CEIC3004 - Process Equipment Design Group

Assignment

Equipment Design for the Amine-Based Removal of

Carbon Dioxide from Natural Gas for Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG) Production

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Document control
Name Date

Prepared by 26/10/2018

Checked by 26/10/2018

Reviewed by 26/10/2018

Approved by 26/10/2018

NOTE: only the final revisions of the BFD and PFD were included in the report

BFD
Revision number Date revised Changes

1 25/08/2018 Labelling of streams

2 29/08/2018 Monoethanolamine solvent

stream was removed

PFD
Revision number Date revised Changes

1 24/08/2018 Trays of absorber column

added in

2 24/08/2018 Process input and process

output symbols included

3 24/08/2018 Labelling of streams, valves

included

4 24/08/2018 Labelling of equipment

5 26/08/2018 Spectacle blinds and flanges

included

6 29/08/2018 Lean solution pump included

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 Table of Contents
1. Executive summary 4

2. Introduction 4

3. Overall design of the LNG facility 5

3.1 Block Flow Diagram (BFD) 5

3.2 Process Flow Diagram (PFD) and Flow Summary table (FST) 7

4. Equipment Design 9

4.1 Absorption column 9

4.1.1 Calculating the dimensions of the absorber column 11

4.2 Pressurised vessel 13

4.2.1 Knock out drum, flash vessel and filter vessel 13

4.3 Heat exchanger 17

4.4 Distillation column 19

5. Conclusion 20

6. References 21

7. Appendix 24

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1. Executive summary
Carbon dioxide is removed from natural gas so as to prevent solidification of carbon
dioxide in the liquefaction process of natural gas. This report provides a detailed
equipment design of the carbon dioxide removal process from natural gas. The
objective of this process is to produce a natural gas stream with less than 50 ppm of
carbon dioxide at 6 MPag. The equipment items that are involved in this process
included a distillation column, heat exchangers, a knock out drum, flash drum, filter
vessel and a separation process. The knock out drum in the process was designed as a
pressurised vessel and the flash drum was designed in a similar manner. The
separation process involved a chemisorption process which was carried out by an
absorption column. The absorption column utilised a monoethanolamine solvent (20%
mass of MEA and 80% mass of water) that removed the carbon dioxide from the natural
gas.

This report contains the process drawings for the natural gas plant in the form of a block
flow diagram (BFD), process flow diagram (PFD), flow summary table (FST) and an
equipment summary table (EST). The design of the natural gas plant resulted in a
natural gas stream containing 0.000131 kmol/hr of carbon dioxide.

2. Introduction
The production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has quickly become one of the fastest
growing industries in the field of chemical engineering, due to the fact that natural gas is
now gaining significant popularity as both a fuel and a source of power generation. This
is due to both low natural gas prices and an increased desire for sustainable energy
sources in order to meet ever-increasing powder demands. Natural gas is far preferred
in its liquefied form for transportation because it is is by far, one of the safest and most
effective ways of transporting natural gas, as it not only occupies a significantly smaller
volume than conventional natural gas, but it is also much safer, being odourless,
colourless, non-toxic and non-corrosive, and hence costs which may have been
incurred in special and secure containment are reduced.

In order to convert conventional natural gas to LNG, it is first liquefied through cooling
before undergoing purification to remove excess C O2 and water to ensure an adequate
heating value for combustion and minimal pipeline corrosion. In this case, the C O2
content is required to be further reduced from 2-3% mole to 50 ppm mole, and in this

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plant, this will be accomplished by absorption of CO2 into an amine-based solution
(MEA) using a trayed distillation column, a pressure reduction vessel, a reflux gas
separator and a heat exchanger among other apparatus.

3. Overall design of the LNG facility

3.1 Block Flow Diagram (BFD)

A monoethanolamine solvent was chosen as the solvent to remove the carbon dioxide
from the incoming natural gas stream (from the additional MEB guidelines). Extensive
research of natural gas plants was conducted in order to select a process that would
successfully deliver a natural gas stream with less than 50 ppm of carbon dioxide at 6
MPag. The final design of the natural gas plant involves the incoming natural gas that is
at 10 MPag to be depressurised through a valve to 6 MPag. Prior to entering the
absorber column, any condensed liquids in the incoming natural gas stream are
required to be separated. The absorber removes the carbon dioxide from the natural
gas stream by a chemisorption process. The incoming lean solvent stream of
monoethanolamine (20% mass of MEA and 80% mass of water) absorbs the carbon
dioxide and leaves the absorber as the rich solvent stream. A small amount of
hydrocarbons present in the natural gas stream dissolves in the MEA solution. As a
result, the hydrocarbons are removed by a flash drum. The degassed solvent then
enters a heat exchanger to be heated up before entering the distillation column. Carbon
dioxide and water leave the top of the distillation column and are released to the
atmosphere. Water returns into the distillation column as reflux which minimises the loss
of MEA. The lean solvent stream leaves the bottom of the distillation column and
passes through a heat exchanger to be cooled by the incoming rich solvent. The lean
solvent stream is cooled again by cooling water. Before being recycled to the absorber
column, any solid particles that may be present in the lean solvent stream are also
removed.

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6
3.2 Process Flow Diagram (PFD) and Flow Summary table
(FST)

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 Table 1: Flow Summary Table (FST)
Mass Carbon Nitrogen
Stream Temp Pressure Vapour Flow Mole Flow Methane Ethane Propane Butane Pentane dioxide gas Water MEA
Number (°C) (MPag) Fraction (kg/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h) (kmol/h)
1 25 10 1 10475.05 542.429 466.489 32.54575 16.27288 8.13644 2.6579 10.84858 5.424293 0.05424 0
2 5 6 1 10475.05 542.429 466.489 32.54575 16.27288 8.13644 2.6579 10.84858 5.424293 0.05424 0
3 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
4 5 6 1 10475.05 542.429 466.489 32.54575 16.27288 8.13644 2.6579 10.84858 5.424293 0.05424 0
5 39.96 6 1 10016.45 532.618 466.489 32.54575 16.27288 8.13644 2.6579 0.000131 5.42428 1.08853 0.00354
6 35.39 6 0 11605.45 537.349 0.00053 8.76E-06 4.00E-07 1.52E-07 2.30E-08 14.44644 1.05E-05 486.925 35.9763
7 35.39 6 1 0.0087589 0.0005371 0.0005278 8.76E-06 4.00E-07 1.52E-07 2.30E-08 0 0 0 0
8 35.39 6 0 11605.445 537.34783 0 0 0 0 0 14.44644 1.05E-05 486.925 35.9763
9 110 0.1 0 11605.445 537.34783 0 0 0 0 0 14.44644 1.05E-05 486.925 35.9763
4.6055E+0 234.80107 2.2035E
10 110 0.1 1 3 96 0 0 0 0 0 14.44644 1.05E-05 +02 0

