Abstract:
Plants, processes, and methods for reducing the H 2 S and CO 2 contents of shale gasses from fields that produce shale gasses having varying H 2 S and CO 2 contents are provided. Acid gas enters an absorber and is scrubbed using a lean physical solvent, producing a treated gas and a rich physical solvent. The H 2 S content of the treated gas is further reduced in an amine absorber, producing a pipeline gas and a semi-lean amine. The pipeline gas contains lower levels of H 2 S and CO 2 than gas produced using a polishing bed. A physical solvent regeneration unit regenerates the lean physical solvent from the rich physical solvent for feeding into the absorption unit. An amine regeneration unit regenerates the lean amine from the semi-lean amine for feeding into the amine absorber. Contemplated plants may further comprise a Claus Unit or a Redox unit for oxidizing H 2 S to elemental sulfur.
Abstract:
A plant includes a pretreatment unit for H2S removal and air dehydration, and at least two absorbers that receive a feed gas at a pressure of at least 300 psig with variable CO2 content ( e.g. , between 5 to 60 mol%), wherein the feed gas is scrubbed in the absorbers with an ultralean and a semi-lean physical solvent, respectively, at low temperatures to at least partially remove the CO2 from the feed gas. Such configurations produces a low CO2 dry treated gas and a H2S-free CO2 for sequestration while advantageously providing cooling by expansion of the rich solvent that cools the semi-lean solvent and the feed gas, wherein an ultralean solvent is produced by stripping using dry air.
Abstract:
Energy efficiency and stability of LNG sendout operations in LNG terminals is increased by addition of a surge tank and booster pump downstream of a boil-off gas condenser to produce a subcooled condensate that is used to provide refrigeration to an LNG transfer line and that can be fed to the high-pressure LNG sendout pump without impacting the pressure of the main LNG sendout line, and/or without necessitating a pressure reduction device in the main LNG sendout line.
Abstract:
A natural gas liquids (NGL) plant, the NGL plant comprising an absorber configured to provide an absorber overhead and an absorber bottoms, a stripper configured to produce a stripper overhead and a stripper bottoms, wherein the stripper is positioned downstream from the absorber and fluidly connected therewith such that the absorber bottoms can be introduced into the stripper, and a multi-pass heat exchanger configured to provide at least one reflux stream to the absorber, wherein the absorber and stripper are configured, in an ethane rejection arrangement, to provide the stripper overhead to a top of the absorber, and wherein the absorber and stripper are configured, in an ethane recovery arrangement, to provide the stripper overhead to a bottom of the absorber.
Abstract:
A system for processing a gas stream can include a physical solvent unit, an acid gas removal unit upstream or downstream of the physical solvent unit, and an LNG liquefaction unit downstream of the acid gas removal unit. The physical solvent unit is configured to receive a feed gas, remove at least a portion of any C5+ hydrocarbons in the feed gas stream using a physical solvent, and produce a cleaned gas stream comprising the feed gas stream with the portion of the C5+ hydrocarbons removed. The acid gas removal unit is configured to receive the cleaned gas stream, remove at least a portion of any acid gases present in the cleaned gas stream, and produce a treated gas stream. The LNG liquefaction unit is configured to receive the treated gas stream and liquefy at least a portion of the hydrocarbons in the treated gas stream.
Abstract:
A method for operating a natural gas liquids processing (NGL) system, the system being selectively configured in either an ethane rejection configuration or an ethane recovery configuration, the method comprising, when the NGL system is in the ethane rejection configuration, collecting a reboiler bottom stream that, in the ethane rejection configuration, includes ethane in an amount of at less than 5% by volume, and when the NGL system is in the ethane recovery configuration, collecting a reboiler bottom stream that, in the ethane recovery configuration, includes ethane in an amount of at least about 30% by volume.
Abstract:
Systems and methods that utilize feed gases that are supplied in a wide range of compositions and pressure to provide highly efficient recovery of NGL products, such as propane, utilizing isenthalpic expansion, propane refrigeration, and shell and tube exchangers are described. Plants utilizing such systems and methods can be readily reconfigured between propane recovery and ethane recovery.
Abstract:
A natural gas two-column processing plant allows for recovery of at least 95% of C4 and heavier hydrocarbons, and about 60 to 80% of C3 hydrocarbons from a rich feed gas stream in which the first column (absorber) operates at a higher pressure than the second column, with the absorber receiving a compressed gas from the second column, and a turboexpander discharging a two-phase stream to the top of the absorber. Most typically, contemplated configurations and methods operate without the use of external refrigeration.
Abstract:
An LNG plant comprises a cold box and a refrigeration unit fluidly coupled with a plurality of heat exchanger passes in the cold box. The refrigeration unit is configured to provide a first refrigerant stream to a first heat exchanger pass of the plurality of heat exchanger passes at a first pressure, a second refrigerant stream to a second heat exchanger pass at a second pressure, and a third refrigerant stream to a third heat exchanger pass at a third pressure. The second refrigerant stream comprises a first portion of the first refrigerant stream, and the third refrigerant stream comprises a second portion of the first refrigerant stream. The second pressure and the third pressure are both below the first pressure. The cold box is configured to produce LNG from a natural gas feed stream to the cold box using a refrigeration content from the refrigeration unit.
Abstract:
A LNG liquefaction plant system includes concurrent power production, wherein the refrigeration content of the refrigerant or SMR is used to liquefy and sub-cool a natural gas stream in a cold box or cryogenic exchanger. For concurrent power production, the system uses waste heat from refrigerant compression to vaporize and superheat a waste heat working fluid that in turn drives a compressor for refrigerant compression. The refrigerant may be an external SMR or an internal LNG refrigerant working fluid expanded and compressed by a twin compander arrangement.