Amine Gas Sweetening Systems Field Proven Gas Sweetening System

Hydrogen sulde, carbon dioxide, mercaptans and other contaminants are often found in natural gas streams. H2S is a highly toxic gas that is corrosive to carbon steels. CO2 is also corrosive to equipment and reduces the Btu value of gas. Gas sweetening processes remove these contaminants so the gas is suitable for transportation and use. NATCO designs and manufactures a variety of gas sweetening systems, including amine systems. NATCO offers a number of amine solvents, that remove the contaminants by chemical reaction. Custom and standard designs are available to meet any gas sweetening challenge, and lease/purchase options are available.

Amine Sweetening Process

NATCO amine sweetening systems are based on proven gas sweetening technology. The systems are efcient and effective. The following step-by-step explanation refers to Figure 1. 1 Sour gas enters the contactor tower and rises through the descending amine solution. 2 Puried gas ows from the top of the tower. 3 The amine solution, carrying absorbed acid gases, leaves the tower for the heat exchanger or optional ash tank. 4 Rich amine is heated by hot regenerated lean amine in the heat exchanger. 5 Rich amine is further heated in the regeneration still column, by heat supplied from the reboiler. The steam rising through the still liberates H22 and CO2 regenerating the amine. 6 Steam and acid gases separated from the rich amine are condensed and cooled, respectively, in the reux condenser. 7 Condensed steam is separated in the reux accumulator and returned to the still. Acid gases may be vented, or directed to a sulfur recovery system. 8 Hot regenerated lean amine is cooled in a solvent aerial cooler and circulated to the contactor tower, completing the cycle. 9 A variety of heat sources may be used for the still reboiler: direct-red, waste heat, hot oil and steam systems.
Issue 7 July 2002

Figure 1 Typical Amine Systems Flow Diagram

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Amine Gas Sweetening Systems

Custom-Designed Gas Sweetening Plants Systems engineered to suit your needs
NATCO custom designs and manufactures amine sweetening plants for any particular application. Our specially engineered systems adapt the basic amine process to your gas ow rates, stream composition, desired outlet quality and more. The amine plant may stand alone or work as part of an integrated processing installation, offshore or onshore. Sizes range from 125 gpm to 2000 gpm and higher, with contaminants in any concentration. Below 125 gpm circulation rates, NATCO offers six standardized designs.

Standardized Amine Plants Standardized plants save you time and money
By standardising the gas sweetening design, we are able to provide fast delivery and a savings in engineering cost.

The standard plants are shop-fabricated modular packages. They are skid-mounted and include all piping and controls. The plants are designed to use a variety of solvents, as well as MEA, DEA, MDEA, DGA and Sulnol. Equipment included in each plant: Amine contactor tower Reboiler/surge tank Reux condenser/solution cooler in a common aerial cooler package Reux accumulator Reux pump(s) Main solvent pump(s) Solvent booster pump(s) Full ow lter for rich solvent Charcoal lter Control panel/motor starters
The 1-3gpm unit has the reux system integral with the still column. This unit does not require reux pumps or booster pumps.

Six complete gas sweetening packages

NATCOs standardized plant is designed in six sizes for the most frequently required solvent circulation rates. Size 0 Size 1 Size 2 Size 3 Size 4 Size 5 1 to 3 gpm 3 to 10 gpm 10 to 20 gpm 20 to 40 gpm 40 to 80 gpm 80 to 120 gpm

Standard Amine Plants

1-3 gpm 3-10 10-20 20-40 40-80 80-120 gpm gpm gpm gpm gpm

Contractor Tower O.D. (in) Length (ft) Trays Reboiler 12.75 20 24 10 18 20 36 25 18 20 60 30 24 20 72 30 30 20 96 40 5.5 36 50 20 36 7.5 80 75 6 1.0 80 10 36 52.5 20 120 40 8.6 42 50 20 42 52.5 120 100 9 1.0 120 10 6.30 3.78 3.90 25 42 52.5 52.5 52.5 52.5

Except for the gas contact tower the 1-3 gpm, 3-10 gpm and 10-20 gpm plants are complete on one skid. The reboiler and aerial cooler are mounted off-skid on the 20-40 gpm plant. The reboiler, still, and solvent aerial cooler are off-skid on the larger plants.

Select options to suit special needs

These plants are designed so that they can be customized to meet your special needs while maintaining fast delivery. These options include: Outlet scrubber and accessories Flash tank and accessories NACE accessories Instrument options Control panel options Reclaimer and accessories
For more information on NATCO Amine Gas Sweetening Systems or other NATCO Group products contact:

Custom performance from a standard design

NATCO has put years of gas sweetening expertise into the design and engineering of six standardized gas plants. You get the kind of performance with these standard plants that you expect from a customdesigned sweetening plant.

O.D. (in) Length (ft) Still Column O.D. (in) Length (ft) Trays O.D. (in) Length (ft) Rate (gpm) max Horsepower Reux Pump (2)

Duty (MMbtu/hr) .23 10.75 23 Pack 14 6 3 3

.75 1.25 2.75 14 48 20 16 5 10 10 .75 1.0 10 2.0 18 50 20 18 7.5 20 20 1.5 1.0 20 2.0 24 50 20 24 7.5 40 40 3 1.0 40 5

Reux Accumulator

Circulation Pump (2)

NATCO Group Head Ofce Houston, USA Tel: +(1) 713 683 9292 Email: sales@natco-us.com NATCO Canada Calgary, Canada Tel: +(1) 403 236 1850 Email: sales@natco.ab.ca NATCO Japan Tokyo, Japan Tel: +(81) 33288 1901 Email: natco1@natcojapan.com Axsia Group Gloucester, England Tel: +(44) 1452 833800 Email: asbl@axsia.com Axsia Howmar Camberley, England Tel: +(44) 1276 681101 Email: ahl@axsia.com

Rate (gpm) max N/A Horsepower Booster Pump Rate (gpm) max N/A Horsepower N/A Reux Condenser N/A

Duty (MMbtu/hr) .15 0.525 1.05 2.10 4.20 Heat Exchanger Duty (MMbtu/hr) .95 0.315 Cooler Duty (MMbtu/hr) .10 0.325 0.65 1.30 2.60 Charcoal Filter Rate (gpm) 3 7.5 7.5 7.5 16 .63 1.26 2.52

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