i

DESIGN PROJECT

DESIGN OF 6 MMSCFD FLARE

GAS RECOVERY SYSTEM

SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING BY

SANAULLAH

B-1133034

HAMD SALMAN

B-1133008

UMAIR FAREED

B-1133043

ANEEQA AKBAR

B-1133005

ZEESHAN AHMED

B-1133045

MUHAMMAD WAQAR ANSARI

B-1033048

UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
2015

ii

By the oath of the late morning. And by the oath of

the night when it covers. Your Lord has not forsaken you,
nor does He dislike you. And indeed the latter is better for
you than the former. And indeed your Lord will soon give
you so much you will be pleased. Did He not find you an
orphan and provided you shelter? And He found you lost
and guided you. And He found you poor and made you selfsufficient.
Al Quran 93:1-8.

iii

Dedicated to
Our Teachers
&
Our Parents

iv

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project report on Design of 6 MMSCFD Flare Gas
Recovery System (FGRS) is compiled and written by the students of Final Year under
the supervision of Engr. Ahsan Abdul Ghani and Engr. Muhammad Ahsan Khokhar.
This project is submitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of
Karachi, for the partial fulfillment of the Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Project Members

Seat Numbers

Sanaullah

B-1133034

Hamd Salman

B-1133008

Umair Fareed

B-1133043

Zeeshan Ahmed

B-1133045

Aneeqa Akbar

B-1133005

Muhammad Waqar Ansari

B-1033048

Batch 2012-15

_____________________

_____________________

Project Advisors

Chairperson/In charge

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible
without the kind support and help of many individuals. We would like to extend our
sincere thanks to all of them especially our teacher, and internal supervisor, Engr.
Ahsan Abdul Ghani for his kindness, encouragement and for putting his efforts in to
this project.
We are also highly indebted to our mentor Engr. Muhammad Ahsan Khokar for
his humble guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary
information regarding the project & also for his support in completing the project.
We would like to express our gratitude towards our parents & our teachers for
their kind co-operation and encouragement which helped us in completion of this
project. We would like to thank our in charge Engr. Shagufta Ishteyaque & former
chairman Dr. Fassiullah Khan.
Our thanks and appreciations also goes to our colleagues in helping us for
developing the project and people who have willingly helped us out with their abilities.

vi

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This document outlines Flare Gas Recovery System (FGRS) for a 6 MMSCFD
feed gas to be designed for and installed at a Refinery where the recovered flare gas
will be compressed and sweetened enough for re-use in the facility as fuel gas.
The use of Flare Gas Recovery System (FGRS) in the facility will provide the
dual benefits of energy conservation and emissions reduction by recovering, instead of
flaring, process vent gases. By optimizing the use of available energy resources and
reducing airborne emissions, flare gas recovery will definitely add value to facility
operations.
This document presents an introduction to the gas flaring operation and its
reduction, literature survey of technologies available for recovering and sweetening,
and their selection; and equipment and material selection. Despite our limited
knowledge, a Simulation of the process was carried out which showed the material and
energy balances required for the equipment sizing. A Process Flow Diagram and a
Process & Instrumentation Diagram are also presented. The design was evaluated
through an environmental and economic assessment, and HAZOP Study.
This document suggests a payback period of 19 months, and a reduction of
1207.3 ton SOx and 65983 ton COx per year, making it a highly viable project both
economically and environmentally.

