Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Project Taylor, British Columbia
Authors: Sanderson A.F. , Goodall R.S. , Brown M.W. 
Published: March 2010

An overview of the project to recover propane, butane and condensate products is provided, showing benefits to the proponents and external parties. Joint venture project management and project organization are set out including engineering procurement and construction strategies. Highlights of process selection are provided including pre-investment in future ethane recovery facilities. Unit operations involved in the process are described. Storage options are discussed together with transportation options, and infrastructure required. Synergisms with neighbouring gas plant and refinery operations are reviewed. Information is provided on project budgets and costs. Highlights of the construction program and schedule are described.

Project Overview

British Columbia natural gas destined for domestic and export markets (i.e. pipeline sales gas) contains, in addition to methane, heavier hydrocarbons referred to as natural gas liquids (NOLs).

Specifically, the NOLs are:—Ethane,—Propane,—Butane,—Condensate (pentane plus).

Westcoast Transmission Company Limited and Petro-Canada formed a joint venture to install an extraction and fractionation plant to extract and market the NGLs in the sales gas from Westcoast's pipeline system at Taylor, British Columbia. This project was completed on time and under budget in November, 1985.

The extraction facilities produce a mixed stream of propane, butane and pentane plus, re-injecting the ethane into the sales gas. The remaining components are separated into propane, butane and condensate components in the fractionation facilities.

The products, propane and butane, are stored in pressurized storage tanks. Rail and road transportation will be used to move these products from Taylor to domestic and export markets. Pentane plus will be stored for batch movement or blended into crude to be moved through the Westcoast Petroleum Ltd. ("Westpete ") crude oil pipeline to markets in southern British Columbia and the U.S. Northwest.

By extracting and marketing -NGLs, the province of British Columbia and the province's gas producers benefit from the increased production and sale of natural gas and from new industrial development.

A capital investment of approximately $63 million "as spent " dollars was made in plant facilities.

The technology employed in the design of the extraction and fractionation facilities is well proven, safe and environmentally sound. Similar plants have been in operation in Alberta for over ten years and in the United States for longer periods. In particular, Petro-Canada has direct experience in the operation of a major straddle plant and fractionation facility at Empress, Alberta.

With the high ethane content of the natural gas and a potential future market for the use of ethane, the facilities have been designed to allow for future expansion to recover the ethane component. Potential demand for ethane includes its use in the manufacture of petrochemicals and enhanced oil recovery projects in oil reservoirs in British Columbia and northwestern Alberta.

Project Management

The project was structured so that Westcoast took the lead role in engineering, procurement, installation and operation of the facilities while Petro-Canada took the lead role in product transportation and marketing.

A Task Team of personnel from both organizations was formed.