Improving a Process Design for the Condensate Stabilization Unit

The condensate stabilization process is known as a common operation in gas fields with the aim of diminishing the condensate Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). Based on feed characteristics and specified products, condensate stabilization units can be optimized by examining different process configurations. In each configuration, there exist some criteria in terms of product quality, energy-saving, and economic recovery, which shall be investigated so that the configuration’s performance is evaluated and selected. The aim of this study is to illustrate four condensate stabilization configurations and then to determine the proper column temperature and pressure, feed split ratio, and feed tray location by means of Aspen Hysys in the configurations. In the end, it is shown that the configuration with the lowest operating pressure not only had the lowest fixed capital cost but also consumed the lowest energy due to its high separation efficiency and low energy requirement.