Pioneer Energy’s Flarecatcher is a skid-mounted modular gas processing plant. The mobile package utilizes proprietary refrigeration technology to capture natural gas liquids (NGLs) from gas streams at well sites or centralized processing facilities while conditioning the remaining gas.

The modular package has a processing temperature of -65° C or cooler, which is selected based on the intended application. The unit accepts input pressures as low as 150 pounds per square inch (psi), alleviating the need for ancillary compressors. Several units are available with processing capacities of up to 10,000 MSCFD (million standard cubic feet per day).

The Flarecatcher dehydrates raw associated gas via a pre-cooler and three-phase separator. A molecular sieve removes any remaining water before it passes through refrigerator coils and a Joule-Thomson cooling unit. It liquefies C3+ components and produces three streams: Y-grade NGL, pipeline quality methane and ethane, which can be used onboard.

The unit processes a wide variety of gas compositions including liquid-rich associated gas. It is equipped with a sophisticated supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, effectively eliminating the need for on-site operators. Flow rates can also be adjusted to match refrigeration capacity to the needs of a particular gas composition as higher BTU gas will produce greater NGL yields at lower flow capacities.