(672g) Recent Applications of Separex Membranes Beyond CO2 Removal

Gas separation membranes have been used commercially for over 35 years to process natural gas, most commonly with the goal of removing CO₂. This presentation will explore two recent applications of Honeywell UOP’s Separex membranes: (1) Condensing mode operation of the membrane and (2) Modular design for fuel gas conditioning.

The operation of membranes in condensing mode has commonly included carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR), natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery and operations targeting reduction of pretreatment costs. We have developed a new membrane element, “NGL–Extract”, for these condensing mode applications. NGL-Extract elements replace older generation membrane elements in commercial plants that produce NGL from a feed with a high CO₂ content. The results showed up to 70% increase in gas production while utilizing less membrane area than the older elements. In addition, results from field and laboratory tests confirmed that NGL–Extract elements are able to operate robustly under condensing conditions even with the presence of common contaminants.

The other application under discussion is fuel gas conditioning. Here the target is to use raw field gas as a substitute for purchased fuel. Raw field gas typically includes contaminants such as CO2 and H2S. Gas engines need a consistent supply of gas with a high methane number and low contaminants and heavy hydrocarbons to have higher efficiencies and prevent engine knocking. Honeywell UOP’s Fuel Gas Conditioning unit with Separex membranes recovers C2+ to provide a lean engine fuel for power applications. The rich gas stream as the byproduct from fuel gas conditioning is sent back to the main gas pipeline for NGL recovery. In the approach presented here a fit for purpose fuel-gas conditioning system was developed. It utilizes Separex membranes to perform the separation and delivers high pressure treated gas. The units are pre-engineered and consist of a catalog of pre-treatment options, membrane and project-specific value blocks that can be arranged to deliver specific solutions. This flexible design approach covers a wide range of operating pressures, feed and product flowrates.