The amount of potentially recoverable NGL based from a natural gas stream can be estimated from the following formula:
Potential NGL component (tons per annum) = VyCF
where:
V = Volume flow rate of natural gas, MMSm3/day (Std conditions are P= 1.01325 bara, T = 288.15K)
Note: MM= Million
y = mole percent of the component in natural gas
CF = Component factor (see table below)
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Example: 3 MMSCMD of NG is available for processing. This gas contains 5.4% mol propane. What is the potential propane recovery from the NG?
Calculations:
Potential Propane Recovery (w/o Recovery factor and plant on-stream factor) = 35.46800 = 110160 t/a
Considering a plant recovery factor of 70% and plant on-stream factor of 335 days, the average propane recovery per annum would be:
1101600.7(335/365) = 70,770 tons per annum (t/a)
