Ethane Recovery Project

Detail design of Ethane Skid for recovery of 80 GPM of ethane. Unit includes two sets of heat exchangers and Propane refrigeration system to chill and sub-cool Ethane product along with booster and pipeline pumps.

Ethane is an excellent raw material for the synthesis of ethylene, thus the efficient recovery of ethane from natural gas is becoming more and more significant. Energy is used very quickly during the typical cryogenic separation procedure (CryoPro). Due to its softer operating conditions (i.e., 273.15 K, 1 MPa), the absorption-adsorption coupling separation process (SorbPro) employing ZIF-8 slurry may be a more energy-efficient method.

In order to separate CH4 from C2H6, this research will model and optimize the SorbPro process. The mass transfer units (absorption-adsorption columns, desorbers, etc.) are modeled using the equilibrium stage approach, and the genetic algorithm is employed to simultaneously optimize the critical process operating parameters.

The findings demonstrate that the ethane mole fraction in the input gas can be enriched from 22 mol% to 90.04 mol%, and the ethane recovery ratio achieves 90.34%, and the energy consumption per Nm3 ethane is 0.6792 kW h/Nm3, which is 25.6% lower than that of the CryoPro (0.9128 kW h/Nm3). It indicates that the SorbPro may be a more promising approach for recovering ethane from natural gas.

Inputs from Client:

♦ P&ID

♦ Plot Plan

♦ Mechanical Data Sheets

♦ Instrument Data Sheets

♦ Piping Specifications

KED Scope of Work :

♦ 3D Modeling : Performed 3D modeling using CADWorx 2012 for Ethane skid consisting of 2 Heat exchangers, One Storage Tank and 2 Pumps. Skid dimensions were: 30 ft. Length X 10 ft. Width X 33 ft. Height (Skid shipped in three parts due to shipping height restriction of 13′-6″).

♦ Structural Analysis : Performed Structural Analysis in ANSYS for Lifting, Transportation and In-Place cases. Also provided BOM for Structural Steel for skid and pipe support.

♦ Piping Isometric Drawings : Provided Isometric drawings with BOM and Pipe support details for all lines (about 40) in the skid.

♦ Equipment & Piping Layout .

♦ Co-ordinates for skid tie-in lines for field routine by others.

Global ethylene demand is increasing swiftly, and in the past ten years, ethane-based production capacity has increased by a factor of three in gas-producing countries including the Middle East, North Africa, and Venezuela.Ethane must be extracted at the lowest marginal cost in order to compete with liquid-based crackers, which means Large capacity help reduce the cost of the infrastructure and take advantage of economies of scale the least amount of energy possible minimize propane losses during steam cracker shutdown when ethane must be rejected to the overhead demethanizer.

Create synergies with LNG facilities that are sources of significant amounts of ethane through high natural gas through puts and increasingly slender LNG requirements. This essay will outline newly developed procedures applied in different gas and LNG projects to meet the above challenges.

Importance of Ethane Recovery Project

Modern ethane recovery methods’ importance-
Three primary importing regions make up the global LNG market.

Asia, the region that imports the most LNG,

US, Europe

However, regional variations in natural gas specifications, such as the Wobbe index and High Heating Value (HHV), can be significant.Therefore, in order to ship rich liquefied natural gas to the US market from an LNG plant that was originally built for the Asian market, as was the case for the majority of facilities over the past 20 years, it is imperative to lower HHV.

Leaner LNG production techniques could include:
– Increasing the scrub column condenser duty: If the Main Cryogenic Heat Exchanger (MCHE) and refrigerant cycle limits are reached, the result is a rise in propane and the Mixed Refrigerant (MR) cycle or a drop in LNG production.
– Including a unit for recovering NGL before liquefaction. Additionally, an NGL recovery machine enables the marginally expensive extraction of ethane, propane, and butane from natural gas.
The ethane can then be produced at petrochemical grade and utilized as feed stock for the steam cracking unit if the LNG plant is close to a steam cracker.

Optimize your energy production with our Ethane Recovery Project expertise. We deliver efficient solutions for maximizing ethane recovery and profitability.

Ethane Recovery Project