(360b) Novel Adsorption-Based Separation Technology for Gas Treating Applications

Gas processing and treating systems often can be expensive, have a large footprint, and require large utility loads and elaborate maintenance programs. With the prevailing low commodity price environment, there is increased focus on reducing costs associated with these systems. This is particularly important when operating in challenging cost environments such as deep water, arctic, or remote offshore. In response to these challenges, ExxonMobil has been developing a novel adsorption-based gas separation technology with a focus on process intensification. This technology uses rapid pressure- and/or temperature-swing cycles to dramatically reduce equipment size and weight, and overall gas treating footprint by ~50%, when compared to conventional technologies. Furthermore, this technology is well suited for a skid-based deployment approach, which has significant execution efficiencies. The weight and footprint savings have several benefits, in addition to CAPEX savings, particularly in locations where space is at a premium.

The current focus of development is deep dehydration and CO₂ removal for cryogenic applications, such as NGL recovery or LNG. A significant amount of fundamental research and pilot testing has been completed demonstrating technical feasibility. This paper will provide background on the technology platform, the key enablers and overall process integration. Furthermore, this paper will also present data from the pilot studies and the approach adopted for scale-up and demonstration.