases for own needs.
Unstable condensate is a gas condensate released from reservoir – a hydrocarbon mixtures of gas condensate at gas fields that have saturated vapor pressure facilitating its transport for further processing. All components of unstable condensate are in a state of phase equilibrium at the pressure and temperature of the processing of raw materials at a gas processing plant (GPP). Unstable condensate will be partially stabilized (degassed) in a gas field and then transferred to stabilization and processing facility via a condensate pipeline.