Advances in Membrane Materials Provide New Gas Processing Solutions

Transcription

1 Advances in Membrane Materials Provide New Gas Processing Solutions Patrick Hale Randall Gas Technologies A Division of ABB Lummus Global (ABB) Kaaeid Lokhandwala Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) 1 File name 1

2 Outline ABB Randall Gas Technologies/MTR Alliance Composite Membranes Materials selection flexibility Improved stability and fouling resistance New Processes NGL Removal Nitrogen Removal CO 2 Removal H 2 S Removal 2 File name 2

3 ABB Randall Gas Technologies and MTR Have Formed an Alliance Randall Gas Technologies A division of ABB Lummus Global (ABB) A process development and engineering company serving the natural gas industry Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) A supplier of membrane gas separation systems A leader in membrane development 3 File name 3

4 ABB/MTR s Technology is Based on New Composite Membranes Nonporous Coated Selective Layer Microporous Support Layer Support Fabric Composite Membrane 4 File name 4

5 The Porous Support and the Selective Layer Can Be Optimized Separately Desired Properties High permeability High selectivity Chemical resistance Desired Properties No mass transfer resistance Mechanical strength Chemical resistance 5 File name 5

6 Composite Membranes and Processes Process Name Separation Application VaporSep NGL/Natural Gas Fuel Conditioning Dew Point Adjustment P-Top TM H 2 S/CH 4 H 2 S Removal Z-Top CO 2 /CH 4 CO 2 Removal NitroSep N 2 /CH 4 Nitrogen Rejection 6 File name 6

7 Membranes Are Packaged in Spiral-Wound Modules Each module contains 20 to 50 m 2 of membrane Area 7 File name 7

8 Membrane Fouling is a Major Process Design Concern Potential Foulants in Natural Gas Carbon Dioxide Hydrogen Sulfide Mercury Salt Asphaltenes Waxes Water Mercaptans Oxygen Aromatics Glycols Methanol Amines Sulfur 8 File name 8

9 Effect of Water and BTEX Aromatics on ABB/MTR s Composite Membranes Water Membranes are inert to water vapor or liquid Water goes with the permeate gas BTEX Aromatics VaporSep and P-Top membranes preferentially permeate BTEX Vapor concentrations up to saturation are not a problem Z-Top rejects BTEX aromatics High vapor concentrations do not effect membrane but condensation should be minimized to avoid physical damage 9 File name 9

10 Hydrocarbon-Permeable Membranes Phase Envelope Feed Gas Phase Envelope Pressure (psia) Point A Low Pressure NGL-Rich Stream Residue Gas Phase Envelope Point B NGL-Depleted Stream Point A Feed Gas Point B Residue Gas Temperature (of) 10 File name 10

11 Hydrocarbon-Rejecting CO2 Permeable Membranes - Phase Envelope Residue Gas Phase Envelope Pressure (psia) Point A Point B Feed Gas Phase Envelope CO2-Depleted Stream Point B Residue Gas Point A Feed Gas 300 Low Pressure CO2-Rich Stream Temperature (of) 11 File name 11

12 Potential Pretreatment Options for Membrane Systems Feed Glycol Dehydration Coalescing Filter Absorbent Guard Bed Refrigeration Particle Filter Heater Membrane Braces and a belt will handle any upset but are expensive Tough membranes minimize pretreatment required 12 File name 12

13 ABB/MTR Processes NGL Removal by VaporSep TM Nitrogen Removal by NitroSep TM CO 2 Removal by Z-Top TM H 2 S Removal by P-Top TM 13 File name 13

14 History of NGL Membrane Applications A long history of use for various hydrocarbon separation and recovery applications Commercial success Prestigious Kirkpatrick Award Winning Technology Applied for wide range of flows: 0.2 to 90 MMscfd Applied at wide range of pressures: 50 to 1,000 psia More than 80 reference plants worldwide Customers include ExxonMobil (8 Plants), BP Amoco (4 Plants), Sabic (4 plants), Formosa (10 plants) More than 400 years of cumulative on-stream time 14 File name 14

15 Propylene and Isobutane Recovery Membrane Unit at a Polyolefins Plant 15 File name 15

16 NGL Separation - Applications Dew point control Conditioning of rich fuel gas Three reference plants Good fix for black start gas problem 16 File name 16

17 NGL Separation UEG (El Paso) System Operational since May, 2002 Processing psig Constant performance reducing C 3+ to meet Siemens Turbine Fuel Specs. System Turndown to 25% System delivery in 14 weeks. 17 File name 17

18 Fuel Gas Conditioning Process Design Main gas line Main pipeline compressor Pipeline gas Conditioned gas dew point 4 C Membrane skid Raw fuel gas dew point 35 C Gas engine Rich recycle gas 18 File name 18

19 Comparison of Nitrogen Removal Processes Process Flow Range (MMscfd) Complexity Hydrocarbon Recovery Development Stage Cryogenic >15 Complex heavy hydrocarbons Mature In product gas PSA 2-15 Simple; batch operation requires bed switching heavy hydrocarbons in tail gas Early commercialization Membrane Simple continuous operation heavy hydrocarbons in product gas Early commercialization 19 File name 19

20 Nitrogen Removal Process Nitrogen contaminated low-pressure gas (10% N 2 ) Recycle gas (10-15% N 2 ) Separator Fuel gas (50% N 2 ) Compressor Condensate Pipeline gas (<4% N2) 20 File name 20

21 Nitrogen Removal Skid Operational since November, 2002 Constant performance reducing N 2 content in natural gas from 6.5 mol-% to 2.5 mol-%. System Turndown to 50% on the fly 21 File name 21

22 Nitrogen Removal Process Green Ranch Under Installation at Site Reducing N 2 content in natural gas from 24 mol-% to 4 mol-%. Unattended operation Remote Monitoring Capacity: 1 MMSCFD Designed for maximum flexibility for variation in inlet pressure, product pressure and flow rate. 22 File name 22

23 CO 2 Removal: High CO 2 Feed Gas Membrane skids (Bulk CO 2 removal) Lean solvent Pipeline product (2% CO 2 ) Solvent process (Polishing step) High CO 2 feed gas (60% CO 2 ) CO 2 depleted gas to solvent process (8% CO 2 ) To fuel/reinjection (>90% CO 2 ) Solvent to regeneration 23 File name 23

24 H 2 S Removal Fuel Gas Treatment Main gas line Main pipeline compressor Pipeline gas High H 2 S Fuel 3400 ppm H 2 S enriched recycle gas Membrane skid Low H 2 S Fuel To Engines 40 ppm 24 File name 24

25 Composite Membranes: A Breakthrough in Membrane Technology Reduced pretreatment Greater flexibility in material selection Better performance Many new applications 25 File name 25

26 Membranes Are Not Just for CO 2 Anymore H 2 S Heavy Hydrocarbons Nitrogen All Are Possible 26 File name 26

27 Thank You! Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) 1360 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA Telephone: Fax: Website: and Randall Gas Technologies A Division of Lummus Process Technology ABB Lummus Global 3010 Briarpark, Houston, TX Telephone: Fax: Website: 27 File name 27