Event Summary
Many professionals in the natural gas industry lack a clear understanding of how raw gas is processed into marketable natural gas and liquid products. The sequence of processing steps and the purpose of key equipment are often not well understood, especially by those outside of processing operations.
Without this foundational knowledge, teams may struggle to understand how processing impacts product quality, safety, and downstream operations. This can lead to miscommunication across functions, inefficiencies in operations, and limited ability to support or optimize processing performance.
This course provides a practical, step-by-step overview of gas processing, connecting core concepts to real-world equipment and operations. It simplifies complex processes—such as treating, dehydration, refrigeration, and cryogenics—while explaining the purpose and function of each stage in transforming raw gas into usable products.
Participants will be able to better understand how gas processing impacts their role, communicate more effectively with technical teams, and recognize how different processing steps influence product quality and system performance. They will leave with a stronger foundation to support operations, safety, and decision-making.
Who Should Attend
- Entry-level professionals in natural gas operations or processing
- Engineers and technical personnel seeking foundational knowledge
- Operations, maintenance, and field personnel
- Professionals from other segments (midstream, downstream, commercial) wanting a better understanding of processing
- Anyone interested in how raw natural gas is transformed into marketable products
What You Will Gain
- A foundational understanding of gas processing and its role in the natural gas value chain
- Insight into key components of raw gas, including hydrocarbons and other elements
- Knowledge of core processing steps: measurement, treating, dehydration, compression, refrigeration, and cryogenics
- Awareness of how processing impacts product quality and marketability
- Understanding of safety systems and their importance in processing operations
- Improved ability to support and communicate across operational and technical teams
- Attendees will receive 1 Professional Development Hours (PDH)
Meet Your Instructor
Stephen McNair
Stephen has over 38 years in the energy industry having held leadership, operations, commercial and engineering positions primarily in the natural gas and water midstream space. He spent the first 14 years of his career gaining valuable experience working for ConocoPhillips. The ensuing years he progressed to leadership positions at several gas midstream companies including DCP, Enlink, H2O Midstream and Enterprise. He has also held positions with Pioneer Natural Resources (Upstream) and a renewable energy start-up involved with CCS and biomass – Fidelis New Energy
Stephen holds an M.B.A. from Oklahoma City University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has served on the boards of NMOGA, COGA, and engineering advisory boards at Texas A&M and UT Permian Basin.
