Key Separation Equipment

1. Absorption column (Seagraves & Weiland, 2009)

Prior to entering the absorption column, the natural oil gas feed (Stream 1) is to be
compressed to 57.2 bar and has its temperature to be adjusted to 292.05 K.
The absorption column is used to remove 28.7% by mole of CO2. Additionally,
because of the relatively low concentration of H2S, it is assumed that the amount of H2S left
on the hydrocarbon mixture after absorption with the MDEA solvent is negligible; as such, in
the calculations, it is shown that the entire H2S is absorbed. Furthermore, it is assumed that
no hydrocarbon is absorbed by the MDEA solvent.
The equipment is operated at 103 bar and 318.15 K, and is under a constant-
temperature operation. The lean MDEA solvent has 0.44% by mole of CO2 and a flowrate of
48313.13 mol/s, with the said solvent fed at 282.59 K and 1 Pa (Stream 4). The outlet
hydrocarbon gas exits the top of the absorber at 0.756 bar (Stream 5) while the rich MDEA
solvent with the dissolved CO2 below the equipment at 103 bar (Stream 2).

2. Regenerator (Seagraves & Weiland, 2009)

Stream 2 is cooled and subsequently fed to a regenerator, which is a stripping column
operated at an average of 393.15 K and 1.57 bar. The said equipment is operated under
isobaric conditions, with the top of the column having a temperature of 367.87 K.
Stream 4 exits the bottom of the column and is recycled back to the absorption unit.
The H2S and CO2 components of the rich gas are removed in the regenerator and
subsequently exit the aforementioned equipment at the top (Stream 3). This CO2H2S stream
is to be recycled back to the oil well, under the assumption that H2S does not affect the feed
conditions because of its very low concentration.

3. Cellulose acetate membrane unit (Dortmundt & Doshi, 1999)

Stream 5 is compressed to 70 bar and then fed to a hollow-fiber gas permeation unit
with a cellulose acetate membrane operated at a constant 318.15 K.
Here, because of the high pressure difference between the permeate side at 70 bar and
the retentate side at 1.86 bar, 97.14% of all hydrocarbons below C7+ and 98% of CO2
permeate through the membrane (Stream 7). What is left then as a retentate stream (Stream 6)
is converted to a liquefied petroleum gas via compression.