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 4.6055E+0 234.80107 2.2035E
11 40 0.07 1 3 96 0 0 0 0 0 14.44644 1.05E-05 +02 0
15.717649 1.27119
12 40 0.07 1 6.59E+02 15 0 0 0 0 0 14.44644 1.05E-05 8652 0
3.9468E+0 2.191E+
13 40 0.07 0 3 2.191E+02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 02 0
3.9468E+0 2.191E+
14 40 0.1 0 3 2.191E+02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 02 0
15 110 0.1 0 0.2162232 0.00354 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00354
16 – – 1 – – – – – – – – – – –
17 100 0.101325 1 31.739295 1.76183 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.76183 0
18 125 0.1 0 0.2162232 0.00354 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00354
19 25 0.101325 0 31.739295 1.76183 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.76183 0
20 125 0.1 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
21 125 6 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
22 82 6 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
23 40 6 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
24 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
25 40 6 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
26 40 6 0 11146.86 527.5375 0 0 0 0 0 3.597982 0 487.96 35.98
27 40 6 0 41.533344 2.3054868 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.30549 0
28 40 6 0 41.538963 2.3057987 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.3058 0
29 40 6 0 0.0056189 0.0003119 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00031 0
30 25 0.101325 0 18771.419 1041.9883 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1041.99 0
31 25 0.101325 0 18771.419 1041.9883 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1041.99 0

Aspen Plus was utilised for the mass and energy balance. The inputs to Aspen Plus,
assumptions and data are given in the appendix.

4. Equipment Design

4.1 Absorption column

An absorption column (i.e “separation column 1”) was used as a separation process to
remove the carbon dioxide from the natural gas. The incoming natural gas stream was
passed up from the bottom of the absorber, through the 24 sieve plates of the absorber
column. The monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent (20% mass of MEA and 80% mass of
water) entered the column and traveled downwards to absorb the C O2 from the natural
gas. The absorber column is a chemisorption process as a chemical reaction occurs
between the natural gas and the MEA solvent (Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, p. 767).

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The chemical reactions that take place in the absorber are given below (Nasrifar, K &
Tafazzol, AH 2010, p. 7621):
Dissociation of water:
2H 2 O ↔ OH − + H 3 O+ (1)

Formation of bicarbonate:
C O2 + 2H 2 O ↔ H CO3− + H 3 O+ (2)

Formation of carbonate:
H CO3− + H 2 O ↔ C O32− + H 3 O+ (3)

Dissociation of protonated MEA:

M EAH + + H 2 O ↔ M EA + H 3 O+ (4)

Dissociation of carbamate:
M EACOO− + H 2 O ↔ M EA + H CO3− (5)

A SWOT analysis was undertaken in order to justify the selection of an absorption

column for “separation column 1” and is expressed in the table below:

Table 2: SWOT analysis of the absorption column for separation column 1

Strengths Weaknesses

● Cost effective since the amine ● Higher pressure drops than packed
solvent (i.e MEA) has a high columns
affinity for carbon dioxide which ● Fouling may occur
leads to more efficient removal
● Handles high and low liquid flow
rates
● The liquid/vapour contact in the
trayed column is more effective
than the countercurrent flow in
packed columns

Opportunities Threats

● Controls can be put in place for ● Competition from other natural gas
easy control and operation of the plants that also use absorption
unit columns
● Easily customised

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The objective was to produce a 10,000 kg/hr of natural gas that contains less than
50 ppm mole of C O2 at 6 MPag. The absorber column contains 24 sieve plates with 4
water wash trays located at the top of the column that is fed with demineralised, oxygen
free water. The remaining 20 trays is where the MEA solvent (20% mass MEA and 80%
mass water) absorbs the C O2 from the incoming natural gas. It was assumed that the
absorber column operates at 6 MPag, has a pressure drop of 1 kPa per tray and has a
tray spacing of 0.61 m.

4.1.1 Calculating the dimensions of the absorber column

The Souders-Brown equation was used to approximate the column diameter. The
equation relates the cross-sectional area of the column and the plate spacing to the
maximum allowable superficial vapour velocity and is given by (Towler, G & Sinnott, R
2013, p. 853):
1
ρL −ρV
uv = (− 0.171l2t + 0.27lt − 0.047)[ ρV
]2 (6)

where uv is the maximum allowable superficial vapour velocity (m/s), lt is the plate
spacing (m) (ranging from 0.5 m to 1.5 m), ρL is the density of the liquid ( k g/m3 ) and ρV
is the density of the vapour ( k g/m3 )

Consequently, the column diameter is expressed by (Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, p.

854):
4V w
Dc =
√ πρV uv (7)
where Dc is the column diameter (m), V w is the maximum vapour rate (kg/s), ρV is the
density of the vapour ( k g/m3 ) and uv is the maximum allowable superficial vapour
velocity (m/s)

The maximum allowable superficial vapour velocity was calculated to be 0.242 m/s and
the column diameter was 0.539 m (see individual report, Tsung, E 2018 and appendix)
for a plate spacing of 0.61 m. This was an approximation and so a plate hydraulic
procedure was conducted in order to finalise the design of the absorber column.

The plate hydraulic procedure that was undertaken consisted of twelve steps to design
the bottom sieve plate of the column (see individual report, Tsung, E 2018). The
finalised design of the bottom plate is tabulated below (see individual report, Tsung, E
2018):

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Table 3: Layout of the bottom plate
Parameter Value

Column diameter (m) 0.5746

Area of the column (m2 ) 0.26

Weir height (mm) 50

Hole diameter (mm) 5

Plate thickness (mm) 5 (i.e using carbon steel)

Downcomer area (m2 ) 0.031

Net area (m2 ) 0.23

Active area (m2 ) 0.197

Hole area (m2 ) 0.0197

Table 4: Equipment Summary Table for the Absorber Column

Vessels/Tower/Reactors Absorber column (T-101)

Temperature ( ℃ ) 39.96

Pressure (MPag) 6

Orientation Vertical

Materials of construction Carbon steel (Antec 2003, p. 9)

Size

Height (m) 15.73 (see Appendix)

Diameter (m) 0.5746

Internals 24 sieve trays, 40 mm height of the

bottom edge of the apron above the
plate, weir height of 50 mm, weir
length of 0.44 m, unperforated strip
round plate edge of 35 mm, wide
calming zones of 35 mm, hole
diameter of 5 mm and plate thickness
of 5 mm

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The absorber has a side stream (stream 27, 28 and 29) which is the make-up water
stream. The make-up water stream enters the absorber in order to make up for the
small amount of water that is lost to the clean natural gas (stream 5) and the water loss
to the vented CO2 in stream 12. The make-up water would enter from a side pipe that
is attached to the absorber. Therefore, the side pipe would need to accommodate the
flow rate of the make-up water.The design of this side pipe is not given in this report as
the make-up water is a side stream.

