US-12616922-B2 - Gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management system and process

US12616922B2US 12616922 B2US12616922 B2US 12616922B2US-12616922-B2

Abstract

A gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management system includes a hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline for receiving a hydrocarbon drainage composition, a recovery flowline extending from the header flowline to receive a portion of the composition, a three-phase gravity separator in fluid communication with the recovery flowline via a first flowline, and a hydrocarbon recovery vessel in fluid communication via a second flowline. A three-way control valve is arranged in the recovery flowline and actuatable between a first operational state, where the portion of the composition is entirely diverted through the first flowline and to the three-phase gravity separator, and a second operational state, where some of the portion of the composition is diverted also to the second flowline and to the hydrocarbon recovery vessel. The valve is actuated from the first to the second operational state when a flow rate through the first flowline reaches a predetermined maximum flow rate.

Inventors

Yousif ALABKARY
Mishar Kumar Paul
Fahad DHAHRI
Khalid ALFAHADI
Khalid A. ALSAADI

Assignees

SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240403

Claims (15)

1 . A gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management system, comprising: a hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline for receiving a hydrocarbon drainage composition; a recovery flowline extending from the hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline to receive a portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition; a three-phase gravity separator in fluid communication with the recovery flowline via a first flowline; a hydrocarbon recovery vessel in fluid communication via a second flowline; and a three-way control valve arranged in the recovery flowline and actuatable between a first operational state, where the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition is entirely diverted through the first flowline and to the three-phase gravity separator, and a second operational state, where some of the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition is diverted also to the second flowline and to the hydrocarbon recovery vessel, wherein the three-way control valve is actuated from the first operational state to the second operational state when a flow rate through the first flowline reaches a predetermined maximum flow rate.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein flow through the second flowline is prevented when the three-way valve is in the first operational state.
3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: an inline flow transmitter in communication with the first flowline to monitor flow within the first flowline and report when the flow rate through the first flowline reaches the predetermined maximum flow rate; and control logic associated with the three-way valve and programmed to transition the three-way valve between the first and second operational states when the flow rate through the first flowline reaches the predetermined maximum flow rate.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined flow rate is in the range of about 4,500 gallons per minute to about 5,000 gallons per minute.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first flowline exhibits a diameter larger than a diameter of the second flowline.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the three-phase gravity separator is operable to separate the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition into a gas layer, an oil layer, and a water layer, the system further comprising a sludge spool in fluid communication with the water layer and operable to remove solids contaminants from a bottom of the water layer.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the oil layer is in fluid communication with a stabilizer unit.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the oil layer is further in fluid communication with a surge sphere.
9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the gas layer is in fluid communication with a burn pit.
10 . A method, comprising: receiving a hydrocarbon drainage composition in a hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline; diverting a portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition into a recovery flowline that fluidly communicates with a three-phase gravity separator via a first flowline and fluidly communicates with a hydrocarbon recovery vessel via a second flowline, wherein a three-way control valve is arranged in the recovery flowline; placing the three-way control valve in a first operational state, where the portion of the HC drainage composition is entirely diverted through the first flowline and to the three-phase gravity separator; monitoring a flow rate through the first flowline; determining that the flow rate through the first flowline has reached a predetermined maximum flow rate; and transitioning the three-way control valve to a second operational state, where some of the portion of the HC drainage composition is diverted to the second flowline and to the hydrocarbon recovery vessel.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising preventing flow through the second flowline when the three-way valve is in the first operational state.
12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: monitoring the flow within the first flowline with an inline flow transmitter in communication with the first flowline; reporting with the inline flow transmitter when the flow rate through the first flowline reaches the predetermined maximum flow rate; and causing the three-way valve to transition from the first operational state to the second operational state using control logic associated with the three-way valve and programmed to actuate the three-way valve to the second operational state when the flow rate through the first flowline reaches the predetermined maximum flow rate.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: separating the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition into a gas layer, an oil layer, and a water layer with the three-phase gravity separator; and conveying solids contaminants from the water layer into a sludge spool in fluid communication with the water layer.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising conveying hydrocarbons from the oil layer to at least one of a stabilizer unit and a surge sphere.
15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising conveying a gas from the gas layer to a burn pit.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to systems and processes for gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management and, more particularly, to gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced hydrocarbon capture. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE As global energy demand grows, greenhouse gas emissions will arguably also increase. This growth in greenhouse gas emissions disrupts the balance of the earth's ecosystem and affects all life. Greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), undesirably absorb and emit radiation into the atmosphere, causing a “greenhouse effect.” Attention to reducing greenhouse gases has focused on CO2 emissions due to the ever-increasing combustion processes emitting CO2 as a waste product into the environment. Lawmakers worldwide have recently focused their efforts on cutting CO2 emissions by championing carbon neutrality by legislating the development of new technologies and changing tax, penalty, and incentive programs to reduce CO2 emissions and to develop new net zero carbon integrative processes. The International Energy Agency set forth a pathway for the global energy sector to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, which has the potential to decrease about 80 gigatons of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Accordingly, many countries and organizations have pledged to achieve this goal. During conventional gas plant hydrocarbon recovery, as part of a gas plant wet blowdown system, a significant way CO2 escapes into the atmosphere is the burning of excess hydrocarbons in gas plant-associated burn pits. Hydrocarbons are generally burned in burn pits to dispose of liquid or mixed liquid-vapor during gas plant operations, including startup, maintenance (e.g., slugging of pipelines or vessels, such as slug catchers), testing, and for emergency purposes. However, conventional gas plants have relatively limited hydrocarbon recovery capacity (e.g., about 3,800 gallons) and are not designed to account for the high amount of hydrocarbon liquid drained due to various operations, such as slugging, Turnaround and Inspection activities, emergency scenarios, or unexpected abnormal situations. As such, the volume of excess hydrocarbons reaching the burn pit can be relatively high, increasing CO2 emissions and diminishing hydrocarbon recovery. Moreover, the relatively sizable volume of excess hydrocarbons burned in the burn pit during hydrocarbon recovery in a gas plant can reduce the lifetime of the burn pit itself, thus adding operational costs associated with corrective measures. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Various details of the present disclosure are hereinafter summarized to provide a basic understanding. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the disclosure and is neither intended to identify certain elements of the disclosure, nor to delineate the scope thereof. Rather, the primary purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form prior to the more detailed description that is presented hereinafter. According to an embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, a gas plant hydrocarbon recovery management system is disclosed and includes a hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline for receiving a hydrocarbon drainage composition, a recovery flowline extending from the hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline to receive a portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition, a three-phase gravity separator in fluid communication with the recovery flowline via a first flowline, a hydrocarbon recovery vessel in fluid communication via a second flowline, and a three-way control valve arranged in the recovery flowline and actuatable between a first operational state, where the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition is entirely diverted through the first flowline and to the three-phase gravity separator, and a second operational state, where some of the portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition is diverted also to the second flowline and to the hydrocarbon recovery vessel. The three-way control valve is actuated from the first operational state to the second operational state when a flow rate through the first flowline reaches a predetermined maximum flow rate. According to an embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, a method is disclosed and includes the steps of receiving a hydrocarbon drainage composition in a hydrocarbon blowdown header flowline, diverting a portion of the hydrocarbon drainage composition into a recovery flowline that fluidly communicates with a three-phase gravity separator via a first flowline and fluidly communicates with a hydrocarbon recovery vessel via a second flowline, wherein a three-way control valve is arranged in the recovery flowline, placing the three-way control valve in a first operational state, where the portion of the HC drainage composition is entirely diverted through the first flowline and to the three-phase gravity separator, m