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1 lth
Offshore South East Asia Conferenc.
OSEA96018
NATURAL GAS SWEETENING BY THE COMBINATION OF SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANES
AND FIXED BED CHEMICAL ABSORBENTS
STEVE B HEINEMANN, BORAL ENERGY RESOURCES LTD
&
COLIN WOODWARD, ICIKATALCO
This
paper was prepared for
presentation
at
the
11
th Offshore South East Asia
Conference held in
Singapore,
24-27
September
1996.
This
paper
was selected
for presentation by
a programme committee following review of
information
in
an abstract. Contents
of
the paper have not
been reviewed by
OSEA and are
subject
to correction by the author(s).
The
material, as presented, does
not necessarily reflect any position of
the
Offshore
South
East Asia Conference or its
offiiers.
ABSTRACT I
Boral
Energy Resources Ltd
has been operating a
26
MMscfd
natural gas processing plant at Beharra
Springs, Western Australia since 1993.
Carbon
dioxide is reduced to the required 4%
(max)
by the
membrane which also lowers the H2S
from
10
ppmv
to 5-6
ppmv.
Final polishing to the
required 3.0
ppmv
is provided by a non-regenerable
chemical absorbent.
INTRODUCTION (Ref
1)
The Beharra
Springs (BS)
gas field is situated in the
northern Perth Basin 350
km north of Perth and
approximately 1.6
km west of the West Australian
Natural Gas Pty Ltd (WANG) pipeline. (Figure 1)
The WANG pipeline runs from the Dongara
gas
field, which is about 25
km north of the Beharra
Springs field, south through Perth and the major
heavy industrial area of Kwinana,
to the Alcoa
alumina refinery at Pinjarra
some 80
km south of
Perth. The 14
inch, high pressure gas pipeline was
References
&
Illustrations at end
of
paper.
opened in 1971
to supply Perth and Kwinana
with
gas from the newly discovered Dongara
(1966)
gas
field operated by West Australian Petroleum Pty
Ltd
(WAPET).
In 1992
the maximum daily gas
transportation down the WANG line was
approximately 740,000
m3/d,
(26
MMscfd)
which
represented only 23
percent of total available
pipeline capacity.
economics of
various processing options.
for an exploration programme in the EP320
contingency (20%).
Operating costs included;
Permian Carynginia
formation from a depth of
(3
0%).
relying only
on the partial pressure of CO*
to
indicated levels of hydrogen sulphide @I$)
of 8-
10
expansion
. semi permeable membrane removal of
Davy McKee Pacific, later to become Davy John
COz,
H2S
and water
Brown (DJB),
carried out a Beharra
Springs gas
.
fixed bed technology for hydrogen
sulphide removal.
I
.
.
OSEA960
18
STEVE B HEINEMANN
&
COLIN WOODWARD
3
from 2.6%
to 4.0%.
Subsequent optimisation of
During the next four months, the process
1995
two 2000
HP compressors and associated
equipment including major long lead time items
million.
packages were let on a process specification basis
incorporating significant design responsibility with
4 PROCESS CONFIGURATION
the process package supplier. (see Figure 2)
manifold at a temperature of 50
-
70C
and a
Perth and Melbourne.
pressure of 12000
kPa
which has beer! !et
down,
.
Civil and site activities, including the
wellhead
pressure decreases pressure will be
site of the various process packages which
supplemented up to 12000
kPa
by two gas
were skid-mounted and trucked to Beharra
prevent CO&S
corrosion in the wet well
25TJ/D to take advantage of the extended Alcoa
stream fluids.
contract. A design which incorporated an activated
carbon bed to remove traces of polycyclic
aromatic
kPa
to 7000
kPa
using an expansion valve,
which could pass through the low temperature
15C
methanol is injected into the process streams. As
daily consumption is in the region of 900
litres,
methanol is stored in bulk on site.
5 INTRODUCTION TO MEMBRANES
(Ref
2)
= (Flow Rate) below 3%. The latter plant also contains a fixed
(Membrane Area)(ComponentdP)
P
tl-le centre of the membrane envelope and then
?iral around to the steel permeate tube and exit as
Sl
tl le low pressure permeate stream. The product gas
GSEA960
18
temperature.
non-regenerable
fixed bed chemical absorbent
the PUR4SPECTM
trademark, which enables
from 0-150C
and pressures from
atmospheric to
operating life.
12000
kPa.
Some of the largest installations
7
OPERATING HISTORY AND
Petronas
Gas Bhd
at Kertih,
Malaysia and for
PERFORMANCE
at St Fergus
(Ref
4)
in the UK. The total
scfd).
SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANES
maintenance, etc
but their application can be
permeabilities
over time. Under normal
of H2S
but means that they are ideally suited to
0.1
ppmv.
This ensures that the product gas
2-4
years. Performance of the membranes at
specification is always met while minimising
Beharra
Springs is detailed in Figure 3 which
absorbent consumption. These features made the
against time.
Beharra
Springs and its subsequent
more-than-satisfactory performance has vindicated
its selection.
PURASPEt?
is a trademark of the ICI Group of Companies.
I
OSEA96018
STEVE B HEINEMANN
&
COLIN WOODWARD
7
The initial set of membranes exhibited very rapid Performance of the second batch
of membrane
deterioration in permeability for both CO, and HIS
has significantly exceeded expectations. It is
to such an extent that within four months of intended to trial the newer type
hollow fibre
operation Beharra
Springs gas sales were polyimide
membranes in the latter part of 1996
significantly curtailed. Analysis of the poor which the manufacturers claim will
reduce
performing membranes indicated severe overall methane losses.
contamination of the membrane surface with
polycyclic
hydrocarbons (PCAs).
This FIXED BED ABSORBENTS
contamination also resulted in physical damage to
the membranes. The PCAs
were traced to The PURASPEC
fixed bed absorbent system at
carryover of condensate from the low temperature BS
consists of two equal-sized reactors piped in
separator in the 1
O-20
ppb
range. Additional a lead-lag series configuration. From
pretreatment facilities were installed including commissioning in November 1993
until August
enhanced activated carbon adsorption. 1995,
the unit was operated in this manner. Gas
analyses then showed that the absorbent in the
A new set of 112
membranes was installed in lead (A) reactor was fully loaded with sulphur so
October 1992
and these membranes have been in it was taken off-line and emptied. Analyses of
service ever since. Apart from the initial reduction the discharged absorbent
showed its sulphur
in permeability from the as new status in the first content to be close to 200
kg/m3.
There was no
months, permeability has remained essentially evidence of any adverse effect from
carryover
constant in the 3%
years to date. Operating and deposition of PCAs.
Gas was now directed
experience has confirmed that : to the B reactor and, because the sulphur removal
reaction zone was contained well within one bed,
i increased temperatures increase permeability the A reactor was left off-line. The
B reactor
and hence the membranes are operating at the was taken off-line and emptied in
January 1996
maximum sustainable temperature consistent since when the unit has been running
with only
with allowable membrane design the A reactor in service. The H2S
content of the
temperatures. export gas is controlled to 3.1
f
0.1
ppmv
by
manual adjustment of the bypass valve with
ii increased gas velocities at the membrane reference to regular analytical checks.