ABSORBER TOWER
A tower that provides contact between natural gas being processed and a liquid or solid desiccant.

ABSORPTION
The operation in which one or more components in a gas stream are absorbed into a desiccant.

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
The pressure exerted on the earth by the earth’s atmosphere. A pressure of 14.7 psia is used as a standard.

BTU
An abbreviation for British Thermal Unit. One BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The heating value of a fuel is measured in BTUs.

CONDENSATE
The liquid formed by the condensation of a vapor or gas, specifically the hydrocarbon separated from natural gas due to changes in pressure and temperature when the gas is produced from the reservoir.

DEHYDRATION
The process of removing water from gases or liquids.

DESICCANT
A substance or material used to remove water and moisture.

DEW POINT
The temperature at any given pressure, or the pressure at any given temperature, at which liquid initially condenses from a gas or vapor. 

DEW POINT DEPRESSION
The difference between the original dew point temperature of a gas and its dew point temperature after dehydration.

DRY GAS
Gas whose water content has been reduced by dehydration.

GAS-OIL RATIO
The ratio of gas to oil produced from a well.

GAS PROCESSING
The separation of constituents from natural gas for the purpose of making salable products and also for treating the residue gas to meet required specifications.

HEAT EXCHANGER
A jacket which surrounds a casing or machine element in order to remove, add, or distribute heat in order to control the temperature within a vessel or element.

HYDRATE
A solid material resulting from the combination of a hydrocarbon with water under pressure.

JOULE-THOMSON EFFECT
The change in gas temperature, which occurs when the gas is expanded at constant enthalpy from a higher pressure to a lower pressure. The effect for most gases at normal pressure is a cooling of the gas.

MCF
An abbreviation for one thousand cubic feet of gas.

MMCF
The abbreviation for one million cubic feet of gas.

NATURAL GAS
Gaseous form of petroleum. Consisting predominately of mixtures of hydrocarbon gases. The most common component is methane.

PACKED TOWER
A absorption column or tower filled with packing designed to give contact between rising gas and a descending liquid.

PIPELINE GAS
Gas which meets a transmission company’s minimum specifications.

RELIEF SYSTEM
The system for safely relieving excess pressure to avoid exceeding equipment design pressure.

STANDARD CUBIC FEET
Gas volume at standard temperature and pressure.

SOLUTION GAS
Gas which originates from the liquid phase in an oil reservoir.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The ratio of the mass of a given volume of a substance to that of another equal volume of another substance used as a standard. Air is used as the standard for gas and water for liquids, with the volumes measured at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and atmospheric pressure.

TRAYED TOWER
A vessel wherein gas and liquid are contacted, usually countercurrent on trays.

WET GAS
A gas containing water, or a gas that has not been dehydrated.