1. Chapter 1B Fundamentals
Gas Processing I NGT 140
Chapter 1B
Fundamentals
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3. Mixtures of gases – Mole %

4. Heat Heat = Transfer of energy
Three phases of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on the amount of heat energy transferred to the substance
British Thermal Unit (Btu)
1.0 BTU = amount of heat required to raise 1 lb of WATER by 1 ⁰F [NC – PTP]

5. Heat
Sensible Heat = Heat energy flowing in (out) that causes temperature to rise (fall)
NO change of state (phase) occurs
Latent Heat = Heat energy that causes a phase transition
NO temperature change
Latent heat values are usually MUCH larger than sensible heat values [NC – PTP]

6. Sensible and Latent Heat

7. Heat Transfer
Temperature difference CAUSES heat to transfer (analogous to falling down a hill)
Also depends on how much substance you have.
e.g. 1 pail of water takes less heat to cause a 1 ⁰F increase than 1 swimming pool of water.
Must have temperature difference AND sufficient quantity of cooling fluid [NC – PTP]

10. Flammability

11. Combustion Process of burning (oxidizing) Helpful combustion
Heaters
Boilers
Gas turbines and internal combustion engines
Understanding combustion helps avoid the harmful effects of unwanted fires
Three essential requirements
Supply of oxygen
Combustible fuel
Heat energy (ignition) [NC – PTP]

12. Combustion control Heaters and boilers – air supply
Engines – fuel supply
Efficiency
Incomplete combustion
Dry-gas loss (stack loss)
Analysis of off gases (flue gas) to look for products formed by combustion
Oxygen content less than 2.5%
Increase amount of excess air [NC – PTP]

13. Combustion control (cont.)
Analysis of off gases (flue gas) to look for products formed by combustion
Dry gas loss
Oxygen content greater than 5%
Excessive heat lost to stack
Excess fuel consumption for no additional Btu value
Reduce excess air supply [NC – PTP]

14. Combustion control (cont.)
Extinguishing Unwanted Fires
Cut off fuel supply
Cut off supply of oxygen (smother)
Cut off supply of heat (cooling)
Fuel Properties
Flammable range (typically between 1% and 15%)
Increasing pressure with normally widen the flammable range
Flash point – minimum temperature that produces minimal vapors to “flash” but not burn continuously
Fire point – minimum temperature that produces enough vapors to support combustion [NC – PTP]

16. Applications Light liquids Heavy Liquids Low boiling temperatures
High vapor pressures
Vaporize easily
Heavy Liquids
High boiling temperatures
Low vapor pressures
Do not vaporize easily [NC – PTP]

18. Volatility Describes the ease with which you can vaporize a fluid
Plant operations dictated by relative volatility of the fluids being processed
Most processes involve mixtures of fluids composed of individual hydrocarbons
Mixture in liquid AND vapor phase
Amount present in each dictated by volatility [NC – PTP]

19. Fluid Mixture Equilibrium
Mixture of several fluids has a range of boiling points
Initial boiling point = temperature at which the fraction with the lowest boiling temperature boils (vaporizes)
Final boiling point = temperature at which the fraction with the highest boiling temperature boils.
At any given temperature between these two extremes some of the fluid will be in the vapor phase and some will be in the liquid phase [NC – PTP]

20. Fluid Mixture Equilibrium
Vapor
Light Molecules Vaporize
Liquid
Heavy Molecules Concentrated
Heavy Fluid Molecules
Light Fluid Molecules

21. Describing Gas Processes
Many pieces of equipment working as a unit.
Connection of this equipment normally illustrated with a Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
Various symbols are used to describe pieces of equipment. We will use the more common items in this class [NC – PTP]

22. Simple Separation System
Cooling Water
Injection
Richer
Light
Component
Richer
Heavy
Component
Fire
Separation
Required!!!
Figure 1.11

26. Simple Separation System
Hydrocarbon Separation
Required!!!!
Steam
Heavy Liquid
Cooling Water
Condenser
Condenses
vapor
Heavy liquid
Cools vapor

27. Cold
Hot
Figure 1.16