Refinery Amine Systems

Refineries typically employ amine systems to remove acid gases such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and organic sulfurs from the raw RFG produced in various unit operations.  In the acid gas sweetening process, the sour gas is contacted with lean amine in the contactor tower where the sour gas is aborbed by the amine to form rich amine. The sweetened RFG flows out of the contactor for combustion in the refinery.  The rich amine flows to a regenerator where heat releases the acid gas to  regenerate the amine, now called lean amine, for re-use. The acid gases exit the top of the regenerator for further treatment while the lean amine is recirculated back to the contactor in a recirculating loop.

Pall’s acid gas removal solutions improve refinery productivity and reliability with consistent RFG quality by controlling AGRU foaming and fouling via effective liquids and solids removal upstream of the contactor and within the amine loop. The products ensure environmental compliance in the AGRU by control of foaming and fouling issues, and offer freedom downstream upsets from poor RFG quality.

Placement of a high efficiency liquid/gas coalescer is recommended upstream of the contactor to remove solid and hydrocarbon liquid contaminants before they can enter the amine loop.   High efficiency SepraSol^TM Plus liquid/gas coalescers and Medallion^TM HP liquid/gas coalescers provide 99.999% removal at 0.3 microns per the DOP test and 1 ppb downstream per the modified ANSI/CAGI-400-1999 test procedure. Both offer superior foaming protection. When deployed at the contactor outlet on the sweetened RFG, the coalescer improves burner reliability and reduces burner maintenance by removing amine carryover.

Hydrocarbon liquids may be present in the amine either from inadequate protection upstream of the contactor on the raw RFG stream, or from LPG sweetening operations found in many refineries.  For liquid hydrocarbon removal from amine the PhaseSep® liquid/liquid coalescer is recommended, installed on the rich amine loop upstream of the lean-rich exchanger to protect the exchanger and regenerator from hydrocarbon contamination.  The reduced oil carryover into the regenerator reduces upsets in downstream sulphur plants and will reduce exchanger and regenerator fouling.

For amine filtration, Ultipleat® High Flow filters, Profile® Coreless filters, Marksman™ filters, Profile II filters, Nexis® filters, or a range of Pall FSI bag filters deliver enhanced refinery productivity, reliability and compliance via AGRU protection from particulate-induced foaming and fouling.

A range of absolute and nominal rated filter elements is available to reduce suspended solids to <5 ppmw, keep the amine clear or pale yellow in color, and reduce foaming and fouling issues while providing long filter service life and controlled filter operating, labor and disposal costs.

Pall's solutions for refinery amine systems provide consistent refinery fuel gas quality and minimize off gas emissions. For more information, click here to see purchase information or talk to a Pall expert.