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Process automation mostly makes operations perform better, but sometimes it makes them possible in the
first place. While many potential applications are technically feasible, operational difficulties and process
variability render them unaffordable, so they're never implemented or scaled up—at least not until technical
innovations come along that makes them economically viable and profitable.
For instance, toxic, explosive hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas is found in 30-40% of upstream natural gas wells,
while oxidation-reduction (redox) chemistry to convert it into fertilizer-grade sulfur has been available for 50-
60 years. However, prior efforts to commercialize this process were only marginally successful due to
persistent operational challenges, and because variations in operating conditions made the process costly,
according to Peter Photos, Ph.D, executive VP for engineering and chief scientist at Streamline Innovationsin
San Antonio, Texas.
The company designs, builds, leases, integrates and operates large, manned and small,semi-autonomous
H2S-to-sulfur units into correspondingly sized natural gas wells and processing facilities. Streamline also
employs its Valkyrie process with updated chemistry, modern surfactants, and automation and controls. Its
small units are about the size of a large truck, and can process 200-5,000 pounds of sulfur per day, treating
an average of 3-7 million standard cubic feet of natural gas, while its large units are as big as half a football
field, and can produce 20,000-34,000 pounds of sulfur per day. It also builds autonomous, micro devices that
perform ancillary tasks in remote locations.
Streamline presently operates one large gas treatment facility, has run three semi-autonomous units for
the past 18 months, and added four more in the past few weeks. This gives it a total of five mid-sized units
in south Texas and two in west Texas, where it plans to add three more small and one large plant soon.
"Because we're both reducing and re-oxidizing our chemistry, redox is much less costly. This is why the
process was tried from the 1950s through the 1990s, but the problem was the two chemical processes,
reduction and oxidation, could not be optimally controlled" explains Photos. "This is also tricky because H2S
concentrations in natural gas vary, as well as flow rates, so the corresponding amount of chemistry added to
the gas needs to be constantly adjusted. If too much chemistry is added, it can't be regenerated. However, if
too little is added, then some H2S might get into the pipeline. Likewise, we pump in air to regenerate our
chemicals, but if too much air goes in, this process won't work either. This is why the old process required an
advisor in the field to check concentrations and flow rates every few minutes."
Unfortunately, experts can't be onsite at all times in all natural gas facilities, or even travel to them
frequently, especially to smaller units on remote wells. The Valkyrie process replaces the "advisor in the field"
with controls, allowing the process to maintain that equilibrium without human intervention. This allows
Streamline's H2S-to-sulfur process to succeed and scale up.
Photos reports Streamline first tried an automation platform written on a standard PLC, but it couldn't
perform the complex calculations and model-based controls required by its semi-autonomous operations, or
allow remote and bidirectional control of the units and equipment as needed. Likewise, while the plant-sized
units are large and complex enough to merit 24/7 manned operations, they still need real-time process
analytics, onsite HMI access by operators, and remote data access by in-office engineers. Meanwhile, its
small units require basic, low-cost automation with remote data access and local HMI access without any
added equipment or resources that could make tradition PLC-based automation too costly.
99.7% uptime for small units due to remote start, stop, restart, monitoring and auto-
notification via SMS;
One-second resolution for data acquisition that's allowed Streamline to develop better
models to further improve unit accuracy and performance, and reduce chemistry costs
by 35%;
Machine-learning (ML) and fuzzy logic algorithms running on Python on top of Ignition
to provide advanced control efficiency and a self-tuning system that increases
operational efficiency even more;
Better than 99% uptime on the large units, aided by custom HMI screens for local
operations at specific locations and detailed control during maintenance;
Much faster functionality checks during commissioning because system integrators
could access the HMI at the instrument or on their tablets via WiFi; and
Intelligent control deployed on the smaller units, allowing operators to visit sites
biweekly instead of continuously.
"Machine learning is letting us build more predictive models for parameters like temperature and gas
pressure, which helps us determine the best chemistry circulation and air flow rates to use," adds Photos.
"Ignition gives us the flexibility to integrate weather forecasts for ambient temperatures and humidity,
which can have a big impact sulfur production, and adjust our surfactant and pH levels for more optimal
performance. Little things like humidity can affect the amount of water in our process, and there are many
variables like this that we couldn't address before, but now we can because ML can be added to model-
predictive control (MPC) with help from Ignition and Python scripts. We used to model units to within 20%,
but now we can do it within 5% with MPC and Ignition by predicting operating conditions and the extent of
our reduction and oxidation reactions. This is how automated, continuous control can make a process
application economically viable."