vii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figures
Figure 1.1: An illustration of the Flare System
Figure 1.2: Maximum monthly gas flaring before (up) and after (down) installing the
FGRS in Tabriz petroleum refinery (kg/h)
Figure 1.3: The first unit of the FGRS for Tabriz petroleum refinery
Figure 1.4: Generalized Flare Gas Recovery Process Flow Diagram with Liquid Ring
Compressor
Figure 1.5: Flare Gas Recovery System with main control loop on flare gas suction
Figure 1.6: FGRS Compressor Technology market share
Figure 1.7: FGRS Proposal
Figure 2.1: A glance on available gas sweetening processes [GPSA]
Figure 2.2: Typical Gas Sweetening by Chemical Reaction
Figure 2.3: Process selection chart for simultaneous removal of CO2 and H2S present
Figure 3.1: Structural formulas for alkanol amines used in gas treating.
Figure 3.2: Basic flow scheme for alkanol amine acid-gas removal process.
Figure 3.3: Split-stream flow modification for amine plants.
Figure 3.4: Activated MDEA split flow configuration.
Figure 3.5: Combined co-current and countercurrent absorption system.
Figure 3.6: Flow system employing heat exchanger for initial gas contact.
Figure 4.1: FGRS Proposal
Figure 5.1: Basic types of compressors
Figure 5.2: Application ranges of major types of compressors
Figure 5.3: Typical Piping Diagram of Once Through with No Recovery
Figure 5.4: Typical Piping Diagram of Closed Loop with Total Recovery
Figure 5.5: Bypass Control
Figure 5.6: Typical Control and Instrumentation of Liquid Ring Compressor
Figure 5.7: Horizontal three-phase separator with mesh wire mist extractor
Figure 5.8: Regenerator/Stripper Column along with Over-Head Condenser (air-cooled
type) and Reflux Drum

viii

Figure 5.9: Reboiler (K-type of Kettle-type)

Figure 5.10: Common types of Reboilers
Figure 5.11: Mechanical Filter with a Carbon Bed (side-stream)
Figure 5.12: Gas Sweetening Plant
Figure 5.13: Classification of heat exchangers depending on their applications
Figure 5.14: A 1-1 shell-and-tube heat exchanger showing the flow patterns (hot in
tubes and cold in shell)
Figure 5.15: Different types of shell passes in accordance with TEMA
Figure 5.16: Working principle of plate-and-frame heat exchanger
Figure 5.17: Typical components of an air-cooled heat exchanger
Figure 5.18: Typical construction of tube bundles with plug and cover plate headers
Figure 5.19: (a) Tray Tower, (b) Packed Tower, (c) Spray Tower, (d) Bubble Column,
and (e) Centrifugal Contactor
Figure 5.20: Photograph of the representative of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth
generations
of
Random
(Dumped)
Packing
Figure 5.21: Cartridge Type Filter Units
Figure 5.22: Classification of Pumps
Figure 5.23: Centrifugal pump operation
Figure 5.24: Pump Selection Chart
Figure 5.25: Pump Selection Chart
Figure 5.26: PSV and its components
Figure 5.27: PSV setup
Figure 5.28: A liquid seal drum
Figure 6.1: Moodys Diagram for finding Friction Factor.
Figure 6.2: Stantons Diagram for finding Friction Factor.
Figure 6.3: Gas/Liquid flow patterns in horizontal pipes.
Figure 6.4: Flow-pattern regions in co-current liquid/gas flow through horizontal pipes.
Figure 8.1: Flare Gas Unit

Tables
Table 1.1: The average quantity and quality of the Tabriz flare gas
Table 1.2: Process specifications of flare gases in the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad
(Khangiran) gas refinery
Table 1.3: The compositions of flare gases produced by important nods
ix

Table 1.4: Example Case Study of FGRS

Table 1.5: Example Case Study of FGRS
Table 2.1: Specifications of a pipeline quality gas
Table 2.2: Process Capabilities for Gas Treating
Table 2.3: Main chemical solvents used in gas sweetening
Table 2.4: Comparison of Gas Sweetening Solutions
Table 3.1: Physical Properties of Alkanol amines.
Table 3.2: Sources of Solubility Data for CO2 and H2S in Aqueous MDEA Solutions.
Table 4.1: Indicative Prices of Utilities
Table 4.2: Flare Gas Composition
Table 4.3: List of Equipment
Table 4.4: New and existing Equipment
Table 5.1: Operating ranges of compressors and blowers
Table 5.2: Features of shell and tube type exchangers
Table 5.3: Most common applications of valves
Table 6.1: Sizing Rules-of-thumb
Table 6.2: API 14E Sizing Criteria for liquid phase
Table 6.3: API 14E Sizing Criteria for gas phase
Table 6.4: Acceptable pressure drops for gas phase lines
Table 7.1: AISI/SAE Steel Grades Partial List
Table 7.2: Materials of construction for different flow services
Table 7.3: List of selected materials of construction
Table 8.1: Effects of Chemicals on Health

