06-07-2012

First gas plant in a Bottle™

In 2011, Ortloff Engineers, Ltd. introduced a new process design and equipment concept for reducing the cost and plot space required for the typical cryogenic NGL/LPG recovery gas processing unit.  Through an innovative use of integrated heat and mass transfer equipment, the Gas Plant in a Bottle™ concept consolidates most of the processing equipment found in a typical cryogenic gas plant into a single fabricated assembly or “bottle”.

Ortloff Engineers, Ltd. is pleased to announce the startup of the first Gas Plant in a Bottle™ , processing a feed gas that is considerably richer than design.  While the project ultimately included installation of additional refrigeration and column reboil capacity, the plant is now operating at or above design capacity and producing specification product at or above design recovery levels.

Considerable time and effort were dedicated to optimizing the unit to maximize product recovery for the richer feed composition.  The primary design feature of the “bottle” concept, the Heat and Mass Transfer (HMT) module, underwent extensive evaluation to  validate the design parameters used in sizing the first industrial-scale unit.  The HMT module is operating with as much as 30% more liquid traffic due to the richer feed, and has shown no indication of flooding, while providing excellent mass transfer performance.

Among the design advantages of the “bottle” concept are lower plant cost, smaller plot space, less piping and reduced pressure drop with resulting lower compression power. It also requires fewer flanged connections reducing the potential sources of leaks and atmospheric emissions, fewer foundations meaning less civil work, and provides shorter construction schedules.

The “bottle” package was furnished by SME Products, LP (SME-P) and Dickson Process Systems.  Ortloff Engineers, Ltd. provided the process technology and process engineering support for the “bottle” package.