4.2 Pressurised vessel

4.2.1 Knock out drum, flash vessel and filter vessel

A flash vessel and a knock out drum are utilised as horizontal pressure vessels in this process,
with the role of the flash vessel (V-102) being to store the bottom products of the absorber
(T-101) at a pressure of 6 MPag, after which the hydrocarbons are removed from the mixture
and the resultant hydrocarbon-free product sent to the heat exchanger, and the role of the
knock out drum (E-103) being to collect the overhead products of the distillation column (T-102)
at a lower pressure (0.07 MPag from 0.1 MPag). The knock out drum also acts as a reflux gas
separator and removes all the CO2 from the system, sending it elsewhere, and sending the
resultant product back to the distillation column. The flash vessel is constructed from 316L
stainless steel and the knock out drum is constructed from 304L stainless steel, with all other
parameters and sizings being present in the two equipment summary tables below. The
calculations involved in designing these vessels are in the appendix.

A SWOT analysis was conducted in order to justify the material, orientation and size
selections and is detailed in the table below:

Table 5: SWOT Analysis of horizontal pressure vessels constructed of 316L and

304L stainless steel for the flash drum and the knock out drum
Strengths Weaknesses

- Horizontal pressure vessels are the - Horizontal pressure vessels take up

best option for processes with high
liquid to vapour volume ratios
- The use of stainless steel for the two
vessels ensures that the vessels have
a long operating life, are corrosion
resistant and is extremely durable and
strong.
- In addition, both 304L and 316L grade
less space and are often more expensive
than vertical vessels
- Both L-type steels have slightly lower
mechanical properties than their 304-316
counterparts
- Generally thicker than other materials

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 steels, due to their alloyed nature,
have good forming and welding
properties, are extremely
heat-resistant and are able to
minimise deleterious carbide
precipitation due to their low carbon
content.

Opportunities Threats

- Can be created in any possible
orientation due to material versatility
- Very safe to use
- Competition from other LNG plants who
also use stainless steel horizontal
pressure vessels
- Alloys sometimes have unpredictable
properties

Table 6: Equipment Summary Table for Pressure Vessel 1: Flash Drum

Basic Vessel Parameter Flash drum (V-102) Flange

Temperature ​( ℃ ) 35.39 35.39

Pressure (MPag) 6 6

Orientation Horizontal Circular, weld-neck,

narrow-face with bolt circle

Material of construction 304L stainless steel Flange: ASTM A387

(18Cr-8Ni) (1/2Cr-1/2Mo)- Grade 11
Class 2
Bolt: ASTM A325
Gasket: Corrugated metal,
stainless steel

Other internal details Cylindrical shape Gasket width= 6.67 mm

Inner flange diameter= 900

Longitudinal, double-welded mm
square butt joint, Type A,
Class 2B was used in shell Mean diameter of gasket=
design. 914.66 mm

Ellipsoidal dished ends Minimum required bolt area =

constructed of 304L stainless 34 306.27 mm2
steel and using a single
welded butt joint, Class 2B Number of bolts = 56

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 with a thickness of 40.2mm
and a height of 210mm were
used to close off the vessel.
A demister was not used.
Size
Diameter (m) 0.96
Height (m) 4.80
Thickness (mm) 32.20
Table 7: Equipment Summary Table for Pressure Vessel 2: Acid Gas Knock Out
Drum
Basic Vessel Parameter Knock out drum (E-103)
Temperature ​( ℃ ) 40
Pressure (MPag) 0.07
Orientation Horizontal
Material of construction 316L stainless steel
(16Cr-12Ni-2Mo)
Other internal details Cylindrical shape
Longitudinal, double-welded
square butt joint, Type A,
Class 2B was used in shell
design.
Ellipsoidal dished ends
constructed of 316L stainless
steel and using a single
welded butt joint, Class 2B
with a thickness of 5.42mm
and a height of 150 mm were
15
Bolt area = 34 482.12 mm2
Minimum required flange bolt
force = 4 815 187.3N
Flange area = 635 850 mm2
-
-
-
Flange
40
0.07
Circular, weld-neck, full face
Flange: ASTM A350 (LF1)-
low carbon-steel
Bolt: ASTM A354
Gasket: Corrugated metal,
soft steel
Gasket width= 5 mm
Inner flange diameter= 600
mm
Mean diameter of gasket=
610 mm
Minimum required bolt area =
2116.92 mm2
Number of bolts = 4
 used to close off the vessel. Bolt area = 2463 mm2

Demister is not used. Minimum required flange bolt

force = 393 873.12 N

Flange area = 282 743.34

mm2

Size

Diameter (m) 0.85 -

Height (m) 2.55 -

Thickness (mm) 5.27 -

Table 8: Equipment Summary Table for Pressure Vessel 3: Filter Vessel

Basic Vessel Parameter Filter vessel (V-103)

Temperature ​( ℃ ) 40

Pressure (MPag) 6

Orientation Vertical

Material of construction 316 stainless steel (16Cr-12Ni-2Mo)

Other internal details Cylindrical shape

Longitudinal, double-welded square butt joint,

Type A, Class 2B was used in shell design.

Ellipsoidal dished ends constructed of 316

stainless steel and using a single welded butt
joint, Class 2B with a thickness of 12.78mm
and a height of 250 mm were used to close
off the vessel.

Demister is not used.

Size

Diameter (m) 0.56

Height (m) 7.4

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 Thickness (mm) 19.56

4.3 Heat exchanger

The recycling of MEA throughout the design requires the heating and cooling of MEA
streams leaving and arriving at the distillation columns.

A heat exchanger (E-101) is used to raise the temperature of stream 8 coming out of
the flash drum (V-102) for preparation as feed into the regenerator column (T-102). The
heat exchanger will heat stream 8 from a temperature of 35.39 ℃ to the required
temperature of 110 ℃ before entering the regenerator which is accomplished by
utilising the lean MEA stream (stream 21) that leaves the regenerator. This allows the
system to simultaneously heat up the rich MEA for the regenerator column and cool
down the lean MEA for the absorption column. The lean MEA enters at a temperature of
125 ℃ and leaves at a temperature of 55 ℃ . The heat exchanger is a TEMA shell and
tube split-ring floating head exchanger with an A-type front header, the reasons being
justified in the SWOT analysis (see appendix for the calculations).

