NGL Meaning – Natural Gas Liquids: What is NGL?

NGL – Natural Gas Liquids are also called Condensate. They are produced during the crude oil refining process. Natural gas liquids are then further separated into various products including propane, butane and gasoline. NGL is different from LNG, CNG and LPG, although LPG is produced from NGL.

Talk about alphabet soup…

I’m “Not Gonna Lie”, so here is the straight story…

NGL Meaning – Definition: Acronym for Not Gonna Lie & Natural Gas Liquids

NGL meaning is as an acronym – “Not Gonna Lie” – in the internet slang definition.  NGL definition is also as the acronym for “Natural Gas Liquids”.

Natural Gas Liquids include the typical LPG gases: propane, butane and isobutane.

Natural gas liquids, also called Condensate, include other hydrocarbons, too.

So, not all NGLs are LPG.

Amazingly, LNG – liquefied natural gas – is NOT a natural gas liquid.

Seriously confusing, right?

Add to that the NGL meaning, in internet slang, is “Not Gonna Lie”.

It’s confusing to me and I wrote it!

Well, let’s try to fix that…

What are Natural Gas Liquids – NGL?

Natural gas liquids (NGL) are the refined natural gas processed into liquid by cooling it to −161°C.

The refining occurs in a processing plant, where impurities are removed and the predominantly methane gas is converted to liquid.

Raw natural gas, as it comes out of the ground, contains a number of gases and compounds, as well as impurities.

However, it is mostly methane (CH₄) gas, which is more commonly known as natural gas.

The raw natural gas must be processed to obtain pipeline quality clean, dry natural gas (methane).

NGLs – Natural Gas Liquids – or condensate are the heavier hydrocarbons that remain after the methane (natural gas) is removed.

Natural Gas Liquids – NGL Terminology Chart

What Compounds are Considered Natural Gas Liquids?

NGLs include propane, butane, isobutane, ethane, ethene, propene, isobutene, butadiene, pentane, pentene and pentanes plus.

They may also be referred to as Condensate, just to further complicate the name game!

Natural gas liquids (NGL) range from 1% to 10% of the raw natural gas flow.

Pentanes Plus is a mixture of the heavier liquid hydrocarbons, mostly pentanes, hexane, heptane, octane and heavier.

These are heavier liquid hydrocarbons with typically between 5 and 10 carbon atoms in each molecule.

Natural gasoline is the largest component of pentanes plus.

NGLs are liquid at ambient temperatures, where LNG is only liquid when chilled cryogenically.

Raw natural gas also contains impurities including water vapour, hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and other compounds that must be removed to meet quality standards.

What is LPG?

Propane, butane and isobutane, as well as mixtures of these gases, are the three gases that are typically sold as LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas.

LPG is a group of flammable hydrocarbon gases that are liquefied through pressurisation and commonly used as fuel.

LPG gases can all be compressed into liquid at relatively low pressures and is generally stored in steel vessels ranging from small BBQ gas bottles to larger gas cylinders and LPG bulk storage tanks.

LPG comes from petroleum refining as well as natural gas processing.

Natural Gas Liquids Fractionation – Stripped from Raw Natural Gas

NGL fractionation is the process used to separate Natural Gas Liquids from natural gas.

Liquid fractionation columns or towers are used to isolate the NGLs from the methane, in a natural gas plant.

In natural gas processing, the gas/oil mixture is piped out of the well and into a gas trap, which separates the stream into crude oil and “wet” gas, which contains LPG and natural gas.

The heavier crude oil sinks to the bottom of the trap and is then pumped into an oil storage tank for refining.

The “wet” gas, off the top of the gas trap, is processed to separate the gasoline (petrol) from the natural gas and LPG.

Processing the Methane (Dry Natural Gas)

Impurities such as water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide must be removed before either the natural gas (methane) or NGL can be used.  Some of these can be sold as by-products.

