Oil and Gas Conditioning and Processing
Glycol- and amine-based fluids are used in a number of oil and gas production processes.
Mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) is commonly injected offshore to inhibit the formation of hydrates in oil and gas production pipelines and related process facilities. Typical MEG regeneration systems boil-off formation water from the rich MEG stream leaving dissolved salts and pipeline corrosion products in the lean MEG stream. These unwanted components eventually become saturated, resulting in severe scale and corrosion that can cause operational problems and plugging of process equipment.
Triethylene glycol (TEG) is the glycol of choice for gas dehydration, as it is easily regenerated to high concentrations at atmospheric pressure. TEG is occasionally replaced or reclaimed in dehydrator units when it becomes contaminated with salts, corrosion and degradation products.
Organic amine absorbents are commonly used in heat reversible absorption processes to remove acid gases (H2S and CO2) from hydrocarbon gas streams. A thermal desorption step is typically used to regenerate the absorbent. These scrubbing solutions containing alkanolamines form heat stable salts that increase in concentration over time and tie up available amine, which adversely impairs absorber efficiency and increases corrosion.
Both EET's patented and patents pending High Efficiency Electrodialysis (HEED®) and patended and patents pending High Efficiency Electro-Pressure Membrane (HEEPM™) technologies are ideal for reclaiming these glycol- and amine-based process solutions, depending on contaminant levels. Both of these leading edge desalting technologies allow economical removal of inorganic salts, allowing high glycol and high amine recoveries and are a viable alternative to expensive vacuum distillation or ion exchange processes. HEED® or HEEPM™ may be easily integrated into the process unit circuit for continuous removal of impurities or desalting slipstreams off line.
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