Two additional heat exchangers are needed within the system. The first being a cooler
(E-105) for the lean MEA stream leaving heat exchanger E-101. This heat exchanger
will function to keep stream 23 entering the absorber column at the desired 40​o​C by
cooling it with water at 25​o​C. This generates streams 30 and 31 for the cold water
entering and leaving cooler (E-105).

The second additional heat exchanger is a condenser (E-102) above the regenerator
column in order to separate water with the CO​2​ to be released. This will cool the steam
in stream 10 from 110​o​C down to 40​o​C enabling the CO2 to be seperated in the acid
knock out drum (E-103). This will also generate 2 additional water streams as the
coolant for the heat exchanger.

It is recommended for the two additional heat exchangers to use a 1 shell 2 tube
configuration due to their simplicity and cost.

Table 9: Equipment Summary Table for Heat Exchangers

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Specifications Heat Exchanger Cooler Condenser
(E-101) (E-105) (E-102)

Type Liquid-Liquid Liquid-Liquid Condenser

Heat Duty 895.12 kW/s 188.36 kW/s 2764.778 kW/s

Area 167.85 m​2 41.76 m​2 23.01 m​2

Temperature

Cool Streams Stream 8 - 35.39​o​C Stream 30 - 25.0​o​C Inlet - 25.0​o​C

Stream 9 - 110.0​o​C Stream 31 - 39.0​o​C Outlet - 39.0 o​​ C

Hot Streams Stream 21 - 125.0​o​C Stream 22 - 55.0​o​C Stream 10 - 110​o​C

Stream 22 - 55.0​o​C Stream 23 - 40.0​o​C Stream 11- 40.0​o​C

Pressure

Cool Streams Stream 8- 6.0 MPag Stream 30 - 0.1 MPag Inlet - 0.1 MPag
Stream 9- 5.9 MPag Stream 31 - 0.1 MPag Outlet - 0.1 MPag

Hot Streams Stream 21- 6.0 MPag Stream 22 - 5.8 MPag Stream 10 - 0.1 MPag
Stream 22- 5.8 MPag Stream 23 - 5.8 MPag Stream 11 - 0.07 MPag

Shell Passes 4 1 1

Tube Passes 8 2 2

Material of
Construction

Shell Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel

Tubes Copper Copper Copper

Table 10: SWOT analysis of Heat exchanger (E-101)

Strengths Weaknesses

4 shell 8 tube configuration allows for
further contact period between the
streams, maximizing heat transfer
between the two streams.
High thermal conductivity of copper
increases efficiency within the heat
Prices of copper may be several times
that of aluminium. An economic analysis
must to completed to justify the price.
A-Type Front header only has 2 seals,
resulting in an increased risk of leakage.

18
exchangers.

Stainless steel is cheap and easy to

clean.

Split-ring floating head design of E-101

reduces thermal stresses and provide a
means to remove the tube bundle for
cleaning without sacrificing shell size
efficiency, flow rate or thermal efficiency.
A-Type Front Header (TEMA) is easy to
repair and replace.

Opportunities Threats

Ease of cleaning increases allows less Leakage of MEA material may be

labour cost, help fight fouling and lowers
replacement need.
expensive to replace over the long term.
MEA material is hazardous and must be
handled with protective precautions if
leaked.

4.4 Distillation column

It was assumed that Aspen Plus optimises the design given the required inputs. The
Aspen Plus simulation flowsheet was set up according to the PFD (process flow
diagram). Aspen inputs were according to the MEB (see Flow Summary Table).

The regenerator column (T-102) separates the amount of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and
water in the mixture of the rich MEA solvent stream. The feed enters a 24-stage column
and above stage 3 at the pressure of 1.713 bar and 40°C, with reflux ratio of 4.91. The
distillate output contains 6.89% of MEA, which is delivered to the absorber to complete
the solvent regeneration loop. See the appendix for the Aspen Plus inputs.

Table 11: Equipment Summary Table for the Regenerator Column (T-102)
Temperature ( ℃ ) 40.00

Pressure (bar) 1.713

Number of stages 24

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 Column diameter (m) 0.125

Column height (m) 26.25

5. Conclusion
The increase in demand of LNG makes it necessary to understand the process of
pretreating the gas before condensing it into liquid. The designed plant uses
monoethanolamine for the absorption of carbon dioxide. Although more advanced
technologies for removing C O2 from natural gas have been developed, the
well-documentation of the MEA method provides a good case study for designing the
process.​ ​The equipment chosen for this LNG plant was an absorber, flash drum, heat
exchangers, distillation column, acid knock-out drum and a filter vessel. The absorber
that was used as the separation process was the focus of this plant. The distillation
column is designed to maximize recycling of rich MEA back into lean MEA. The flash
drum, acid knock-out drum and filter vessel were designed from pressure-vessel
calculation principles. Overall, the equipment designed were able to successfully deliver
a natural gas stream with less than 50 ppm of carbon dioxide at 6 MPag.

20
6. References
UOP 2009, ‘UOP’s LNG Integrated Pretreatment Onshore and Offshore’, accessed 23
August 2018,
<https://www.uop.com/?document=lng-integrated-pretreatment-onshore-and-offshore&d
ownload=1>.

Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, ​Chemical Engineering Design- Principles, Pratice and
Economics of Plant and Process Design​, 2​nd edn,
​
Elsevier Ltd.

Perry, R.H, Green, D.W, Maloney, J.O 1999, ​Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook​,
7th edn, McGraw-Hill.

Nasrifar, K & Tafazzol, AH 2010, ‘Vapor-Liquid Equilibria of Acid Gas-Aqueous

Ethanolamine Solutions Using the PC-SAFT Equation of State​’, ​Industrial & Engineering
Chemistry Research,​vol. 49, no.16, pp. 7620-7630, DOI: 10.1021/ie901181n.

Antec 2003, ‘Steel pipe’, pp. 1-16.

Visual Encyclopaedia of Chemical Engineering 2018, ‘Absorbers’, accessed 22 October

2018,<http://encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu/Pages/SeparationsChemical/Absorbers/
Absorbers.html>

Tsung, E 2018, ‘Absorber column design for the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) for
liquefied natural gas (LNG) production’, pp. 1-17.

The engineering toolbox 2018, ‘Carbon dioxide- density and specific weight’, accessed
15 October 2018,
<https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/carbon-dioxide-density-specific-weight-temperatu
re-pressure-d_2018.html>

Jayarathna, S. A, Weerasooriya, A. C, Dayarathna, S, Eimer, D, & Melaaen, M 2013,

‘Densities and surface tensions of CO2 loaded aqueous monoethanolamine solutions
with r = (0.2 to 0.7) at T = (303.15 to 333.15) K’, ​Journal of Chemical and Engineering
Data,​ vol. ​58, no.​4, pp. 986-992, DOI:10.1021/je301279x.

