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Contenu archivé le 2022-12-27

PROCESSING HYDROCARBON GASES WITH MEMBRANES [PHASE 1]

Objectif

The main object of this project consisted of the choice and the development of semi-permeable membranes, which, implemented in permeators, would allow the purification of crude natural gases. The purification processes comprise respectively a gas dehydration phase and a deacidization phase.
PHASE 1 :
Laboratory tests to control the performance of existing membranes have been run together with tests under real gas use conditions, first on a mini-pilot at the Nuclear Research Center of Saclay, then on a testing device installed at the TOTAL-CFP laboratory of Beauplan.
Comparisons were made between the characteristics of membranes provided by various suppliers.
Test conclusions were the following :
- The temperature effect on permeabilities was very important. A 30 deg.C temperature increase corresponds to a permeability increase of 200 to 250 %;
- good resistance versus steam (50 deg.C) and nitrogen (20 deg.C) cycles;
- the transfer coefficient of permeation fibers has been evaluated at 100 %, thus making it eventually interesting to use carrier gas;
- according to the permeametry measured on gas alone, selectivities obtained for carbon dioxide are of 30 to 60 and of 270 for helium in relation to methane but pure carbon dioxide on fibers provokes a permeability decrease versus pure methane which cannot be recovered;
- an analysis of the separation in the case of a water/methane mixture shows that the selectivity is very dependant on pressure and temperature conditions. The permeability of the methane in the mixture is lower than that in pure gas.
PHASE 2 :
The first tests proved unsatisfactory as none of the membranes presently existing on the market resist to H2S.
Studies related to the design of mini-permeators can only be used if plane membranes or hollow-fiber membranes exist. Test proved that none of the existing membranes was fully satisfactory. Hence, it was decided to interrupt the project until studies undertaken outside the scope of this project on new membranes had reached satisfactory results according to criteria of permeability, selectivity and compatibility.
The first phase of the project is more specific to offshore applications. It includes:
- the conversion of the process
- design of pressure chamber
- fabrication of prototype mini-permeators
- study of high and low pressure flows
- trials on test bench to optimize the flows and the conception of the chamber
- labboratory tests of the membranes, either in the form of samples, or in the form of mini-permeators.
These membranes are evaluated according to criteria of permeability, selectivity, compatibility and pressure resistance. The second phase of the project is devoted to the design, the manufacture and the finalization of a permeator study unit allowing to run membrane ageing tests in the presence of H2S.
These tests required the construction of a unit complying with the manipulation of important amounts of H2S. This unit was to be set within the SNEA(P) premises at Lacq where important flows of sulfurous natural gas can be processed over periods of several months, while complying with the safety regulations.

Appel à propositions

Data not available

Régime de financement

DEM - Demonstration contracts

Coordinateur

GERTH
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
232 AV. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
92500 Rueil Malmaison
France

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