Project Description
In 1966, at the border of Europe and Asia, 30 km from Orenburg, the Orenburg oil and gas condensate field, unique in its reserves and gas composition, was discovered. The industrial production of gas was started in 1974. The Orenburg Gas Chemical Complex comprises the production, gas transfer and processing capacities of various Gazprom companies operating in Orenburg region. A gas processing plant and a helium plant were built to process the extracted feedstock, which in addition to hydrocarbon components contains hydrogen sulfide, mercaptan sulfur and helium.
General View of the Chemical Complex
GAS PROCESSING PLANT
Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, one of the largest in Russia, is located on the territory of the Orenburg gas condensate field. The first train of the plant was put into operation in 1974, and the second one in 1975. In 1978, the plant reached its maximum design capacity of 45 bln m3 of gas per year.
Since the start-up of its facilities, the plant processed over 1.3 trillion m3 of natural gas and over 70 mln tons of unstabilized condensate mixed with crude oil from the Orenburg oil and gas condensate field and other fields of Orenburg region. Since 1984, over 200 bln m3 of natural gas and about 70 mln tons of unstabilized gas condensate from the Karachaganak field were process at the plant.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Gas Processing Plant capacity:
- Natural gas sweetening units – 9 trains x 5.0 bln m3/year
- Natural gas dehydration and stripping unit (LT separation) – 6 trains x 5.0 bln m3/year
- Natural gas dehydration and stripping unit (LT oil absorption) – 3 trains x 5.0 bln m3/year
- Natural gas dehydration and mercaptan removal for cryogenic separation
- 1 train x 9.0 bln m3/year
- 1 train x 6.0 bln m3/year
- Claus sulfur recovery units – 8 trains x 320 KTA
- Claus SRU tail gas treatment unit based on Sulfreen process – 6 trains x 120 thousand m3/year
- PBF sweetening units – 2 trains x 1.0 MTA
- Condensate treatment and stabilization units
- 1 train x 0.8 MTA
- 1 train x 1.2 MTA
- 1 train x 1.6 MTA
- Condensate and oil treatment and stabilization units
- 1 train x 1.3 MTA
- 1 train x 1.36 MTA
- Condensate and crude oil atmospheric distillation unit with 800 KTA capacity
Plant products:
- natural gas
- technical grade sulfur
- stabilized condensate
- straight-run gasoline
- diesel fuel
- fuel oil
- liquefied petroleum gases
- odorant
HELIUM PLANT
Orenburg Helium Plant is one of Russia’s major helium and ethane producers. It was put into operation in 1978. Its production facilities are capable of processing up to 18 bln m3 of natural gas per year and extracting from it up to 8.8 mln m3 of helium, 400 KTA of ethane, and 900 KTA of NGL.
The plant’s feedstock is natural gas from the Orenburg field treated at amine units of Orenburg Gas Processing Plant in order to remove H2S and CO2. Helium-free gas from the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field in Kazakhstan and de-ethanization gases from Orenburg Gas Processing Plant are used as additional feedstock.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Helium Plant capacity as per feed gas:
- Natural gas sweetening units – 9 trains x 5.0 bln m3/year
- Natural gas mercaptan removal and deep dehydration unit for cryogenic separation – 3 trains x 5.0 bln m3/year
- Helium concentrate, ethane fraction, NGL recovery unit (based on LT condensation and natural gas fractionation) – 5 trains x 3 bln m3/year
- Helium concentrate HP purification units – 7 trains x 1.0 mln Nm3/year of helium concentrate
- Helium concentrate LP purification and liquefaction units with 6.0 mln Nm3/year capacity as per helium concentrate
- Ethane fraction СО2 removal and sweetening unit with 0.5 MTA capacity
- NGL sweetening unit with 0.75 MTA capacity
- PHF recovery unit with 1.2 MTA capacity
- Technical grade propane and technical grade butane units with 1.2 MTA and 800 KTA capacities respectively
Commercial products:
- natural gas
- helium (liquid and gas)
- neon-helium mixture
- ethane
- technical grade propane
- technical grade butane
- MPBT
- PHF
GLE LLC ACTIVITIES:
Proekt Design Documentation (PD) development:
- Revamping of Orenburg GPP Phase I
- Separate processing of gas from the Orenburg oil and gas condensate field and the Karachaganak field (9 bln m3) at Orenburg GPP
- Technical upgrade with replacement of worn-out and obsolete equipment at Orenburg Helium Plant