Acetic and propionic acids in condensates

[locarol]

Is anyone aware of condensates containing more than 500 ppm of light organic acids such as acetic and propionic?
Could they be coming from the gas reservoir or the could have been generated in storage tanks by microbial activity?
Thanks a lot for you help.
Kind regards

 

[EMKWR]

What is the origin of the condensate ? If it's medium or high pressure steam, it would be a good idea to check the organics content of the boiler water. It is a known fact that organics under these circumstances (high T and high p, superheated steam) decompose. Ultimately one will get CO2 and water but in a lot of cases intermediate products are formed, which enter the steam phase as light organic acids. Furthermore these compounds can cause corrosion in the water/steam circuit. They dissolve in the earliest condensate creating locally a low pH.

Also it might be an idea to check the conductivity of your steam condensate after kation filter.

By the way, 500 ppm is a high value.

 

[locarol]

Thanks a lot for your advice.
I think my previous e-mail was a bit misleading.
When I indicate "condensate" I do not mean condensation liquid from a process stream or condensate water. I actually refer to condensate hydrocarbons from a gas field i.e. NGL (that in some cases, particularly in middle east, is used as feed for topping units.

 

[25362]

I'm just ruminating, if we can find naphthenic acids in petroleum, and carboxylic acids in the low- and medium-boiling distillate fractions, why can't we find the latter (ie, acetic and propionic) also in "associated" natural gas ?