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Development of a techno‐economic framework for natural gas dehydration via absorption using Tri‐Ethylene Glycol: a comparative study on conventional and stripping gas dehydration processes
Author(s) -
Kong Zong Yang,
Mahmoud Ahmed,
Liu Shaomin,
Sunarso Jaka
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.5844
Subject(s) - dehydration , dew point , natural gas , nitrogen , chemistry , stripping (fiber) , ethylene glycol , waste management , environmental science , process engineering , materials science , organic chemistry , engineering , physics , biochemistry , composite material , meteorology
BACKGROUND To date, none of the existing techno‐economic analyses on natural gas dehydration via absorption using triethylene glycol takes into consideration the profit assessment. This work addresses this shortcoming by developing a techno‐economic framework that evaluates the economic feasibility of three different dehydration processes, i.e., conventional dehydration process, stripping gas dehydration process using sale gas, and stripping gas dehydration process using nitrogen, which can meet the maximum water dew point requirement set by local authorities (e.g., Malaysia) for pipeline‐transported natural gas. RESULTS Our techno‐economic analyses reveal that the maximum water dew point specification of −25 °C can only be achieved by using a stripping gas dehydration process that consumes more than 260 Nm 3 h −1 of sale gas or 435 Nm 3 h −1 of nitrogen. In particular, the use of sale gas as stripping gas with an optimum flow rate of 260 Nm 3 h −1 generates the highest annual net profit margin, of about $29 million. Such a profit margin is higher with respect to the use of nitrogen as stripping gas and the conventional dehydration process by about $1.6 million and $300 000, respectively. The minimum water dew point specification of 5 °C, on the other hand, can be achieved by all three analysed dehydration processes. CONCLUSION The use of sale gas as stripping gas becomes more justifiable economically relative to the conventional dehydration process and the other alternative (the use of nitrogen as stripping gas) and when a low water dew point specification of −25 °C is required for natural gas. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry