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Natural Gas Purification Levels
Natural Gas Purification Levels
arab-oil-naturalgas.com/natural-gas-purification-levels/
Written by:
El sayed Amer
1. Gas purification
Natural gas used by consumers is significantly different from the natural gas that is
brought up from the wellhead. The processing of natural gas, in many respects, is less
complicated than the processing of crude oil but is equally important before it is used by
the end users.
Gas purification, involves the removal of vapor-phase impurities from gas streams. The
processes which have been developed to accomplish gas purification vary from simple
once-through wash operations to complex multiple-step recycle systems. In many cases,
the process complexities arise from the need for recovery of the impurity or reuse of the
material employed to remove it. The primary operation of gas purification processes
generally falls into one of the following five categories:
2. Sulfur Contaminants
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These Contaminant can be:
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Chemical conversion: is the principal operation in a wide variety of processes, including
catalytic and noncatalytic gas phase reactions and the reaction of gas phase components
with solids.
4.Process Selection
Selecting the optimum process for removing one or combination of the impurities is not
easy.
In many cases, the desired gas purification can be accomplished by several different
processes. Determining which is best for a particular set of conditions ultimately requires
a detailed cost and performance analysis.
However, a preliminary screening can be made for the most commonly encountered
impurities by using the following generalized guidelines.
When hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are absorbed in alkaline solutions or physical
solvents, they are normally evolved during regeneration without undergoing a chemical
change.
There are many factors to be considered in the selection of a given sweetening process.
These include the following:
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5. Most Common Sweetening processes
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Types of Alkanolamines
Amine solvent
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H2S + Amine ⇒ Amine Sulfide + H2O
Fixed bed of solid particles can be used to remove acid gases either through chemical
reactions or through ionic bonding.
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Gas stream flows through a fixed bed of solid particles which removes the acid gases and
holds them in the bed.
When the bed is spent, the vessel must be removed from service and the bed
regenerated or replaced.
Several types of adsorbents have been used during time. The most common types are:
Activated carbon
Molecular sieves/ zeolites
Synthetic polymers
Silica gel
Activated alumina
Iron Sponge.
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6. Acid Gas disposal
H2S should be converted to non-toxic and useful
elemental sulfur that can be used in fertilizer
industry.
The most common method of converting H2S into S is the Claus process.
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Clause Process: a process in which 1/3 of the H2S in the acid gas feed is burned to SO2
which is then reacted with the remaining H2S to produce sulfur.
The modified Claus process, developed by London chemist Carl Friedrich Claus in 1883.
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