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
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
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
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
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
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
Membranes Are Packaged in Spiral-Wound Modules Each module contains 20 to 50 m 2 of membrane Area 7 File name 7
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
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
Hydrocarbon-Permeable Membranes Phase Envelope 1800 1500 Feed Gas Phase Envelope Pressure (psia) 1200 900 600 300 Point A Low Pressure NGL-Rich Stream Residue Gas Phase Envelope Point B NGL-Depleted Stream Point A Feed Gas Point B Residue Gas 0-100 -50 0 50 100 150 Temperature (of) 10 File name 10
Hydrocarbon-Rejecting CO2 Permeable Membranes - Phase Envelope 1800 1500 Residue Gas Phase Envelope Pressure (psia) 1200 900 600 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 0-50 -30-10 10 30 50 70 90 110 130 150 Temperature (of) 11 File name 11
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
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
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
Propylene and Isobutane Recovery Membrane Unit at a Polyolefins Plant 15 File name 15
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
NGL Separation UEG (El Paso) System Operational since May, 2002 Processing 90 MMSCFD @ 900 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
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
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 0.5-25 Simple continuous operation heavy hydrocarbons in product gas Early commercialization 19 File name 19
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
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
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
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
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
Composite Membranes: A Breakthrough in Membrane Technology Reduced pretreatment Greater flexibility in material selection Better performance Many new applications 25 File name 25
Membranes Are Not Just for CO 2 Anymore H 2 S Heavy Hydrocarbons Nitrogen All Are Possible 26 File name 26
Thank You! Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) 1360 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Telephone: 650-328-2228 Fax: 650-328-6580 Website: www.mtrinc.com and Randall Gas Technologies A Division of Lummus Process Technology ABB Lummus Global 3010 Briarpark, Houston, TX 77042 Telephone: 713-821-4100 Fax: 713-821-3538 Website: www.abb.com\lummus 27 File name 27