TPG 4140

CALCULATIONS IN NATURAL GAS COURSE

Prof. J.S. Gudmundsson
September 2012
Molecular Weight
M can be found from the gas composition, using an Ece! sheet. "n eamp!e is sho#n
be!o# $gas composition from GP" 1%%&'.
Components
Molecular
weight
Mole
fraction
g/mole yi
Methan, CH4 16,042 0,831
!than, C2H6 30,0" 0,0848
#ropan, C3H8 44,10 0,043"
i$%utane, C4H10 &8,12 0,00"6
n$%utane, C4H10 &8,12 0,0168
i$#entane C&H12 "2,1& 0,00&"
n$#entane C&H12 "2,1& 0,0032
He'ane C6H14 86,18 0,0063
Heptane C"H16 100,21 0
Hy(ogen, H2 2,02 0
)itrogen, )2 28,01 0
*'ygen, *2 32,00 0
Car+on (io'i(, C*2 44,01 0
Hy(rogensulfi(, H2, 34,08 0
-ihy(rogeno.si(, H2* 18,02 0
/ Mole fraction 1,0000
0otal molecular weight gas 20,43 g/mole
M ( 20.4) g*mo! ( 20.4) +g*+mo!
Specific Gravity
,efinition of specific gra-it., ratio of the mo!ecu!ar #eight of natura! gas to that of
common air $#ithout #ater -apour'. M ta+en from abo-e.

,
_

,
_

air
gas
c s
air
gas
M
M
. .

M
gas
( 2&.%/ 0+g*+mo!1
0.705
The subscript gas is not necessari!. used.
The specific gra-it. #as a!so ca!cu!ated in the Ece! sheet, rounded up to 2 ( 0./1
Reduced re!!ure a"d Te#perature
3educed pressure and temperature are a!so ca!!ed pseudocritica! pressure and
temperature, epressed as
c
pr r
p
p
p p
c
pr r
T
T
T T
#here the subscript c stands for critica!.
4e.5s 3u!e is used to obtain the critica! pressure and temperature for natura! gas
mitures

i
i ci c
y p p

i
i ci c
y T T
The critica! pressure and temperature for indi-idua! natura! gas components are
a-ai!ab!e in handboo+s and tab!es. The s.mbo! y
i
stands for mo!e fraction.
6or the natura! gas composition ta+en from GP" $1%%&' critica! pressure and
temperature #ere estimated to be 4.7/ MPa and 21& 4.
8ased on the Ece! sheet, the corresponding numbers are 4.9 MPa and 21& 4.
:ritica! pressure and temperature can a!so be obtained from semi;empirica! e<uations
based on specific gra-it., for eamp!e from 3o=e. > Jaffret $1%%/'
407 . 0 &%2 . 4
pc
p
0MPa1
/7 . 1/0 /2 . %4 +
pc
T
041
Such e<uations tend to be based on natura! gas found in certain oi! and gas pro-inces.
There is an error in the critica! temperature e<uation in 3o=e. > Jaffret $1%%/'. There shou!d be a p!us
in the e<uation, as sho#n abo-e.
?sing a specific gra-it. of 0./07 the critica! pressure and temperature are estimated
4.909 MPa and 217 4. These are reasonab!. c!ose to the abo-e -a!ues.
Co#pre!!i$ility %actor
"ssuming a pressure of &0 bara and temperature of )0 : the @;factor can be estimated
from the figure be!o# $common!. ca!!ed the Standing;4at@ diagram'
The reduced pressure is
/7 . 1
10 7/ . 4
10 &0
9
7

r
p
and the reduced temperature
)% . 1
21&
17 . 2/) )0

r
T
3ead from diagram @ ( 0./%
The reduced pressure and temperature from the Ece! sheet are 1./7 and 1.)%. That is,
eact!. the same.
The Aa!!;Barborough method in the Ece! spreadsheet is considered one of the more
accurate semi;empirica! e<uations for @;factor.
3ead from spreadsheet @ ( 0./&)1
Ga! &e"!ity
Ceed mo!ecu!ar #eight, @;factor and the !oca! temperature and pressure.
zRT
pM

