Natural-gas liquids

Natural-gas liquids are hydrocarbons that exist as gas in the reservoir but become liquid at surface pressure and temperature conditions. They are the liquid content of natural gas that is recovered separately at the surface in lease separators and field facilities or in natural-gas processing plants. The liquids recovered at the well or at small gas-oil separators in the field are called lease condensate (or field condensate) and consist primarily of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons. Those obtained from processing natural gas at natural-gas processing plants are called natural-gas plant liquids or liquefied petroleum gasses and consist primarily of ethane, propate, butane, and isobutane.