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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Amines as gas sweetening agents

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2014

Submitted on

Pages

75

Abstract

Natural gas contains the acid gases CO2 and particularly H2S, which cause corrosion and significant safety risks; regulations therefore limit H2S to 4 ppm. This thesis evaluates which amines perform best as sweetening agents in absorption processes for removing H2S and CO2, with an emphasis on offshore applications. Three common amines—MEA, DEA, and MDEA—are compared using process simulations in Aspen HYSYS, supported by manual equilibrium and stage calculations (including the Kremser equation and McCabe–Thiele diagrams). The results show that DEA is the most efficient for cleanup, MEA is the least expensive, and MDEA is less efficient and costly, mainly relevant for environmental considerations. HYSYS outputs are deemed most reliable because the thermodynamic model accounts for temperature, pressure, and phase composition in evaluating reaction equilibria, unlike simplified manual calculations. The study recommends using MEA or DEA: MEA when high liquid flow can be accommodated, and DEA when equipment limits require lower flow with higher efficiency.

Naturgas indeholder de sure gasser CO2 og især H2S, som forårsager korrosion og alvorlige sikkerhedsrisici; derfor begrænser lovgivning H2S til 4 ppm. Dette projekt undersøger, hvilke aminer der egner sig bedst som sweetening-agenter i absorptionsprocesser til fjernelse af H2S og CO2, med fokus på offshore anvendelser. Tre almindelige aminer—MEA, DEA og MDEA—er sammenlignet ved hjælp af proces­sime­leringer i Aspen HYSYS, understøttet af manuelle ligevægts- og trinberegninger (bl.a. Kremser-ligningen og McCabe–Thiele-diagrammer). Resultaterne viser, at DEA er mest effektiv til rensning, MEA er billigst, mens MDEA er mindre effektiv og dyr, og primært relevant ud fra miljømæssige hensyn. HYSYS-resultater vurderes som mest pålidelige, da modellen indregner temperatur, tryk og fasesammensætning i reaktionsligevægten, i modsætning til de forenklede manuelle beregninger. Det anbefales at anvende MEA eller DEA: MEA hvor høje væskeflow kan håndteres, og DEA hvor udstyrsbegrænsninger kræver lavere flow og højere effektivitet.

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