UOP SeparexTM Membrane Technology
UOP SeparexTM Membrane Technology
© 2009 UOP LLC. All rights reserved. UOP 5241E-01
Agenda
Membrane Technology Overview Pretreatment Options Flow Scheme Options Commercial Experience
UOP 5241E-02
Regions of Use for Acid Gas Technologies
1000
100
10
1.0
0.1
Part
ial p
ress
ure
of a
cid
gas
in fe
ed, p
sia
Partial pressure of acid gas in product, psia0.001 0.01 0.1 1.0 10 100
SeparexTM
Membrane
UOP 5241E-03
What Is a Membrane?
A semi-permeable film of various: Materials: Cellulose Acetate (CA), Polyimide
(PI), Polyamide, Polysulfone, Silicone Types: Asymmetric or Composite Construction: Spiral-Wound or Hollow Fiber
UOP 5241E-04
Asymmetric Membranes
Single polymer Thin selective layer Porous support layer
Non-porous LayerNonNon--porous Layerporous Layer
Porous LayerPorous Layer
UOP 5241E-05
Composite Membrane Structure
Composite MembranesTwo or more polymersThin layer of highly optimized polymerMounted on an asymmetrical structureHighly tailored properties at low cost
UOP 5241E-06
Not A Filtration ProcessSolution-Diffusion Based Separation Process
–Components dissolve into membrane surface and diffuse through it
–More soluble components permeate quicker
FastSlow
Hig
h Pr
essu
re
Low
Pre
ssur
e
CO2, H2S,H2O
Hydrocarbons, N2
Separex Membranes
Membranes are characterized by permeability (flux) and selectivity UOP 5241E-11
Driving Force
Membrane
Membrane
PCO2PCO2
High Pressure(Feed)
Low Pressure(Permeate)
A pressure differential across the membrane
PCO2PCO2
UOP 5241E-12
Separex Membranes Regions of Use
Flow Rates: Economical only for > 5 MMSCFD
Feed Pressure: Up to ~ 2,000 psiA (138 barA)
Permeate Pressure: Typically below ~50 psiA (3.5 barA)
p (FeedPermeate): 1,500 psi max (100 barA)
Feed Temperature: 60 to 150°F (16 to 65°C)
UOP 5241E-14
Agenda
Membrane Technology Overview Pretreatment Options Flow Scheme Options Commercial Experience
UOP 5241E-15
Pretreatment Design Considerations
Feed Composition– CO2 Content or Percentage of CO2 Removal – Heavy Hydrocarbons
Feed Contaminants– Compressor Oils– Well Additives– Pipeline Corrosion Inhibitors
All Membranes Require Some Form of Pretreatment
UOP 5241E-16
Standard Pretreatment
Filter Coalescer
Non-Regenerative
AbsorbentBed
Feed
Particle Filter
Heater
Membrane
Removes feed contaminants such as lube oil and corrosion inhibitor It is not meant for removal of heavy HC tail as in very
rich feed gasUOP 5241E-17
Particle FilterHeater Membrane
MemGuard™RegenerableAdsorbent
System
Enhanced UOP MemGuard™ Pretreatment
UOP 5241E-18
Filter CoalescerFeed
Regenerable adsorbent unit replaces the non-regenerative absorbent bedProvides efficient dew point depressionCan deal with varying levels of feed gas contaminants
MemGuard Flow Scheme
Adsorbing Bed(s)
ParticleFilter
Filter Coalescer
Feed
Liquids
Clean GasRegen Gas
Blower
RegeneratingBed
Regen GasSeparator
Regen Heater
Regen GasCooler
UOP 5241E-19
MemGuard System Performance
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
C6 C7 C8 C9+
Pretreatment Feed GasPretreatment Discharge Gas
Hyd
roca
rbon
Con
tent
, ppm
UOP 5241E-20
Benefits of MemGuard System
Selectively removes heavy HC tail and hence can provide efficient dew point depression MemGuard™ product gas is bone dry which allows
use of carbon steel metallurgy If permeate gas is to be sequestrated, additional
dehydration is typically not required
UOP 5241E-21
Agenda
Membrane Technology Overview Pretreatment Options Flow Scheme Options Commercial Experience
UOP 5241E-22
Flow Scheme Options
1 Stage1 Stage
2 Stage2 Stage
Pre-Membrane