The refined and purified natural gas, which is mostly methane, is fed into the pipelines that supply our cities and towns.

Distribution of refined natural gas (methane) is typically handled by gas utility companies.

LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)

Methane gas is processed into LNG by cooling it to −161°C, at which point it becomes a liquid.

This reduces the volume of the natural gas by a factor of more than 600 times as it goes from its gaseous state to liquid.

That’s like going from a beach ball to a ping pong ball.

This reduced volume facilitates economical transport by sea or road.

Common LNG uses include industrial applications and long haul trucking.

The technology involved with LNG is generally not cost effective for small volume users, such as homes and small businesses.

Processing the LPG

LPG processing involves the separation and collection of the gas from its petroleum base.

About 60% is produced from the natural gas stream that comes out of the wellhead.

The other 40% is produced during the crude oil refining process.

The LPG must be separated from an intricate mixture of hydrocarbons, which includes the methane, ethane, ethene, propene, isobutene, butadiene, pentane, and pentene.

The plants that do the processing are frequently called “stripper plants”, as the LPG is stripped from the natural gas flow.

Impurities must also be removed from the propane and butane or they will prevent the LPG from liquefying properly.

The refrigeration technique is common for recovery of LPG from a natural gas stream.

With this technique, they refrigerate the gas stream to obtain the LPG.

Refrigeration is employed in three different processes: expander plants, low temperature separation and combined processes.

Other separation techniques may also be employed, including lean oil absorption.

This LPG can be used as a mixture or further separated into propane, butane and isobutane, as needed.

The LPG enters its own distribution network, where it eventually finds its way to end users, including home LPG and commercial LPG users all around Australia and the world.

Uses of Natural Gas Liquids

Ethane (C₂H₆) is commonly used in the in the petrochemical industry to produce ethylene, which is used to make plastics like polyethylene.

Propane (C₃H₈) or LPG is used as a fuel for many residential, commercial and agricultural heat applications, including cooking, hot water systems and heating.

It is also employed as a propellant, refrigerant, vehicle fuel and petrochemical feedstock.

Butane (n-butane) (C₄H₁₀) is commonly used as a fuel, propellant and refrigerant, as well as a petrochemical feedstock.

Isobutane (i-butane) is an isomer of butane.

So, it has the same chemical formula as butane –  C₄H₁₀  – but has a different arrangement of its atoms.

Isobutane is commonly used as a refrigerant and a propellant.

Pentane (C₅H₁₂) is are also used in the petrochemical industry to make things like polystyrene foam and other plastic foams.

Hexane (C₆H₁₄) is used in gasoline blending, solvents, and other chemical applications.

Heptane (C₇H₁₆) is commonly used in solvents.  It is undesirable in gasoline, as it is at the zero point of the octane rating scale.

Octane (C₈H₁₈) and its isomer, iso-octane, are used as a major components in gasoline (petrol), as they have anti-knock properties.

What is the Difference Between LNG,  LPG and NGLs? (LNG vs LPG vs NGL)

As already discussed, LNG is liquefied natural gas.

It is methane that is cryogenically cooled to become a liquid.

LPG is propane and/or butane.

It is liquefied petroleum gas stored under low pressure in pressure vessels.

NGLs are the natural gas condensates including include propane, butane, isobutane, ethane, ethene, propene, isobutene, butadiene, pentane, pentene and pentanes plus.

These are stripped from the raw natural gas flow when the natural gas is processed.

Final Thoughts on NGL Meaning

I’m Not Gonna Lie, “Natural gas liquids” is becoming a more commonly referenced term, where previously it was just used within the energy industry.

It may never be as common as the internet slang “Not Gonna Lie”, but it is important in the energy business.

The terms NGL and LPG are not exactly synonymous but the common LPG gases are included within the wider group of natural gas liquids.

NGL includes ethane, the traditional LPG gases, and the heavier liquid hydrocarbons.