Fractionation Fundamentals for Facilities Engineers - G4 Short Course

Program Overview

This short course covers the fractionation and stabilization of hydrocarbon liquids in gas production and processing facilities. It includes self-paced online modules and virtual instructor-led sessions, covering topics such as relative volatility, equipment operation, and troubleshooting. The course is designed for mid-career professionals and new engineers seeking to enhance their knowledge in gas processing and fractionation.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This short course is from the industry-standard Gas Conditioning and Process course (G-4), known globally as the Campbell Gas Course. This course includes: 5.5 hours prerequisite eLearning modules (participants may test out) 5 hours required eLearning modules 6 hours virtual, instructor-led sessions (pre-recorded) This short course covers fractionation and stabilization of hydrocarbon liquids at both the basic and fundamental levels. Fractionation is one of the most complex processing units in a gas production and processing facility, and is often the least understood. This short course will prepare a facilities engineer to understand the operating envelop of stabilization and fractionation columns, what sets the operating pressure and bottoms temperature required, typical fractionation column control options and how to troubleshoot fractionation column operations.

Outline:

The self-paced online modules cover the following topics:

• NGL extraction (note: this sets the feed composition of the liquids to the first column)
• Stage Separation vs Fractionation
• Relative Volatility
• Operation of Key Fractionation Equipment
• Fractionator Design Concepts
• Types of Internals in Mass Transfer Columns
The virtual,instructor-led lecture will cover how to estimate the fractionation column operating pressure and bottoms temperature, as well as cover the different column process control options. The problem assignment will reinforce the key operating principles covered in the instructor lead session, and will lead to more effective column troubleshooting skills. The problem debrief will include a process simulation tool that will run the participants through a number of what-if scenarios that will deepen their understanding of how these columns separate the components, but also how they respond depending upon changing inlet conditions, such as ambient temperatures, feed composition changes, and feed rate cooling and heating rate changes.

Teaching:

The course includes both self-paced online modules and virtual, instructor-led sessions. The virtual sessions are pre-recorded.

Careers:

This course is for facilities engineers, process engineers, senior operations personnel, field supervisors, and engineers who select, design, install, evaluate, or operate gas processing plants and related facilities. These short courses are ideal for mid-career professionals that have experience in the industry and have been transferred to a new role or assignment.

Other:

Prerequisites (of which participants can test out) include Basic Conversion, Basic Terminology, Gas and Liquid Physical Properties, Pure Component Phase Behavior, Multicomponent Phase Behavior, Vapor Liquid Equilibrium, Multi-Stage Stabilization of Crude Oil and Condensate, RVP and TVP of Condensate and Crude Oils. Target Audience: Production and processing personnel involved with natural gas and associated liquids, to acquaint or reacquaint themselves with gas conditioning and processing unit operations.