Abstract
In this study, a rate-based absorption model coupled with an improved thermodynamic model was developed to characterize the removal of acid components (CO2 and H2S) and organic sulfur (COS and CH3SH) from natural gas with an aqueous sulfolane–MDEA solution. First, the accuracy of the thermodynamic model was validated by comparing the calculated partial pressure of CO2, H2S, and CH3SH with those of the experimental data reported in the literature. Then, the industrial test data were employed to validate the absorption model and the simulation results agreed well with the experimental data. The average relative errors of the removal rates of CO2, COS, and CH3SH are 3.3%, 3.0%, 4.1%, respectively. Based on the validated coupled model, the total mass transfer coefficient and mass transfer resistance of each solute component at different column positions were analyzed. The effects of the gas–liquid ratio, overflow weir height, and absorption pressure on the absorption performance of each component were studied, and the influence of the acid component concentration in the feed gas on the removal efficiency of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) was also discussed. It is found that the improved absorption model can better characterize the absorption performance and be conducive to the optimal design of the absorber column.
Highlights
We developed a rate-based absorption model coupled with an improved thermodynamic model to characterize the removal of acid components (CO2 and H2 S)
The acid components H2 S and CO2 react with methyl diethanolamine (MDEA), and the ionic equilibrium reactions are expressed as Equations (4)–(9) [35]
SH, mg/m mass transfer rate, it is less affected by the gas–liquid ratio
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Conventional gas processing includes distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, and absorption [8] Among these purification techniques, chemical absorption is the most commonly used method for acid-gas removal in the natural gas industries with its high efficiency and simultaneous strip of multiple acid gases [9]. In order to accurately simulate and design the absorption process of the acid component and organic sulfur in natural gas using an aqueous sulfolane–MDEA solution, it is necessary to establish a reliable and robust absorption model, which involves the gas–liquid equilibrium, chemical reaction equilibrium, material and heat balance, and transfer properties of each component in the system [18,19,20]. Al-Baghli et al [22] simulated the process of removing CO2 and H2 S by MEA and DEA aqueous solutions using rate-based gas absorber model and obtained reliable simulation results. This study is expected to further facilitate optimization of the operating conditions and device structure
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