Engineering and Technologies

CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes

Ethane and propane recovery from methane-rich gases

Technip at a glance

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the oil and gas industry.
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and best solutions to our clients to optimize their investments and meet the worlds
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2 CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes

CRYOMAX, Technips family of
cryogenic NGL recovery processes

Adding Value through NGL recovery

CRYOMAX NGL recovery technology is a family of cryogenic processes
for the recovery of ethane or propane from associated or non-associated
natural gases, or other methane-rich streams such as petrochemical or
refinery off-gases.

For more than four decades, the design and construction of large gas
treatment plants including NGL recovery has been one of Technips core
businesses. All stages of project development have been handled by
Technips engineers: conceptual and basic design, turnkey engineering
and construction contracts, troubleshooting, plant surveys, revamps,
debottlenecking.

Building upon this experience, the CRYOMAX family has grown to reflect
the needs of our clients for ever more efficient and flexible NGL recovery
processes. Feedback from start-ups and other opportunities to match
operational data have provided confidence in design methods.

Development of new CRYOMAX schemes is part of our multi-year R&D

program which is updated regularly to match market trends.

CRYOMAX NGL recovery technology is now proposed on the majority

of Technip LNG and FLNG projects where it allows efficient production of
ethane and propane as make-up for mixed refrigerant processes even when
processing very lean gas and heavy end scrubbing.

CRYOMAX is now available under a stand-alone license to answer the demand

for independent selection of best NGL recovery technology at an early stage of
project development. The experts and the development teams for the CRYOMAX
suite of technologies are hosted in our Consulting Services and Technology (CST)
organisation in Paris.

CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes 3

A CRYOMAX solution for every
NGL recovery project

CRYOMAX: high performance, proven design

The basic principles used in CRYOMAX processes include the following:
The use of a recovery tower, fed with one or more reflux streams that are not obtained by the partial
condensation of the overhead vapour.
A combination of well proven equipment such as turboexpanders, aluminum plate-fin or shell and tube
heat exchangers and distillation columns.
Thorough thermal integration, whereby thermodynamic irreversibilities are minimised by limiting the
temperature approaches for heat exchangers and by reducing the thermal gradients for fractionation
columns.
Good recovery selectivity and optimised thermal integration, resulting in lower utility consumption and
investment costs.

CRYOMAX NGL recovery solutions

CRYOMAX achieves a high NGL recovery rate whilst reducing the investment cost per ton of produced
ethane or propane as compared to conventional expander plants.
Todays CRYOMAX suite answers the need for improved processes as the gas market develops and new
demands arise:
High ethane and propane recovery rates
Reduced energy consumption
Flexible ethane production to match downstream user requirements with consistently high propane
recovery
Tailor-made schemes for optimised aromatics and C5+ removal in LNG plants.

CRYOMAX portfolio
Ethane recovery Propane recovery
processes processes

CRYOMAX
MRE

CRYOMAX CRYOMAX CRYOMAX CRYOMAX

DRE SRE DCP SCP

CRYOMAX
FLEX-E
CRYOMAX CRYOMAX CRYOMAX
DEER FRAC2 LNG

4 CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes

Core processes for C2+ and C3+
recovery from natural gas

Numerous CRYOMAX NGL recovery schemes are available to match project objectives.
Each scheme can be adapted to our clients requirements and can be optimised for maximun
project profitability.

Treated Gas
CRYOMAX DCP - Deep Propane Recovery
T1 K1
The Dual Column technology, CRYOMAX DCP, is one of the K2
most efficient schemes for deep propane recovery (99%+).
Propane production cost is approximately 20% lower than
for a conventional turbo expander process. Dry
feed E1 V1
gas
C1
C2

C3+ NGL

CRYOMAX DCP - Dual Column Propane Recovery

(US Patents no. 4,690,702 and 5,114,450)

CRYOMAX MRE & DRE - Deep Ethane Recovery

The Multiple Reflux technology, CRYOMAX MRE, and the Dual Reflux technology CRYOMAX DRE both provide a deep ethane
recovery up to 99% along with 99% of propane recovery. Thanks to the multiple reflux, the energy consumption is reduced
compared to other NGL recovery processes at constant recovery.