SImetric 2016, ‘Mass, weight, density or specific gravity of water at various

temperatures’, accessed 15 October 2018, <https://www.simetric.co.uk/si_water.htm>

21
Dortmund Data Bank 2018, ‘Surface tension of water’, accessed 15 October 2018,
<http://www.ddbst.com/en/EED/PCP/SFT_C174.php>

Dow Chemical 2003, ‘Ethanolamines’, pp. 1-19.

R.M. Price 2003, ‘Distillation’, accessed 18 October 2018,

<http://facstaff.cbu.edu/rprice/lectures/distill7.html>

Asm.matweb.com. (2018). ​ASM Unit Converter​. [online] Available at:

http://asm.matweb.com/search/GetUnits.asp?convertfrom=43&value=8 [Accessed 15
Oct. 2018].

Australian Standard pressure vessels. (2012). [ebook] Available at:

https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/pluginfile.php/3395405/mod_resource/content/3/Australi
an%20Standard%20AS1210-2010%20%28Abridge%29.pdf [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].

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https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=87 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].

Efika, E., Hoballah, R., Li, X., May, E., Nania, M., SanchezVicente, Y. and Trusler, M.
(2015). ​Saturated Phase Densities of CO2 + H2O at Temperatures from (293 to 450) K
and Pressures up to 64 MPa.​ [ebook] Available at:
https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/28886/2/Saturated%20Phase%20Densiti
es%20of%20CO2%2Bwater%20-%20Accepted.pdf [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].

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https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/gas-density-d_158.html [Accessed 14 Oct. 2018].

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bechtel. Available at:
https://www.bechtel.com/getattachment/about-us/insights/challenges-LNG-materials-sel
ection/The-Challenges-of-LNG-materials-selection.pdf [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].

22
Honiron Manufacturing. (2018). ​Pressure Vessel - Choose Right Material for Pressure
Vessel​. [online] Available at:
https://www.honiron.com/choosing-right-material-pressure-vessel/ [Accessed 21 Oct.
2018].

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at: https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2007/AllenMa.shtml [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

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http://www.standard.no/pagefiles/1174/m-dp-001r1.pdf [Accessed 14 Oct. 2018].

Novel Knock-Out Drum Corrosion Solution. (2018). [ebook] Belzona. Available at:
https://www.belzona.com/assets/pdfs/press/topical-editorials/corrosion_solution_for_kno
ck_out_drums.pdf [Accessed 26 Oct. 2018].

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at-293k-and-700-kpa [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

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[ebook] Available at: http://www.intetech.com/images/downloads/Paper57.pdf
[Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

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https://www.steelavailable.com/en/what-is-a-steel-flange/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

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OF MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEW CHALLENGES AND
PROCESSES OF THE LNG CHAIN​. [ebook] Available at:
http://www.gastechnology.org/Training/Documents/LNG17-proceedings/Materials-3-Patr
ick_Toussaint.pdf [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

23
Wermac.org. (2018). ​Pressure Vessels, Spherical Pressure vessels (Pressure
Spheres), Cylindrical Pressure Vessels​. [online] Available at:
http://www.wermac.org/equipment/pressurevessel.html [Accessed 9 Oct. 2018].

7. Appendix
7.1 Assumptions for the mass and energy balance
The following was given in the design guidelines of the design brief:

Composition Units Value

CH₄ mol% 86%

C₂H₆ mol% 6%

C₃H₈ mol% 3%

C₄H₁₀ mol% 1.5%

C₅H₁₂ mol% 0.5%

CO₂ mol% 2%

N₂ mol% 1%

H₂O mol% 0.01%

Total mol% 100%

Pressure MPag 10

Temp °C 25

● Flow rate of gas after CO2 removal = 10,000 kg/h

● Separation columns 1 and 2 tray pressure drop = 1 kPa per actual tray
● Separation column 2 (Regenerator) top pressure = 100 kPag
● Tray efficiency = 25%
● Hydrocarbon separation fuel gas pressure = 500 kPag
● Water is lost from the unit via the treated natural gas, the flash gas to fuel and
the CO2. This needs to be made up using a demineralized and oxygen free
water stream added to the plant.
● Solvent type:
- Monoethanolamine (MEA) at 20% mass, balance water (80%)
24
 ● Solvent loading:
- Assume that the lean solvent contains 0.1 mole of CO2 per mole of MEA
- Assume that the rich solvent contains 0.4 mole of CO2 per mole of MEA
● Absorber column (“Separation Column 1”):
- Assume the column has 24 actual trays: 20 trays where the MEA absorbs
the CO2 with 4 water wash trays at the top, fed with demineralized,
oxygen free water
- Assume that the natural gas will leave the top of the column at the
temperature of the lean solvent entering it
● Regenerator column (“Separation Column 2”):
- Assume the column has 24 actual trays: 20 trays where the MEA is
stripped of CO2 with 4 water wash trays at the top fed by water reflux from
the CO2 condenser
- Assume the reboiler duty is 300 MJ per kmol of CO2 removed
- Tray pressure drop = 1kPa per actual tray
- Regenerator top pressure = 100 kPag
- Regenerator reflux drum pressure = 70 kPag
- Assume the lean MEA solution leaves the regenerator bottom at 125°C
- Assume the regenerator top tray temperature is the same as that of the
rich solvent entering the column
● Ambient and utility conditions:
- Design ambient temperature 25°C
- Design cooling water supply temperature 25°C
● Heat exchanger design parameters:
- Use an approach temperature of 15°C
● Physical property data:
- Heat of reaction (absorption/desorption) of CO2 in MEA solution = 1540
kJ/kg of CO2

7.2 Mass and energy balance calculations

Aspen Plus was used to simulate the absorber column by using a ‘RadFrac’ column.
The ‘AMINES’ base method was used and the inputs to the natural gas stream (stream
4) are given below:

Temperature (°C) 5

Pressure (MPag) 6

Mass flow rate (kg/hr) 10475.05

25
Mole fraction of methane 0.86

Mole fraction of ethane 0.06

Mole fraction of propane 0.03

Mole fraction of butane 0.015

Mole fraction of pentane 0.0049

Mole fraction of carbon dioxide 0.02

Mole fraction of nitrogen gas 0.01

Mole fraction of water 0.0001

Mole fraction of MEA 0

The inputs to Aspen of the MEA solvent stream (stream 26) was:

