We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Chemistry

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a Debutanizer?

By Matt Hubbard
Updated: May 21, 2024
Views: 41,411
Share

A debutanizer is a type of fractional distillation column used to separate butane from natural gas during the refining process. Distillation is the process of heating a liquid to vapor and condensing the vapors back to liquid in order to separate or purify the liquid. Examples include distilling water to purify it and distilling liquor to make it stronger. Fractional distillation, as occurs in a debutanizer, is the separation of a fraction — a set of compounds that have a boiling point within a given range — from the rest of the mixture.

Raw natural gas can be drilled from natural deposits or released as a byproduct from petroleum distribution. In either case, it is not the nearly pure methane used by consumers. As much as 20 percent of raw natural gas is various heavier hydrocarbons, which are chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon, such as butane, propane and ethane. Additionally, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and trace amounts of the noble gases might be mixed within the gas.

These other substances are removed in the production phase as the natural gas is refined. Huge fractionating columns — industrial towers that are 2-20 feet (0.61-6.1 m) across and 20-200 feet (6.1-61 m) high or sometimes more — vaporize the gas in an expansion turbine and then condense it with multiple valve trays. Depending on which hydrocarbon is being removed from the natural gas liquids (NGL), the column might be a debutanizer, a depropanizer or a deethanizer. When the process is finished, the natural gas is almost pure methane. Trace amounts of mercaptan, which is the source of the rotten egg smell associated with natural gas, are actually added to the methane to make leaks more detectible.

Different refineries might refine the gas in different orders. Most commonly, the NGL flows first through a depropanizer to remove the heavier propane from the mix and then through the debutanizer next to siphon off the butane. Other refineries use a debutanizer to remove a mix of butane and propane, also referred to as a C3/C4 mix, from the NGL and later use a depropanizer to separate the butane and propane from each other.

Studies have suggested that updating debutanizers for greater efficiency would be both profitable and eco-friendly. Normal petroleum refinery operation allows the light hydrocarbon gases to become dissolved into the petroleum. Siphoning off these gases gives the oil company another energy source to market but makes the petroleum more efficient by decreasing plugging and fouling of burner tips.

Share
All The Science is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
By lekeomine2 — On Jan 11, 2013

Why are some GC oven temperatures programmed while some aren't?

Share
https://www.allthescience.org/what-is-a-debutanizer.htm
Copy this link
All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.