Natural gas liquids, commonly known as natural gas condensate, is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids found as gaseous components in raw natural gas produced from various natural gas sites. If the temperature is dropped below the hydrocarbon dew point temperature at a particular pressure, some gas species within the raw natural gas will condense to a liquid condition.
Because it contains hydrocarbons within the gasoline boiling range, natural gas condensate is also known as condensate, gas condensate, or even natural gasoline, and many workers on gas facilities refer to it as condy. Natural gas can be extracted from one of three types of wells:
- Crude oil wells produce raw natural gas, which is referred to as associated gas. This gas can exist in the subsurface formation distinct from the crude oil, or it can dissolve in the crude oil. Lease condensate is the name given to the condensate produced by oil wells.
- Dry gas wells: These wells typically solely produce raw natural gas with no hydrocarbon liquids. Non-associated gas is the name for this type of gas. Dry gas condensate, also known as plant condensate, is extracted at gas processing plants.
- Wells that produce both raw natural gas and natural gas liquid are known as condensate wells.
- Wet gas is another name for this type of gas, which is also known as related gas.
What does natural gas condensate imply?
Gas condensate is a hydrocarbon liquid stream made up of higher-molecular-weight hydrocarbons that reside in the reservoir as natural gas constituents but are recovered as liquids in separators, field equipment, or gas-processing plants.
What’s the difference between condensate and natural gas liquids?
Condensate is the end result of a condensation reaction, whereas natural gas liquid is a low-density combination of hydrocarbon liquids that exists as gaseous molecules in the raw natural gas that many natural gas fields produce.
Workers at gas installations commonly refer to natural gas liquid as condensate, however the two are chemically distinct. The natural gas liquid, on the other hand, can be referred to as natural gas condensate.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Distinctions
2. What is the Definition of Condensate?
3. What are Natural Gas Liquids and How Do They Work?
4. Natural Gas Liquids vs. Condensate in Tabular Form
5. Natural Gas Liquids vs. Condensate
Is condensate from natural gas a dangerous waste?
Identifying the Risk If condensate is inhaled or swallowed, it can have more serious health consequences. Natural gas condensate (sweet) may contain benzene and n-hexane in varying concentrations. Systemic toxicity, such as leukemia and peripheral neurotoxicity, has been linked to long-term exposure to these compounds.
What is the definition of condensate?
Condensate is a mixture of light liquid hydrocarbons that resembles very light crude oil (high API). It’s usually removed from a natural gas stream at the site of production (field separation), when the gas’s temperature and pressure are reduced to atmospheric levels.
NGLs and naphtha range material make up the majority of condensate, which has an API ranging from 45 to 70.
Condensate is treated similarly to crude oil once it has been separated from natural gas. It can be blended with heavier crude streams or shipped directly to market via pipeline or tanker. If combined with more conventional petroleum, condensate can be processed in a refinery. It can also be routed straight to a condensate splitter to be separated into its constituents.
Because of its high light ends content, which provides a lot of lower value LPGs and light naphtha and makes it difficult to process in large amounts in a refinery, condensate is often valued lower than crude oil. However, because they contain very little residual material, some condensates carrying up to 40% jet fuel and diesel are priced higher than crude oil.
Facility condensate (natural gasoline), which is a product of a gas processing plant, is not the same as condensate.
Is Condensate Liquid or Gas?
Vaporized liquid hydrocarbons with a density or gravity substantially lower than crude oil are present in both dry and wet gas. Condensates are the liquid form of these hydrocarbons, and their name comes from the method of extracting them from the gas stream at a specified temperature and pressure.
How Much is a Barrel of Condensate Worth?
Condensate prices are determined by where it is generated, gravity or BTU, and market demand, same as crude oil prices are determined by area, quality, and gravity. A barrel of East Texas Condensate cost over $66 in June 2021.
Is NGL the Same as Condensate?
Natural gas liquids (NGL) and condensate are interchangeable in most cases. Both NGLs and condensates are made up of a mixture of hydrocarbons that include light hydrocarbons like ethane and heavy hydrocarbons like pentane.
What Does Condensate Look Like?
Under normal conditions, natural gas liquids are colorless and odorless. Because field or lease condensate can contain harmful related gases, even a few breaths near storage tanks and vents must be avoided.
What is the Difference Between Crude Oil and Condensate?
Crude oil and natural gas liquids are both liquid hydrocarbons of various grades and densities. NGLs are similar to a very light oil. It is, however, more volatile than crude and has a higher BTU, making it more hazardous to handle and transport.
How is Condensate Formed?
Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are hydrocarbons that are lighter in molecular weight than crude oil or natural gas. They can be found as vapor in natural gas, dissolved in crude oil, or isolated in oil reservoirs. When the vapor pressure of natural gas liquids is reduced to the point where they condense out of the gas stream into a liquid that can be stored at room temperature, condensates occur.
Composition of Condensates
Natural gas liquids are made up mostly of natural gas liquids with a little naphtha thrown in for good measure. It has a lower API than crude oil, ranging from 45 to 80. The majority of condensate consists of a mixture of natural gas liquids such as ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and pentane.
Different Types of NGL
Natural gas and crude oil can both be used to extract NGLs. Some NGLs are extracted in the field, but the majority are extracted through fractionation and processing plants.
What causes gas condensate to form?
Separating natural gas condensate from raw natural gas requires a variety of equipment setups. One of the various setups is depicted in the schematic flow diagram to the right.
