Gas Processing
Market Overview
The enormous rise in petrochemical feedstock markets is further propelling the worldwide demand for natural gas. The industry requires innovative and effective facility engineering solutions for gas processing to satisfy this growing demand.
Natural gas processing involves the separation of various fluids and hydrocarbons from its pure form to make it viable for industrial use and commercial purposes.
Engineering Capabilities
Vista has extensive experience with both sweet and sour gas handling equipment and piping projects. Our portfolio includes greenfield asset developments, as well as facility debottlenecking, expansion, and modification work.
LPG and NGL Recovery
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery from raw gas is achieved using cryogenic processing and has significant applications across industries.
LPG (primarily propane and butane) is extracted from raw gas through dehydration, chilling, and fractionation processes. NGL is a broader list of compounds, including ethane and heavier hydrocarbons, that are extracted from raw gas using various separation and treating processes. NGLs include heavier hydrocarbons and are commonly used as feedstock in petrochemical plants.
Compression
Compressor stations facilitate the transportation of natural gas from production sites to end users. They are strategically located along the pipeline to maintain specific pressures and allow smooth movement of gas to the market. Vista offers fit-for-purpose, turnkey engineering designs for compressor plants including:
- Scrubbers
- Compressor Skid Modularization
- Centrifugal Compressors
- Piping and Housing
- Backup Generators
Gas Sweetening
Gas sweetening is commonly achieved using amine treating plants to remove contaminants such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Vista has extensive experience with other H2S scavenger processes and other technologies for the removal of sulphur in the form of H2S, mercaptans, or SO2.
H2S and Sulphur Scavenging and Degassing
H2S is a colourless and toxic gas that emits a rotten egg odour at low concentration. Extremely corrosive, the gas presents numerous safety and operational issues and its removal from fuels is necessary to optimize the operations of gas processing facilities. Vista’s capabilities include both solid and liquid scavenger systems for removing H2S from natural gas streams.
Vapour Recovery
Vapour recovery units are used to limit emissions by preventing the escape of gasoline and other fuel vapours into the atmosphere. Typical vapour recovery engineering designs incorporate absorption, condensation, or adsorption. Vista also has extensive experience with recovery compressors and ejectors to recover low-pressure gas for re-use as fuel.
Dehydration
Gas dehydration units are one of the most economical ways of removing water from natural gas. Before transporting natural gas to consumers, most of the water must be removed to prevent the formation of ice and/or gas hydrates at low ambient temperatures. Common methods of dehydrating gas include liquid media (absorption typically using glycol) or solid media (adsorption typically using molecular sieves or silica gel).
Refrigeration
Gas refrigeration facilities perform natural gas cooling and liquid recovery. Vista’s capabilities include fit-for-purpose engineering designs for advanced refrigeration systems, including the following stabilizing system equipment for optimized plants:
- Gas chiller
- Low-temperature separator
- Refrigeration compressor
- Reboiler
- Stabilizer column
Hydrocarbon Dew Point Control
Hydrocarbon dew point refers to the temperature at which liquid hydrocarbons will drop out of the gas when it is chilled. Dew point control systems are designed to remove heavier hydrocarbon components from gas to lower its dew point, thus making it safer to transport.
