SHELL Sulfinol Simulation 1

[mihais21]

Dear Sirs,
Aspen Hysys simulator provide an Amine package
In case that in amine system is added another solvent like Sulfolane (Sulfinol Process) the packages became incompatible.
Can anybody give some indications what propriety package and options can be use on such a solvent mixtures like MDEA, Sulfolane, and eventually an accelerator ( aMDEA)?
If HYSYS can not handle such mixtures other simulation programs are suitable ?

Regards

 

[Chemeng1122]

Commercially available simulators generally do not work for propietary amine formulations, as the manufacturers do not wnat the ingredients for their blends to be known to the public. Not all aMDEA blends are the same, so a commercial simulator would have to know the ingredients in the blend and their proportions.
For simulations with Sulfinol, you have to contact Shell Global Solutions, for simulations with aMDEA, you have to contact BASF.


Andrew Lechelt
Technical Support Engineer
Quadra Chemicals

http://www.quadrachemicals.com

 

[mihais21]

Thank you much for the answer,
that is also my felling about formulated solvent processes or simply such a complex mixture behavior can not be simulated.
I am trying to evaluate different option especially OPEX values.
Just I have some reserves on the studies received, especially on 2 processes SHELL Sulfinol (mixed solvent) and UOP Selexol ( physical solvent). I suspect that Selexol can not be less costly both CAPEX/OPEX than Sulfinol for a medium size natural gas sweetening plant.
Do you have any experience with these two processes?

Best regards

 

[Chemeng1122]

I have much more experience with Sulfinol than with Selexol. Certainly selexol would be less expensive than Sulfinol in terms of CAPEX/OPEX because of the flash regeneration capability, that said however, I have not run across any Selexol plants treating a sour gas stream (in Westen Canada), so I cant comment on equipment sizes.

I do know however that the Selexol chemical iteself is quite expensive. Sulfolane (physical compnent of Sulfinol) is less expensive, but more than an amine. It is also only present in the solution in a smaller percantage (I have seen 15 - 35% sulfolane contents, with the balance being either DIPA or MDEA, and water).

I cant say for sure which option is best for your case. An evaluation would have to be done based on gas composition, volume, etc. The best thing to do would be to contact Shell Global Solutions for a Sulfinol inquiry and Dow Gas Treating for the Selexol inquiry.

Andrew Lechelt
Technical Support Engineer
Quadra Chemicals

http://www.quadrachemicals.com