The raw natural gas feedstock from a gas well or a group of wells is cooled down below its hydrocarbon dew point at feedstock pressure. A considerable portion of the gas condensate hydrocarbons are condensed in this way. The gas, liquid condensate, and water feedstock mixture is then sent to a high-pressure separator vessel, where the water and raw natural gas are separated and removed. If a pressure boost is needed, the raw natural gas from the high-pressure separator is transferred to the main gas compressor, which elevates the gas pressure to whatever level is required for pipeline transit to the raw natural gas processing plant. The discharge pressure of the primary gas compressor will be determined by the operating pressure and distance to the raw natural gas processing facility, and may necessitate the use of a multi-stage compressor.
The gas condensate from the high-pressure separator is routed to a low-pressure separator via a throttling control valve.
The condensate undergoes a partial evaporation known as flash vaporization when the pressure across the control valve is reduced. The low-pressure natural gas is sent to a “booster” compressor, which boosts the gas pressure and delivers it through a cooler before being sent to the main gas compressor.
The gas will be dried and acid gases and other contaminants will be eliminated at the raw natural gas processing plant. Then there’s the ethane (
Is condensate the same as LPG?
3. noun
When compared to natural gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas, this is a natural gas liquid with a low vapor pressure. Propane, butane, pentane, and heavier hydrocarbon fractions make up the majority of condensate. Condensate is formed when liquid drops out, or condenses, from a gas stream in pipelines or surface facilities, as well as when it is generated in the reservoir.
What is the purpose of condensate?
The recent high-profile incident in the East China Sea with the crude oil tanker SANCHI has brought attention to the possible dangers of transporting condensate by sea.
Condensate spills from ships are uncommon, and there is little information about them in the public domain.
What is condensate?
Condensate is a generic name for a variety of liquid hydrocarbons with very low density and viscosity that are commonly found with natural gas.
Condensate pumped in liquid form from a well (‘lease’ condensate) or processed and separated from natural gas at a gas plant (‘plant’ condensate) are both referred to as “condensate.”
Uses
Condensates are used as feedstocks in refineries to make products including gasoline (gasoline), jet fuel, diesel, and heating fuels. Some condensates are utilized to make ethylene, particularly those with a high paraffin content.
Condensates are also utilized to dilute excessively viscous, heavier oils that can’t be carried through pipelines.
Producers
Russia and the Middle East are currently the main producers of condensate. Condensate output in the United States has lately increased as a result of increased shale oil and gas production. Due to its enormous offshore natural gas resources, Australia’s output is also increasing.
Transportation by sea
The United Nations classifies condensates as flammable liquids. Because they are protected by Marpol Annex 1 (Oil Pollution Prevention), they can be transported in crude oil tankers rather than chemical/product tankers. When shipping condensates with very high vapour pressure, particular measures should be taken, according to industry norms, such as allowing only closed loading methods and giving additional supervision to ensure that gas dispersion is monitored.
Properties of condensates
Condensate composition varies depending on the source and how it is treated. They can be colorless, yellow, or brown in appearance.
Condensates are normally made up mostly of alkanes (saturated hydrocarbons like butane, pentane, and hexane) and are low in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in crude oils. Condensates are very volatile and have a limited solubility in water. They also have a low density, thus if spilled, they will normally float on the surface and quickly evaporate.
According to the IOPC Funds’ definition1, condensates are classified as “non-persistent.” As a result, compensation for a condensate spill will fall under the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention when it enters into force, rather than the Civil Liability Convention2.
When it comes to international compensation systems, persistence is particularly crucial, and the IOPC Funds have produced widely agreed rules that define the phrase “persistent oil.” When tested in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Method D86/78 or any subsequent revision thereof, an oil is considered non-persistent if at least 50% of the hydrocarbon fractions, by volume, distil at a temperature of 340C (645F) and at least 95% of the hydrocarbon fractions, by volume, distil at a temperature of 370C (700F).
Spills
In comparison to other types of oil spills, condensate leaks in the maritime environment are quite rare. The collision of the SANCHI in the East China Sea on January 6, 2018, resulted in the greatest ship-source condensate spill reported to date. The great majority of the cargo of gas condensate was believed to have been consumed by the fire and explosions that erupted for a week before the vessel sank. All 32 members of the crew were tragically lost.
Response Measures
Condensates are naturally broken up by wind and waves, with the majority of them evaporating within a few days. Traditional containment and recovery procedures are rarely suggested. Any attempt to concentrate the condensate would slow the pace of evaporation and, if the vapour concentration becomes too high, the oil could catch fire. In-situ burning is a possibility, although it may be difficult to do in a controlled manner unless the water is ice-covered. Dispersants will ‘herd’ the sheen rather than stimulate the development of droplets in the water column, hence they are useless on condensate spills.
Condensate spills in the marine environment should be allowed to evaporate and dissipate at sea.
Environmental impact
Explosions, fire, and vapour exposure are the main dangers connected with condensate spills. Aside from the danger to humans, this could also kill or hurt nearby birds, marine mammals, and other species.
The condensate may disperse as a result of wave movement. Fish in the first few meters of the water column may be harmed by small fractions of hazardous chemicals found in the condensate.
How does condensate appear?
It appears to be a thick tiny lump at the bottom of the magnetic trap/bowl, similar to a drop of water condensing onto a chilly bowl from moist air. However, when it first forms, the condensate is still surrounded by normal gas atoms, giving it the appearance of a pit inside a cherry.
Is condensate poisonous?
Condensate, like all fossil fuels, includes toxicants that are hazardous to the environment, animals, and people.
Explosions, oxygen displacement, and the possibility of asphyxiating and anaesthetizing, which can happen in a few human breaths, make operating in locations where condensate has escaped unsafe for crews.
Whether vaporized, burned off, or released in liquid form, escaped condensate causes an oil spill or not.
It is deemed risky to form a spill because of its toxicity and difficulty in containing and managing it. It does, however, disperse and degrade more quickly than heavier oils.