Temperature (°C) 40

Pressure (MPag) 6

Mass flow rate (kg/hr) 11146.86

Mole fraction of methane 0

Mole fraction of ethane 0

Mole fraction of propane 0

Mole fraction of butane 0

Mole fraction of pentane 0

Mole fraction of carbon dioxide 0.00682

Mole fraction of nitrogen gas 0

Mole fraction of water 0.925

Mole fraction of MEA 0.0682

26
The simulation flowsheet was drawn as:

The inputs to the ‘ABSORBER’ block were:

Number of stages 10 (Aspen Plus only allows a maximum

of 10 stages for the ‘AMINES’ package,
so the number of stages was assumed
to be 10)

Condenser None

Reboiler None

Feed stream 4 On stage 10

Feed stream 26 On stage 1

Product stream 6 Stage 10, liquid phase

Product stream 5 Stage 1, vapour phase

Tray type Sieve

Tray spacing (m) 0.61

The results of the Aspen Plus simulation on the absorber are given in the above flow
summary table (FST). The remaining mass and energy balance was conducted and the
data for heat capacity and densities are given in the data book below.

27
7.3 Absorber design calculations
7.3.1 Calculating the maximum allowable superficial vapour velocity and
the column diameter from the Souders-brown equation

For a plate spacing ( lt ) of 0.61 m, density of the liquid is 1058.9 ( k g/m3 ) and the density
of the vapour is 50.28 ( k g/m3 ),
1
ρL −ρV
uv = (− 0.171l2t + 0.27lt − 0.047)[ ρV
]2
1
= (− 0.171(0.61 m)2 + 0.27(0.61) − 0.047)[ 1058.9−50.28
50.28
]2
= 0.242 m/s

The maximum vapour rate ( V w ) is 2.78 kg/s and hence, the approximate column
diameter is,

√
4V w 4(2.78)
Dc =
√ πρV uv
= π(50.28)(0.242)
= 0.539 m

7.3.2 Calculating the column height of the absorber

The column height of the absorber depends on the tray spacing, number of trays,
disengagement space of the liquid drops (Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, p. 769), the
liquid level hold-up (Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, p. 769), space for a reflux distribution
pipe at the top of the absorber and space for the vapour return (R.M. Price 2003) and
liquid piping at the bottom of the absorber (Towler, G & Sinnott, R 2013, p. 662). As a
result, the column height of the absorber column is calculated as follows:
C olumn height = 24(0.61 m) + 1 m + 15%(0.61 m) = 15.73 m

7.4 Flash drum design calculations

7.4.1 Calculation of densities
The density of the MEA and CO2 solution was calculated using the correlations present
in the mea-densities-and-surface-tension paper (Jayarathna, S. A et al 2013). Using the
fact that the mole fraction of MEA in Stream 6 was xM EA = 0.0670 , and the mole fraction
of CO2 was xCO2 = 0.0269, with the temperature being 308.54 K, the closest row
corresponding to these parameters was chosen, resulting in a density of
ρliq = 1056.7 kg/m3 .

The vapor density was calculated using the standard density for natural gas,
ρgas = 0.8 kg/m3 . To calculate the density at the desired temperature, a modified gas law
was used: P V = z N RT

Hence, for a pressure of 6 MPag, i.e. 6000 kPa,

28
 6000kP a
ρ6000kP a = 0.80 x 101.325 kP a
= 47.37 kg/m3

7.4.2 Calculating the mass flows of liquid and vapor

In order to calculate the mass flow of liquid in stream 6, conversions were required from
kmol/hour to kg/hr. This was accomplished by multiplying the original flowrate in kmol/hr
by the molecular weight of the respective compound and using the mole law that states
that g/mol = kg/kmol.

Finding the mass flow of vapour was calculated as follows:

Mass flow of methane + mass flow of ethane + mass flow of propane + mass flow of
butane + mass flow of pentane + mass flow of nitrogen + mass flow of carbon dioxide =
mass flow of liquid
−6 −7
Mass flow of vapour = ( 0.000527805kmol
hr
x 16.04kg
kmol
) + ( 8.76 x 10
hr
kmol
x 30.07kg
kmol
) + ( 4 x 10hr kmol x
44.1kg −7 −8 −5

kmol
) + ( 1.52 x 10
hr
kmol
x 58.12kg
kmol
)+ ( 2.30 x 10
hr
kmol
x 72.15kg
kmol
) + ( 1.05 x 10
hr
kmol
x 14.0067kg
kmol
)+(
14.44644 kmol 44.01kg
hr
x kmol ) = 636 kg/hr.

Mass flow of liquid = mass flow of water + mass flow of MEA

18.01528kg 61.08kg
Mass flow of liquid = ( 486.9251kmol
hr
x kmol
) + ( 35.97628kmol
hr
x kmol
) = 10969.52 kg/hr.

​ .4.3 Calculating diameter and length of the vessel

7
Using the formulas provided in Sinnot and Towler 10.9 page 463,
ρ −ρ
ut = 0.07 ( liqρvapvap ) 1/2
3
1056.7 kg/m −47.37 kg/m3 1/2
ut = 0.07 ( 47.37 kg/m 3
) = 0.32 m/s
For no demister,
ua = 0.15 × 0.32 m/s = 0.048 m/s.

636 kg/hr
Vapour volumetric flow rate = 3600 s x 47.37 kg/m3
= 0.0037 m3 /s
Let hv = 0.5Dv where Dv is the vessel diameter, and let Lv = 5Dv .

π(Dv ) 2
The cross sectional area for vapour flow = a
x 0.5 = 0.393D2v
0.0037m3 /s −2
Vapour velocity uv = 0.393Dv2
= 0.0094 Dv

hv 0.5Dv
Vapour residence time required for the droplets to settle to liquid surface = ua
= 0.048m/2
=
10.42 Dv .

29
 Lv 5Dv
Actual residence time = uv
= 0.0094Dv −2 = 531.91 D3v
For satisfactory separation, required residence time= actual residence time.
10.42 Dv = 531.91 D3v
Dv = 0.14m, L = 0.56m
This diameter is too small

Try Dv = 0.96
10969.52 kg/hr
Liquid volumetric flow-rate = 3600 seconds x 1056.7 kg/m3
= 0.00288 m3 /s
2
πx (0. 96m)
Liquid cross-sectional area = 4
x 0.5m = 0.362 m2
Length = 0.96 x 5 = 4.80m

Hold-up volume = 0.362 m2 x 4.80 m = 1.7376 m3

1.7376 m3
Hold-up time = 0.00288 m3 /s
= 603.33 seconds = 10.06 minutes > 10 minutes, minimum
residence time.

