CO2 removal optimisation for the BR-E membrane system by data analysis and modelling
Abstract
Development of offshore high carbon dioxide (CO2) gas fields will indisputably pose significant new challenges for all E&P companies in the world. Acid gas removal from natural gas is an indispensable treatment process that is required to boost the produced gas quality prior to its utilisation. The use of membrane units has increased in natural gas treatment plants, particularly for acid gas removal. Such technology shows tremendous advantages over other conventional methods in terms of removal efficiency, compactness, and environmental friendliness.
BR-E CO2 removal facility using membrane technology has been utilised for more than 10 years. As new acid gas fields require
increasingly high gas volumes (more than 700 MMscfd production) and have very high CO2 content (above 50%), existing membrane performance is no longer economical for such new field development.
In this paper, a data analysis model for membrane separation has been incorporated with HYSYS as a user defined unit operation in order to optimise performance and redesign the membrane system for CO2 separation from natural gas. Parameter sensitivities have been studied for different crude gas flow and CO2 contained in gas.
References
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Honeywell Company. UOP separexTM membrane technology. UOP LLC. 2009.
David Dortmundt, Mark Schott and Tom Cnop. Sour gas processing applications using separex membrane technology. UOP LLC. 2007.
PVEP. BR-E CO2 removal process overview.
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