Maximize propane recovery and ethane rejection at cryogenic gas plants

T. Miller, Audubon Engineering Solutions, Denver, Colorado; and D. Beck, Audubon Engineering Solutions, Houston, Texas The shale gas revolution in the US has resulted in an abundance of NGL in the marketplace. The increase in output has also produced an excess of ethane, leading to a decrease in price for the chemical. In response to this dynamic, midstream processors have been exploring ways to increase NGL production while limiting the amount of ethane content. A number of ways exist to recover NGL from gas streams. They range from simple Joule-Thompson (J-T) units and mechanical refrigeration to more complex NGL recovery designs, such as cryogenic turboexpander plants. One of the most c