Hence, Dv = 0.96m and Lv = 4.80m

​7.4.4 Minimum calculated thickness and required thickness of the

vessel
For a cylindrical vessel, the minimum calculated thickness is given by the greater of:
t1 = 4fPn−P
D
and t2 = 2fPn−P
D
.

From Table B1(C) of AS1210-2010,

For 304L grade stainless steel at 50 ℃ ,
f (design tensile strength) = 136 MPa

From Table 3.5.1.7 of AS1210-2010,

For a longitudinal, double-welded square butt joint, Type A, Class 2B, n (welded joint
efficiency) = 0.80.

Therefore, given P = 6 MPa and D = 0.96 m,

t1 = 13.4mm and t2 = 27.2mm

With a minimum required thickness of 5 mm,

t = 32.2mm.

30
 7.4.5 Calculations for dished ends
For ellipsoidal dished ends, the minimum calculated thickness is given by:

P DK
t= 2f n−P

For h = 0.21 m,
D D
For a ratio 2h , here, 2h = 2 0.96 m
x 0.21 m
= 2.28 = 2.3
Therefore, from Table 3.12.5.1 of AS1210-2010,
K = 1.21

From Table B1(C) of AS1210-2010, for material grade 304L at 50 ℃ ,

Design tensile strength f = 136 MPa.

From Table 3.5.1.7 of AS1210-2010,

For single-welded butt joint with backing strip, Class 2B, minimum welded joint
efficiency n = 0.75.

6 M P a x 0.96 m x 1.21
Therefore, t = (2 x 136 M P a x 0.75)
= 0.0352 m = 35.2 mm.

With minimum required thickness of 5mm,

t = 40.2 mm

7.4.6 Flange Calculations

Note: only the inlet flange will be designed

The flange is a weld-neck, circular flange, with a narrow face and a bolt circle.
The flange material is ASTM A 387, Grade 2 Class 1, while the bolt material is ASTM A
325.

For T = 35.39 ℃,

From Table B2 of AS10-2010, for 50 ℃ ,

S a = S b = 140 Mpa.

The minimum required bolt area is given by the greater of:

W m1 W m2
Am1 = Sa
or Am2 = Sb
.

31
Where S b is the design strength for the bolt at the design temperature and S a is the
design strength for the bolt at atmospheric (50 ℃ ) temperature. In this case, they are
the same.

The gasket is made from corrugated metal, stainless steel.

From Table 3.21.6.4(A) of AS1210-2010,

Gasket factor m = 3.75 and and minimum design seating stress y = 52.5 MPa.

From Table 3.21.6.4(B) of AS1210-2010,

Using facing sketch 1(b),
Effective gasket width bo = N2 . N =14 mm.
Therefore, b0 = 7mm . Since 7mm > 6mm,
b = 2.52 √bo = 6.67mm.

The mean diameter of gasket (G) = B + 2N - 2b.

B is the inner diameter of the flange, and is 900 mm.

Hence, G = 914.66 mm.

M inimum required bolt f orce W m1 = 0.785 G2 P + 2πGbmP .

W m1 = 0.785
(914.66 mm)2 (6 M P a) + 2π(914.66 mm)(6.67 mm)(3.75)(6 M P a) = 4802878 N

M inimum required bolt f orce W m2 = π Gby

W m2 = π (914.66mm)(6.67mm)(52.5M P a) = 1 006 224.06N

Am1 = 34 306.27 mm2 and Am2 =7187.31 mm2

Since Am1 > Am2 , Am = Am1 = 34 306.27 mm2

Am 34 306.27 mm2 .
Number of bolts N bolts = Abolt
= π(14 mm)2
= 55.7 = 56 bolts

Total bolt area = 56 x π (14 mm)2 = 34 482.12 mm2

S a (Am + Abolt )
Minimum required flange bolt force W = 2
= 4 815 187.3 N

32
 √ P Wh
Minimum calculated thickness t = D kf n
+ 1.78 f nDg3 .

P = 6 MPa, f = 108 MPa (From Table B1(B) of AS1210-2010), n = 0.75 (From Table
3.5.1.7 of AS1210-2010, single-welded butt joint with backing strip Class 2B), k = 3.3
(From Table 3.15.1 of AS1210-2010, circular flat end with narrow face bolt circle), D =
1500 mm, hg = 75 mm.

Therefore, t = 227.13 mm.

​7.4.7 Maximum stress intensities

σ1 = 21 (σh + σz + √(σ h − σz ) 2 + 4τ 2 )

σ2 = 21 (σh + σz − √(σ h − σz ) 2 + 4τ 2 )

σ3 = 21 P

Where σz = σL + σW ± σb

PD P
σL = 4t + 4 = 6706.71 psi (longitudinal stress) = 46.22 MPa
PD P
σh = 2t + 2 = 13407.42 psi (circumferential stress) = 92.44 MPa
W
σw = π(D+t)t
W (total dead weight load) = W vessel + W f itting + W insulation

W vessel = C v πρm Dmean g(H v + 0.8Dmean )t

C v = 1.08 for vessel with few internal fittings, ρm = 8000 kg/ m3 for 304L stainless steel,
g = 9.81 m/ s2 , H v = 4.80 m , D(mean) = 0.9922m, t = 32.2 mm
Therefore, W vessel = 47.6 kN
W f itting = 1 steel platform x π /4 (1.5 m 2 ) x 1700 N /m2 = 3 kN
W insulation = ρ f ibreglass x πDh x tinsulation x g = 100 kg/ m3 x π x (0.96 m)x(4.80 m) x 0.050 m x 9.81 m/s2 =
7.1 kN
Therefore W = 47.6 kN + 3kN + 7.1kN = 57.7kN.

σw = 5.75kN/ mm2 = 574.87N/ mm2 = 574.87MPa.

33
Here, M = M x only.

Plant is located in an earthquake free zone, so wind speed = 160 km/h = 1280 N/ m2

Wind loading/unit length of column F w = P w Def f

Def f = 2 x (50 mm + 32.20 mm) + 960 mm = 1124.40 mm= 1.124 m

F w = 1280 N /m2 x 1.124 m = 1438.72 N/m

2
F w x2 1438.72 N /m x (4.80 m)
Mx = 2
= 2
= 16.574 kNm

Second moment of area I v = π

64
(D4out − D4in ) = π
64
((960mm + 32.20mm)4 − (960mm)4 ) = 5.88
x 109 mm4 .

Therefore, σb = ±1.44 N/ mm2 = ± 1.44 MPa.

Where τ = torsional shear stress

34
To simplify, τ = 0 .

Therefore,

σz = σL + σW ± σb = 46.22 MPa + 574.87MPa ​± 1.44 MPa = 622.53 MPa.