Pre-Membrane
HybridHybrid
UOP 5241E-23
Flow Schemes
Allows greater CO2 removalHigh hydrocarbon recoverRequires recycle compressor
Feed
Residue
Permeate
Feed
Residue
Permeate
Feed
Residue(Low H2S/CO2)
Permeate(High H2S/CO2)
No moving partsSimple, reliable operationLow hydrocarbon recovery
Feed with high CO2 Intermediate hydrocarbon recoveryReduced compression
UOP 5241E-24
Hybrid
Debottleneck existing plants or reduce Amine unit sizeAllows high CO2 removal, low ppm of CO2 & H2S as in LNG
productionCan minimizes capital and operating costs
Feed
To Boiler
Single StageMembrane
Amine System
xxxx
FiltrationSystem
Reflux XXXX
TreatedGas
To Acid Gas
Cooler
To/FromAmine
Reboiler
XXXX
UOP 5241E-25
Effect of CO2 Removal
0
2
3
4
1
0 20 40 60 80 10060
80
90
70
100
% CO2 Removed
Rel
ativ
e A
rea
Req
uire
men
t
% H
ydro
carb
on R
ecov
ery
(1 S
tage
)
One StageSystem
MultistageSystem
UOP 5241E-26
Effect of Number of Stages
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Percentage CO2 Removal
Hyd
roca
rbon
Ret
entio
n
One Stage
Two Stage
UOP 5241E-27
Effect of Feed Pressure on Performance
0.0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
2.0
400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Feed Pressure, psia
Rel
ativ
e A
rea
or L
osse
s
HydrocarbonLosses
MembraneArea
UOP 5241E-28
0.6
1.4
1.8
2.2
2.6
3.0
0 40 80 120 160
Permeate Pressure, psia
Rel
ativ
e A
rea
or L
osse
s
HydrocarbonLosses
MembraneArea
Effect of Permeate Pressure on Performance
1.0
UOP 5241E-29
Effect of Feed Temperature on Performance
0.5
0.7
0.9
1.1
1.3
1.6
70 90 110 130 170
Operating Temperature, °F
Rel
ativ
e A
rea
or L
osse
s
HydrocarbonLosses
MembraneArea
150
UOP 5241E-30
Agenda
Membrane Technology Overview Pretreatment Options Flow Scheme Options Commercial Experience
UOP 5241E-32
Separex Membranes : A Proven Technology
• World-Scale Processing Plants Delivered as Modular Packaged Equipment• Advanced Pretreatment Demonstrated to Improve Element Life• Off-shore Experience
Large Separex Membrane Projects
2% 2%3%5%20%3%3%3%20%8%21%5%
7% 6.5%12%70%50%6.7%6.8%9%
40%44%40%17%
200 550+450
240 12032
107218234254680620163
NigeriaPakistanPakistanMexico
Thailand *EgyptEgyptEgypt
IndonesiaMalaysia *Thailand *Thailand
CO2Outlet
CO2InletMMSCFDLocation
5%25%176S.America *2.5%5%981Spain6%65%34Tunisia*
4%38%46Indonesia3%9%117Egypt
10%35%520Thailand *
In Construction
* Offshore
Ease of Operation – Remote Plants
UOP 5241D-22
Recent Project Offshore
< 540 maxMercury, μg/Sm3
Hydrocarbon Recovery: 95%< 5SaturatedWater, lb/MMSCFD
<8.044.5 CO2, mol% 350630 Flow, MMSCFD
ProductFeed
UOP 5241E-42
Separex Technology Summary Modular supply advantages
–High degree of shop fabrication–Minimized installation time & cost
Phased in expansion for future capacity or CO2 increase Weight and space efficiency Easy to start-up, operate, turndown and shutdown High reliability and on-stream time
–Low maintenance requirements
Lowest processing cost (~ $ 0.09/MSCF) Membranes are excellent dehydrators Advanced pretreatment and materials Membranes operate in gas phase (no flammable liquids,
refrigerants or chemicals) Meets API-521 RP for system inventory blowdown during ESD
UOP 5241E-49
Separex Technology Summary
Synergies with other UOP technologies with one system wide performance warrantyUnparallel capabilities
– UOP manufactures its own membranes– Membrane and Pretreatment development program– Supply of continually improved membranes
Extensive commercial experienceLong-term proven commitment
– Ongoing operational support– Remote process monitoring
UOP 5241E-50