Treated Gas Treated Gas

T1 K1 K2 T1 K1 K2

R2 R2
E2 R1 E2 R1
E1 E1
R3
R V1 R V1

Dry C1 Dry C1
feed V2 feed
gas gas

C2+ NGL C2+ NGL

CRYOMAX MRE Multiple Reflux Ethane Recovery CRYOMAX DRE Dual Reflux Ethane Recovery
(US Patent no. 6,578,379) (US Patent no. 4,689,063)

CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes 5

Ethane recovery processes for enhanced
flexibility, capacity and recovery rate

Treated Gas
CRYOMAX Flex-e - The ideal solution to feed
an ethane steam cracker T1 K1
K2
The high flexibility Ethane recovery process, CRYOMAX
E2
Flex-e, allows matching any ethane recovery from low (2%)
to high (90%) while keeping high propane recovery of 99%.
Dry E1 R1
This provides flexibility with respect to the downstream feed R2 Ethane
gas V1
ethane user without affecting the profitable recovery
of propane in the NGL. Production costs are about 20% C1 C2

less than a conventional process. Project economics are

improved by high propane recovery at all times.

It is also attractive for making variable quantities of ethane

C3+ NGL
refrigerant make-up in a natural gas liquefaction plant
(LNG).
CRYOMAX Flex-e
(US Patent no. 7,458,232)

Treated Gas

T1 K1 K2

CRYOMAX DEER - Efficient, non-disruptive E2 R2

debottlenecking E1
R1

CRYOMAX DEER (Dual Expansion Ethane Recovery) is a R V1

cryogenic process technology for high (95%+) recovery of
Dry C1
ethane and heavier hydrocarbons, particularly well suited feed
gas
for the debottlenecking of an existing NGL recovery plant.
The addition of a second warm turbo expander allows an
increase in capacity or recovery rate with minimum
disruption of operations. T2
C2+ NGL

CRYOMAX DEER
(French Patent no. 09 54781)

6 CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes

Profitable alternatives for LNG
train NGL recovery

CRYOMAX LNG - Improve your LNG plant R

revenue by high NGL production E1
LNG
CRYOMAX for LNG allows high levels of ethane recovery
from LNG trains equiped with a scrub / column. Deep
Dry
recovery of NGL is possible from a new or an existing feed
gas C1
E4
LNG train.
C5+ T1 K1 K2

Feed gas pre-treatment is ensured by the steps already

required for liquefaction. This process is reversible in that the E3
E2
LNG unit can be operated with or without the NGL recovery V1
unit. Capital investment per ton of ethane is approximately
C2
70% compared to a stand-alone plant located upstream of the
LNG unit.
NGL

CRYOMAX LNG (US Patent no. 7,237,407)

Treated Gas

CRYOMAX FRAC2 - LNG train feedstock T1 K1 K2

preparation to optimise product yields
CRYOMAX FRAC2 produces two highly fractionated products:
E1 E2
ready to liquefy C4- and stabilised C5+. It is suited when the R1
C4- NGL

refrigeration system used in liquefaction is not based on V1

mixed light hydrocarbons refrigerants or when LPG is not Dry C1 C2

feed
marketed as a separate product. gas

C5+

CRYOMAX FRAC2 - LNG feed stock preparation (French patent no. 09 51941)

CRYOMAX NGL recovery processes 7

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CONTACT
Gas Monetization

Philip HAGYARD
Phone: +33 (0)1 47 78 27 17
E-mail: phagyard@technip.com

Andrea GRAGNANI
Phone: +33 (0)1 47 78 35 12
E-mail: agragnani@technip.com

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This document is the property of Technip and is not intended to be a binding contractual document.
Any information contained herein shall not result in any binding obligation on the part of Technip, or any of its
affiliates, and is provided for information purposes only. Technip - Group Communications January 2016 - Photo credits: Technip.