σ1 = 622. 53 MPa

σ2 = 92.44 MPa

σ3 = 3 MPa

( σ1 - σ2 ) = 530.13MPa < 650 MPa (ultimate strength of 304L stainless steel).

( σ1 - σ3 ) = 619.53 MPa < 650 MPa

( σ2 - σ3 ) = 89.44Mpa < 650 MPa.

7.5 Knock-out drum design calculations

The calculations for the knock out drum followed the same procedure as detailed in the
flash drum, and can be seen in detail in the individual report (Chakrabarti, S. 2018).

7.6 Heat exchanger design calculations

*All references in this section refer to “R. K. Sinnott, Chemical Engineering Design,
Chapter 19” unless specified otherwise

Calculations for Heat Duty

Heat duty, Q, is calculated by starting with the specific heat for each component and
multiplying by the mass flow rate and temperature differences to find Q loss of each
component.

Q = mCpΔT
Heat capacity of MEA was taken from “Dow Chemical 2003, Ethanolamines, Figure 18”
and water was taken from “Don W. Green, Robert H. Perry, Perry’s Chemical
Engineers’ Handbook, Table 2-30, p2-98” . The average Cp between the temperatures
were found and used for the calculation. CO2 and N2 were ignored due to their small
presence within the stream.

35
Q = 486.921 kmol/hr
3600 s/hr
× 7.56 × 10 2 J/kmol/C × (125 − 55) + 35.976 kmol/hr
3600s/hr
× 2.40 × 10 2 J/kmol/C × (125 − 55)
Q = 895.18kW /s

Calculations for True Mean Temperature Difference

The True Mean Temperature Difference in this case was calculated using the “LMTD
CORRECTION FACTOR CHARTS” off checal.com using the 4 Shell 8 Tube exchanger
type. The calculations give:
LM T D = 17.2040
R = 0.9382
S = 0.8326
T m = 13.3590

Assuming U​o
First guess for U​o​ from Table 19.1, taking the median value for Organic Solvents -
Organic Solvents and Water-Water, multiplying by their respective mole fractions, the
first guess was 1066.427.

Calculations for Area

Area is then calculated using the equation:
Q=U o ×A×T m
2
A = 62.49 m

Tube and Shell Diameter Calculations

Having a preliminary guess for area allows us to calculate the shell and tube diameters
by setting the length of the tube and the outer diameter. A square pitch is used in this
case for ease of cleaning.

N​t​ (number of tubes) 341.4505394 D​s​ (shell 85.3mm

clearance)

d​o​ (outer diameter of 50 D​s​ (shell outer 1.52

tube) diameter)

L (length of tube) 3.66

tube thickness 2.8

36
 D​b​ (bundle diameter) 1.435282392 D​i 47.2

K​1 0.156

n​1 2.291

K​1​ and n​1​ are found on Table 19.4, shell inner diameter clearance can be found on
Figure 19.10.

Tube Side Heat-Transfer Coefficient h​i

Tube Side

u​t​ (tube side linear 0.005501583 P​r 500.9424395

velocity)

Re 268.0870411 Nu (laminar) 5.003781848

L/d​i 77.54237288 5.003781848

J​h​ (from Figure 19.23) 1.50E-02 h​i 64.02322894

Shell Side Heat-Transfer Coefficient h​o
Shell Side

p​t 0.0625 m Re 1.02E+03

d​e 0.049472 m J​h​ (from Figure 2.50E-02

19.29)

I​B​ (baffle 0.760288 P​r 1.12E+02

spacing)

A​s 0.231215 Nu 77.02432

G​s​ (shell 13.39164 kg/m2/s h​s 977.8188 W/m/C

mass
velocity)

u​s​ (shell 0.013738 m/s

side linear
velocity)

37
Dirt Coefficient
The Dirt Coefficients are found on Table 19.2
h​od 4503.410167

h​id 4412.547476

Iterating U​o

Using the calculated heat-transfer coefficients, a new U​o​ is calculated. And tested to see
if within 30% of previous U​o​.
If not, repeat the calculations with new U​o​. This is iterated until final convergence at
U​o​=397

Pressure Drops Calculation

Tube Side Pressure Drop Shell Side Pressure Drop

j​f 8.00E-02 j​f 9.00E-02

Pressure Drop 0.85780302 Pressure Drop 1.818725603

Pressure drop is within tolerance limit of 35kN/m​2​.

38
7.7 Distillation column design calculations

7.7.1 Column height calculation

Column height is the sum of packed height 26.5 m.

7.7.2 Number of stages and column diameter

39
7.8 Data book

Component Property

Natural Gas ● Specific gravity = 0.7

Water ● Molecular weight = ​18.015​ kg/kmol

● 0.01 mole %

Carbon dioxide ● Molecular weight = ​44.01​ kg/kmol

● 2 mole %

Methane ● Molecular weight = ​16.043​ kg/kmol

● 86 mole %

Ethane ● Molecular weight = ​30.07​ kg/kmol

● 6 mole %

Propane ● Molecular weight = ​44.097​ kg/kmol

● 3 mole %

Butane ● Molecular weight = ​58.123​ kg/kmol

● 1.5 mole %

Pentane ● Molecular weight = ​72.15​ kg/kmol

● 0.49 mole%

Nitrogen gas ● Molecular weight = ​28.014​ kg/kmol

● 1 mole%

Monoethanolamine ● Molecular weight = ​61.08​ kg/kmol

● 20 mass % with 80% balance with water
40°C
● At 40°C, C p,M EA = 0.68 Cal/g/°C (Dow Chemical
2003)
● At 110°C, C 110°C
p,M EA = 0.98 Cal/g/°C (Dow Chemical
2003)
● At 125°C, C 125°C
p,M EA = 1 Cal/g/°C (Dow Chemical
2003)

Heat capacity
40
The following equation was used to calculate heat capacity (Perry, R.H, Green, D.W,
Maloney, J.O 1999):
C p (J/kmol/K) = C 1 + C 2 T + C 3 T 2 + C 4 T 3 + C 5 T 5

The C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 4 and C 5 values are obtained from the textbook, according to the
chemical compounds (Perry, R.H, Green, D.W, Maloney, J.O 1999).

Densities
Stream Temperature Pressure Density of Density of Surface
(°C) (MPag) vapour liquid (kg/m3 ) tension (N/m)
(kg/m3 )

5 39.95639 6 50.28494 992.26 0.06956

(from Aspen (SImetric 2016) (Dortmund
Plus) Data Bank
2018)

6 35.38589 6 18 (The 1058.9 0.0707

engineering (Jayarathna, S. (Jayarathna, S.
toolbox A et al 2013) A et al 2013)
2018)

41