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

vi

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

vii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

xi
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Gas Flaring
1.3 Flare Reduction
1.4 Flare Gas Recovery System
1.5 Case Studies
1.6 FGRS Base Case
1.7 Safety and Control

3
4
8
9
12
17
23

SECTION II: PROCESS STUDIES AND PROCESS EVALUATION

CHAPTER TWO: GAS PURIFICATION
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Gas Sweetening Processes
2.3 Process Selection
2.4 Solvent Selection

25
26
28
34
37

CHAPTER THREE: AMINE SWEETENING

3.1 History
3.2 Basic Chemistry
3.3 Selection of Process Solution
3.4 Amine Concentration
3.5 Amine Flow Schemes
3.6 Design Data

41
42
42
44
47
47
52

SECTION III: SIMULATION AND EQUIPMENT DESIGN

CHAPTER FOUR: MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE
4.1 General
4.2 Design Basis

55
56
57

xi

4.3 Proposal
4.4 Equipment List
4.5 Process Description
4.6 Material and Energy Balance (Simulation)
4.7 Material Balance
4.8 Energy Balance

CHAPTER FIVE: EQUIPMENT DESIGN AND SELECTION

5.1 Compressor Selection
5.2 Selection and Types of Separators
5.3 Amine Absorption and Regeneration
5.4 Heat Exchangers
5.5 Columns/Towers (Absorption and Stripping)
5.6 Filters
5.7 Pumps
5.8 Control Valves
5.9 Pressure Safety Valve
5.10 Liquid Seal Drum
CHAPTER SIX: PIPING HYDRAULICS
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Types of Flow
6.3 Two-Phase Liquid and Gas Flow
6.4 Flow Patterns
6.5 Line Sizing

CHAPTER SEVEN: MATERIAL SELECTION STUDIES

7.1 Introduction
7.2 Metals
7.3 Material Selection Chart
7.4 Selection of Material of Construction

59
62
63
65
66
74

76
77
85
86
92
98
102
103
106
107
108
110
111
113
113
113
114

117
118
118
119
122

SECTION IV: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION

CHAPTER EIGHT: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTIFICATION
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Problems Caused by Gas Flaring
8.3 Gas Flaring Reduction and Recovery
8.4 Emissions Reduction

CHAPTER NINE: COST ASSESSMENT

9.1 Introduction

124
125
125
128
128

129
130

xii

9.2 Costing Methodology

9.3 Costing
9.4 Fuel Gas Revenue
9.5 Summary

130
131
135
135

SECTION V: CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION

137
SECTION VI: REFERENCES

REFERENCES

139
SECTION VII: APPENDIX

APPENDIX A: PROCESS

142

Appendix A.1: Operational Procedures

142

Appendix A.2: Aspen HYSYS Simulation Results

145

Appendix A.3: Process Diagrams

165

Appendix A.4: HAZOP

167

Appendix A.5: KG-TOWER Design and Rating

168

Appendix A.6: Line Sizing Software Results

171

Appendix A.7: CheCalc Spreadsheets

173

Appendix A.8: Troubleshooting

176

APPENDIX B: EQUIPMENT DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS

182

Appendix B.1: Tables and Figures

182

Appendix B.2: Equipment Sizing

191

B.2.1: Compressor Sizing (C-100)

191

B.2.2: Horizontal Separator Sizing (V-100) + Thickness Calculation 195

B.2.3: Service Liquid Cooler Sizing (E-100)

200

B.2.4: Amine Sweetening Initial Estimates

207

B.2.5: Sizing of Amine Absorber (T-100)

209

Appendix B.3: Line Sizing Sample Calculations

214

Appendix B.4: Piping Data and Specifications

221

Appendix B.5: Pressure Safety Valve Sizing

224

APPENDIX C: TABLES, CHARTS AND FIGURES

xiii

228