Cutting feed-gas lines to plant as production slows limits slugging

Reducing the number of feed gas pipelines delivering raw natural gas to processing plants as volumes fall can reduce slugging and the volume of liquids transferred downstream while maintaining gas delivery volumes. The typical inlet at gas plants receives raw feed gas with associated hydrocarbon condensate and water from multiple wells. The first equipment in the inlet area is a slug catcher, which separates the bulk of the water and hydrocarbon condensate from the gas phase. The separated hydrocarbon condensate is stabilized to achieve the required true vapor pressure (TVP) and then injected into the neat condensate line. Water separated from the slug catchers is diverted to sour water stripper (SWS) trains. The overhead acid gas from the SWS trains is routed to the sulfur recovery unit (SRU), and stripped sour water is sent to the evaporation ponds. The separated gas from slug catchers and three-phase separators is sent to gas sweetening and dehydration trains.