What is Hydrocarbon Dew Point?

Hydrocarbon Dew Point (HCDP) is not an easy parameter to measure, due to numerous
factors including gas composition, contaminants and additives, high pressures, and the
presence of corrosive compounds.
HCDP indicates the temperature at which heavy hydrocarbon components begin to condense
out of the gaseous phase, when the gas is cooled at constant pressure: Hence the
expression hydrocarbon liquid drop out. Therefore, a higher HCDP normally indicates a
higher proportion of heavy hydrocarbon components.
The HCDP is defined as the series of matching pressure and temperature points at which
hydrocarbons condense into liquid from a natural gas mixture. It is typically displayed on a
phase diagram (see below) as a function of gas pressure and temperature, for natural gas
with a given composition. The dew point line divides the two-phase gas-liquid region and
the single-phase gas region. Two dew point temperatures are possible at a given pressure
and two dew point pressures are possible at a given temperature.

H2O & Hydrocarbon Dew Point Curves for a Typical Natural Gas Mixture

This phase envelope phenomenon provides for behavior known as retrograde condensation.
The word retrograde means moving backward and this phenomenon was given the name
because it is contradictory to the phase behavior of pure components, which condense with
increasing pressure and/or decreasing temperature. The maximum pressure at which liquids
can form is called the cricondenbar, and the maximum temperature at which liquids can
form is called the cricondentherm.
Note that given the shape of the phase envelope, the measurement of hydrocarbon dew
point and potential hydrocarbon liquid is usually carried out at a pressure between 25 and
30 bar (ideally 27 bar) where liquid drop out occurs at the highest temperatures.

When condensate forms from a gas mixture, the distribution of hydrocarbons changes so
that the liquid phase becomes enriched in the heavier components while the gas phase
becomes depleted of these heavier components. As the gas is cooled below its original dew
point temperature, the entire dew point curve shifts cooler for the remaining gas phase that
is now depleted in heavier components. The chilled gas temperature becomes the new
HCDP of the gas stream.

Effect of C6+ Distribution on Hydrocarbon Dew Point Curves 1086 Btu/scf, 0.1 mol C6+

Natural gas contains a wide range of hydrocarbons, from light short chain aliphatics to
heavy, long chain molecules making it difficult to measure the dew point. Each hydrocarbon
has a slightly different dew point temperature for a given pressure, thought the important
temperature is that at which the first molecules start to condense out, as other molecules
will condensate soon after.
Hence, the HCDP is very sensitive to the specific components of the gas stream and is
strongly influenced by the concentration of the heavier hydrocarbons, especially C6+. The
presence of heavier hydrocarbons will increase the HCDP and failure to include them in a
HCDP calculation will under predict the HCDP. Therefore, an accurate determination of the
HCDP requires evaluation of distribution of the individual components in the C6+ fraction (at
least C9 but possibly higher).
It is also critical to note that processing a gas stream primarily removes or extracts heavy
hydrocarbons and thus reduces the HCDP of a given mixture. The level of hydrocarbon
removal directly impacts the HCDP.

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