PVT simulations on

Natural Gases
Typical Natural Gas Composition
Component Mole%
N2 0.34
CO2 0.84
C1 90.40
C2 5.20
C3 2.06
iC4 0.36
nC4 0.55
iC5 0.14
nC5 0.10
C6+ 0.10
C1 Vapor Pressure Curve
Vapor Pressure Curve
C1
60.0

55.0 Gas & Liquid Critical

50.0
Point
45.0

40.0
Pressure, bara

35.0 Liquid
30.0

25.0
Gas
20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
-150 -140 -130 -120 -110 -100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50
Temperature, °C
Phase Envelope Natural Gas
Phase Envelope
NATURAL GAS
100 gas
90

80

70
Pressure, bara

60
Liquid
50 Gas
40 2 phases
30 (gas and liquid)
20

10

0
-100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0
Temperature, °C
Bubble/Dew Point Critical Point
Cricondentherm and Cricondenbar
Natural Gas Phase Envelope
100

90 Cricondenbar
80

70

Cricondentherm
Pressure, bara

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
-100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0
Temperature, °C
Cricondenbar Phase Envelope
Critical point Cricondentherm
Phase Envelope with Quality lines
Phase Envelope
NATURAL GAS
80

70

60
Pressure, bara

50

40

30

20

10

0
-100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10
Temperature, °C
Phase Envelopes with No Critical Point

Phase Envelope Phase Envelope

GAS CONDENSATE GAS CONDENSATE
350 500

450
300
400

250 350
Pressure, bara

Pressure, bara
300
200

250
150
200

100 150

3-phase area 100

3-phase area
50
50

0 0
-150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 250 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Temperature, °C Temperature, °C

Not a failure of PVTsim!

Phase Envelope with 2 Critical Points
Phase Envelope
9.87% CO2, 40.23% H2S, 49.9% C1
160

140

120
Pressure, bara

100

80

60

40

20

0
-60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
Temperature, °C

Experimentally verified!
What is contained in C6+?
Component Mole%
N2 0.34
CO2 0.84
C1 90.40
C2 5.20
C3 2.06
iC4 0.36
nC4 0.55
iC5 0.14
nC5 0.10
C6+ 0.10
Treating C6+ as nC6
Phase Envelope
Natural gas with C6+ treated as nC6
90

80

70

60
Pressure, bara

50

40

30

20

10

0
-160 -140 -120 -100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0
Temperature, °C
Vap/liq mole frac 1.000 Critical Point
C6+ analysis
Component Mole% Component Mole%
n-Hexane 0.02430 Methylcyclohexane 0.00925
Methylcyclopentane 0.01307 Ethylcyclopentane 0.00057

2,2-Dimethylpentane 0.00002 1,trans-2,cis-4-Tri-methylcyclopentane 0.00006

Benzene 0.01334 1,trans-2,cis-3-Tri-methylcyclopentane 0.00003

3,3-Dimethylpentane 0.00008 Toluene 0.00761

Cyclohexane 0.01222 2-Methylheptane 0.00055

1,1-Dimethylcyclo-pentane 0.00041 3-Methylheptane 0.00035

2,3-Dimethylpentane 0.00072 1,trans-4-Dimethylcyclo-hexane 0.00032

2-Methylhexane 0.00233 1,cis-3-Dimethylcyclo-hexane 0.00063

3-Methylhexane 0.00201 n-Octane 0.00139

1,cis-3-Dimethylcyclo-pentane 0.00098 m+p-Xylene 0.00044

1,trans-3-Dimethylcyclo-pentane 0.00098 o-Xylene 0.00044

1,trans-2-Dimethylcyclo-pentane 0.00154 n-Nonane 0.00172

n-Heptane 0.00465 Total 0.10000

Importance of C6+ analysis
Importance of C6+ analysis

90
C6+=nC6
80

70

60 C6+ analysis
Pressure, bara

50

40

30

20

10

0
-160 -140 -120 -100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20
Temperature, °C
Gas Z factors
Z Factor P (bara) Z-factor
NATURAL GAS
2.00
0 -10 ~ 1.0
PV
1.80 Z 10 - 400 0.7-1.0
RT
> 400 > 1.0
1.60
Z Factor

1.40

1.20 100 ºC

1.00

0.80 15 ºC

0.60
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Pressure, bara
Joule-Thomson Coefficient
Joule Thomson Coefficient (15 C)
0.60
T
JT coefficien t   
0.50
 P H
0.40
JT Coefficient, C/bara

0.30 T < 0 T > 0

0.20

0.10
Inversion point
0.00

-0.10
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Pressure, bara
Summary Natural Gases

• Accurate C6+ analysis needed to simulate dewpoints

• Gas mixtures will not always have a critical point
• Gas mixtures can have 2 (or more) critical points
• Gas Z factors can deviate considerably from ideal gas
value of 1.0
• Passage of valve (isenthalpic flash) may (depending on
P) cause both T < 0 and T> 0