?sing the -a!ues obtained abo-e, the densit. of the gas at &0 bara and )0 : can be
ca!cu!ated as
& . &2
' 17 . 2/) )0 $ &)14 /&)1 . 0
4) . 20 10 &0
7

+


+g*m
)
The same resu!t is obtained from the Ece! spreadsheet, #hich a!so gi-es the -iscosit.
as 0.01)% mPa.s
%rictio" %actor a"d Rey"old! Nu#$er
The friction factor in commercia! pipes can be ca!cu!ated from the Aaa!and e<uation
1
1
]
1

,
_

+
,
_

n n
d
k
n f
11 . 1
/7 . ) 3e
% . 9
!og
& . 1 1
#here n ( ) for natura! gas pipe!ines $ n ( 1 for !i<uid f!o#'. The 3e.no!ds number is
gi-e b.

ud
3e
and the re!ati-e roughness b. k/d.
re!!ure &rop 'ori(o"tal ipeli"e
Dn genera!, e<uations for pressure drop in pipe!ines can be used to ca!cu!ate the
pressure drop, the diameter and the f!o# capacit., depending of #hich of the -ariab!es
are gi-en and #hat resu!t is re<uired. "pproimate ca!cu!ations can be carried out for
gas pipe!ines using the ,arc.;Eeisbach e<uation
2
2
u
d
L f
p
f

#here a-erage gas properties are used.
6or i!!ustration purposes, assume / MSm
)
*d f!o#rate $10 F of Grmen Hange'.
"ssume in!et pressure 200 bara and out!et pressure 100 bara. "ssume 700 +m
distance. Therefore, pressure gradient $200;100'*700 +m ( 20 bar*100 +m. "ssume
constant temperature of 10 :.
The simp!est #a. to find the @;factor is to use the a-ai!ab!e Ece! spreadsheet. "t 200
bara and 10 : the @;factor is 0,9&09. "t 100 bara and 10 : the @;factor is 0.99)&. The
a-erage @;factor is therefore 0.9/22. 6rom spreadsheet, a-erage densit. 1%4 +g*m
)
and
a-erage -iscosit. 0.021& mPa.s.
The -e!ocit. depends on the pipe!ine diameter and mass f!o#rate. To +no# the mass
f!o#rate #e need the densit. of the gas at standard conditions, use Ece! spreadsheet
and assume @ ( 1. Ee note that 1 atm ( 1.01)27 bara. ,ensit. at s.c. 0.&94 +g*m
)
.
Therefore the mass f!o#rate is
/0 &94 . 0
)900 24
10 /
9

m +g*s
"-erage -e!ocit. is gi-en b.
A
m
u

such that
p
fLm
d

2
2
7
&
"ssuming an a-erage friction factor of 0.017 the diameter can be estimated
)
7 2
7
10 21% . 0
10 100 1%4 1419 . )
/0 700000 017 . 0 &




d
gi-ing a diameter of 0.1% m and an a-erage f!o# -e!ocit. of 2.4 m*s $from
spreadsheet'. The corresponding 3e.no!ds number is about 40 mi!!ion and a friction
factor of 0.0744.
:a!cu!ating again
)
7 2
7
10 /%4 . 0
10 100 1%4 1419 . )
/0 700000 0744 . 0 &




d
gi-es a diameter of 0.24 m and an a-erage f!o# -e!ocit. of 1.% m*s. The 3e.no!ds
number is about 40 mi!!ion so the friction factor #i!! be the same.
Therefore, a coup!e of iterations gi-e a pipe!ine diameter of about 240 mm $about %;
1*2 inch'.
" simi!ar iteration procedure can be fo!!o#ed using the pressure drop in gas pipe!ines
e<uation, but it is more in-o!-ed and #i!! not be i!!ustrated her.
( ) 0 H
p
p
!n
f
d
p p
T 3 @ m f
M " d
2
1
2
2 2
1
2
2
2
2
+

,
_