Papers by Richard J O H N Ochieng
A study to investigate the performance of the Benfield-HiPure process of natural gas sweetening using computer simulations
Amine processes outperform in sweetening LNG plant feed
Oil & Gas Journal, 2012
ABSTRACT
The removal of CO2 and H2S from natural gas streams is a crucial step for the Liquefied Natural G... more The removal of CO2 and H2S from natural gas streams is a crucial step for the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry. Since its inception, ADGAS (Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction limited) has been employing the Benfield HiPure process in its LNG plant in Das Island to purify sour natural gas to ultra-sweet specifications before it is compressed to produce LNG. This work compares the technical and economic performance of some simple amine-based processes to the Benfield HiPure process used in ADGAS LNG units. These process alternatives are evaluated and assessed based on the product purity, energy consumption and overall economic performance. Simulation results using the simulator ProMax clearly underpin the possibility of replacing the Benfield HiPure process with amine-based processes that achieve the same level of gas purity but with a better economics. Processes using mixed amines such as MDEA/DGA and MDEA/DEA prove more economically viable with a 50% reduction in capital costs and 20% a...
A study to investigate the performance of the Benfield-HiPure process of natural gas sweetening using computer simulations
Fuel Processing Technology, 2014
Natural Gas processing plants are an essential part of the energy industry, providing clean burni... more Natural Gas processing plants are an essential part of the energy industry, providing clean burning fuels and valuable chemical feedstock. The importance and complexity of gas processing plants have increased over the years, leading to improvements in energy efficiency and integration with petrochemical plants. These improvements are aided by the use of computer simulation models as tools for designing, troubleshooting, and optimizing gas treating plants. This work discusses the major optimization techniques based on the Benfield HiPure process at Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company Limited (ADGAS) and the use of a process simulation tool, ProMax®. At ADGAS' Train 3 plant in Das Island, high pressure natural gas containing 6 to 7 mole % acid gas first comes into contact with a 30 weight % Potassium Carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ) solution promoted with 3 weight % Diethanolamine (DEA). The gas is then contacted with a 20 weight % DEA solution downstream. The results from the simulations show a close match with the plant operating data. The simulation model was then used to explore the effect of changes in process parameters on ADGAS' plant performance.
Journal of Industrial Mathematics, 2013
We show how a multiobjective bare-bones particle swarm optimization can be used for a process par... more We show how a multiobjective bare-bones particle swarm optimization can be used for a process parameter tuning and performance enhancement of a natural gas sweetening unit. This has been made through maximization of hydrocarbon recovery and minimization of the total energy of the process as the two objectives of the optimization. A trade-off exists between these two objectives as illustrated by the Pareto front. This algorithm has been applied to a sweetening unit that uses the Benfield HiPure process. Detailed models of the natural gas unit are developed in ProMax process simulator and integrated to the multi-objective optimization developed in visual basic environment (VBA). In this study, the solvent circulation rates, stripper pressure and reboiler duties are considered as the decision variables while hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide concentrations in the sweetened gas are considered as process constraints. The upper and lower bounds of the decision variables are obtained thr...
Energies
Sustainable biofuel production is the most effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions ass... more Sustainable biofuel production is the most effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels while preserving food security and land use. In addition to producing bioenergy, waste biorefineries can be incorporated into the waste management system to solve the future challenges of waste disposal. Biomass waste, on the other hand, is regarded as a low-quality biorefinery feedstock with a wide range of compositions and seasonal variability. In light of these factors, biomass waste presents limitations on the conversion technologies available for value addition, and therefore more research is needed to enhance the profitability of waste biorefineries. Perhaps, to keep waste biorefineries economically and environmentally sustainable, bioprocesses need to be integrated to process a wide range of biomass resources and yield a diverse range of bioenergy products. To achieve optimal integration, the classification of biomass wastes to match the available bioproc...
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Papers by Richard J O H N Ochieng