Process Insight:: Selecting The Best Solvent For Gas Treating

Process Insight: Selecting the Best Solvent for Gas Treating
Selecting the best amine/solvent for gas treating is not a trivial task.  that exhibits some selectivity for H2S although it is not as pronounced
There are a number of amines available to remove contaminants such as for tertiary amines.  DIPA also removes COS. Solutions are low in
as CO2, H2S and organic sulfur compounds from sour gas streams.  The corrosion and require relatively low energy for regeneration.  The most
most commonly used amines are methanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine common applications for DIPA are in the ADIP® and SULFINOL®
(DEA), and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA).  Other amines include processes.
diglycolamine® (DGA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA), and triethanolamine
Tertiary Amines
(TEA).  Mixtures of amines can also be used to customize or optimize A tertiary amine such as MDEA is often used to selectively remove
the acid gas recovery.  Temperature, pressure, sour gas composition, H2S, especially for cases with a high CO2 to H2S ratio in the sour gas. 
and purity requirements for the treated gas must all be considered when One benefit of selective absorption of H2S is a Claus feed rich in H2S. 
choosing the most appropriate amine for a given application. MDEA can remove H2S to 4 ppm while maintaining 2% or less CO2 in
the treated gas using relatively less energy for regeneration than that
for DEA.  Higher weight percent amine and less CO2 absorbed results
in lower circulation rates as well.  Typical solution strengths are 40-50
weight % with a maximum rich loading of 0.55 mole/mole.  Because
MDEA is not prone to degradation, corrosion is low and a reclaimer is
unnecessary.  Operating pressure can range from atmospheric, typical of
tail gas treating units, to over 1,000 psia.
Mixed Solvents
In certain situations, the solvent can be “customized” to optimize the
sweetening process.  For example, adding a primary or secondary amine
to MDEA can increase the rate of CO2 absorption without compromising
the advantages of MDEA.  Another less obvious application is adding
MDEA to an existing DEA unit to increase the effective weight % amine
to absorb more acid gas without increasing circulation rate or reboiler
Figure 1
duty.  Many plants utilize a mixture of amine with physical solvents.
SULFINOL is a licensed product from Shell Oil Products that combines
Primary Amines an amine with a physical solvent.  Advantages of this solvent are increased
The primary amine MEA removes both CO2 and H2S from sour gas and mercaptan pickup, lower regeneration energy, and selectivity to H2S. 
is effective at low pressure.  Depending on the conditions, MEA can
remove H2S to less than 4 ppmv while removing CO2 to less than 100 Choosing the Best Alternative
Given the wide variety of gas treating options, a process simulator that
ppmv.  MEA systems generally require a reclaimer to remove degraded
can accurately predict sweetening results is a necessity when attempting
products from circulation.  Typical solution strength ranges from 10 to
to determine the best option. ProMax® has been proven to accurately
20 weight % with a maximum rich loading of 0.35 mole acid gas/mole predict results for numerous process schemes. Additionally, ProMax can
MEA.  DGA® is another primary amine that removes CO2, H2S, COS, utilize a scenario tool to perform feasibility studies. The scenario tool
and mercaptans. Typical solution strengths are 50-60 weight %, which may be used to systematically vary selected parameters in an effort to
result in lower circulation rates and less energy required for stripping determine the optimum operating conditions and the appropriate solvent.
as compared with MEA.  DGA also requires reclaiming to remove the These studies can determine rich loading, reboiler duty, acid gas content
degradation products. of the sweet gas, amine losses, required circulation rate, type of amine or
physical solvent, weight percent of amine, and other parameters. ProMax
Secondary Amines can model virtually any flow process or configuration including multiple
The secondary amine DEA removes both CO2 and H2S but generally columns, liquid hydrocarbon treating, and split flow processes. In
addition, ProMax can accurately model caustic treating applications as
requires higher pressure than MEA to meet overhead specifications. 
well as physical solvent sweetening with solvents such as Coastal AGR®,
Because DEA is a weaker amine than MEA, it requires less energy for methanol, and NMP. For more information about ProMax and its ability
stripping.  Typical solution strength ranges from 25 to 35 weight % with to determine the appropriate solvent for a given set of conditions, contact
a maximum rich loading of 0.35 mole/mole.  DIPA is a secondary amine Bryan Research & Engineering.
For more information about this study, see the full article at
www.bre.com/support/technicalarticles
ProMax® process simulation software by Bryan Research & Engineering, Inc.
Engineering Solutions for the Oil, Gas, Refining & Chemical Industries

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