Mitigating Liquid Carry-Over and Foaming in a Gas Processing Plant through the Installation of Vertical Scrubbers

IF 1.3 4区工程技术 Q3 CHEMISTRY, ORGANIC Petroleum Chemistry Pub Date : 2024-05-23 DOI:10.1134/s0965544124020178

Fenk A. Sulaiman, Hiwa Sidiq, Aryan A. Ali, Mirei Mohamad

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Abstract

Gas-liquid separators often encounter the challenge of liquid carry-over, where small liquid droplets become entrained in the produced gas stream. This phenomenon can lead to foaming and reduced capacity in downstream absorption processes, as observed in Iraq’s Khor Mor gas-condensate processing plant. To assess whether liquid carry-over contributes to the foaming issue in the sweetening tower, this study analyzed the liquid droplet size distribution in the gas phase and the gas/liquid separation efficiency of the upstream Alpha, Bravo #1, Bravo #2, and Charlee separators feeding the tower. The analysis was conducted by using the industry-standard process software, Horizontal Vessel and ProSeparator correlations within Aspen HYSYS v.14. The study revealed that Alpha, Bravo #1, and Bravo #2 separators were unable to eliminate all liquid droplets within the specified size, failing to achieve the required efficiency. In response, the study proposes a vertical scrubber design with a standard mesh mist extractor, applying the Arnold–Stewart semi-empirical procedure. The design demonstrated a gas/liquid separation efficiency of 99% under current and future conditions. These findings suggest that the proposed design can serve as an optimal solution to control liquid carry-over, maintain high gas/liquid separation efficiency, and prevent foaming, even with an increase in the vessel inlet flow rate over time.

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通过安装立式洗涤器减轻天然气加工厂的液体携带和泡沫问题

摘要气液分离器经常会遇到液体带入的难题，即小液滴夹杂在产生的气流中。正如在伊拉克 Khor Mor 天然气冷凝物加工厂所观察到的那样，这种现象会导致下游吸收过程产生泡沫并降低处理能力。为了评估液体携带是否会导致甜化塔中的起泡问题，本研究分析了气相中的液滴大小分布以及上游 Alpha、Bravo #1、Bravo #2 和 Charlee 分离器的气/液分离效率。分析是通过 Aspen HYSYS v.14 中的行业标准工艺软件、水平容器和 ProSeparator 相关性进行的。研究表明，Alpha、Bravo #1 和 Bravo #2 分离器无法消除规定尺寸内的所有液滴，达不到要求的效率。为此，研究提出了一种带有标准网状除雾器的垂直洗涤器设计，并应用了阿诺德-斯图尔特半经验程序。该设计表明，在当前和未来条件下，气/液分离效率可达 99%。这些研究结果表明，即使随着时间的推移容器入口流速增加，拟议的设计也可以作为控制液体携带、保持高气/液分离效率和防止起泡的最佳解决方案。

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来源期刊

Petroleum Chemistry 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

21.40%

发文量

102

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Petroleum Chemistry (Neftekhimiya), founded in 1961, offers original papers on and reviews of theoretical and experimental studies concerned with current problems of petroleum chemistry and processing such as chemical composition of crude oils and natural gas liquids; petroleum refining (cracking, hydrocracking, and catalytic reforming); catalysts for petrochemical processes (hydrogenation, isomerization, oxidation, hydroformylation, etc.); activation and catalytic transformation of hydrocarbons and other components of petroleum, natural gas, and other complex organic mixtures; new petrochemicals including lubricants and additives; environmental problems; and information on scientific meetings relevant to these areas. Petroleum Chemistry publishes articles on these topics from members of the scientific community of the former Soviet Union.