BASF is the licensee of the MDEA plants, as well as for two additional gas scrubbing plants: the ammo-nia and the synthesis gas plants. As a result of the successful cooperation; the LiquiSonic® analyzer is recommended by the BASF AG Ludwigshafen for MDEA-concentration measurement.
Application
The natural gas processing with scrubbing liquids, such as MDEA, is an industrial process to improve the quality of natural gas. The natural gas is led counter-current in the absorber through MDEA, which is enri-ched with disturbing components. At the upper end of the absorber, the purified natural gas escapes. The MDEA (rich amine) that is contaminated with H2S and CO2 is transferred after the scrubbing in the stripper.
In the stripping process, the scrubbing liquid is heated and the acid gases are desorbed. The regenerated MDEA (lean amine) is then cooled, filtered and lead back into the absorption cycle.
The LiquiSonic® 30 system allows a detailed analysis of the regenerated MDEA concentration. Through the inline LiquiSonic® sensors, the amine scrubbing is analyzable around the clock with precise real-time data storage. This enables the user to react in a flexible manner and the efficiency of the absorption can be optimized.
Installation
The LiquiSonic® sensor is installed in the DN 50 pipeline from the stripper to the absorber after the amine cooler and the filter. Another installation side is the MDEA-tank.
concentration range: 20 to 45 wt%
temperature range: 30 to 65 °C (85 - 150 °F)
Customer value
Through the continuous measurement of the concentration of the scrubbing liquid (MDEA) manual sampling can be omitted. This leads to a reduction of material and labor costs and improves plant safety:
- time saving: 1 h per day
Through the concentration measurement with LiquiSonic®, the purity of the regenerated scrubbing liquid is ensured for optimal efficiency of the absorption. The prevention of overdosing of MDEA scrubbing liquid leads to the reduction of substance expenses for the scrubbing liquid.
Amine scrubbing is a chemical process in which CO2, H2S and other acid gases are captured from natural gas. Thereby, a slightly alkaline aqueous solution of amines (mostly tertiary amines) is applied, which reversibly chemically absorbs the acid gases. Due to its high selectivity for H2S and CO2, the tertiary methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) is used as an absorber. The aim of the gas scrubbing is to prepare the sour natural gas for further transport in accordance with the pipeline requirements, so that corrosion damages can be avoided.
