Membrane separation – achieving CO2 separation in natural gas
The high CO2 content in natural gas can lead to the inability of natural gas to be used by turbine generators or compressors, or cause potential problems such as CO2 corrosion. However, due to limited space and load, traditional liquid absorption and regeneration devices such as Amine absorption devices cannot be installed on offshore platforms. For catalyst adsorption devices, such as PSA devices, the equipment has a large volume and is extremely inconvenient to install and transport. It also requires a relatively large space to be arranged, and the removal efficiency during operation is very limited. Subsequent production also requires regular replacement of adsorbed saturated catalysts, resulting in increased operating costs, maintenance hours, and costs. The use of membrane separation technology can not only remove CO2 from natural gas, greatly reducing its volume and weight, but also has simple equipment, convenient operation and maintenance, and low operating costs.
Membrane CO2 separation technology utilizes the permeability of CO2 in membrane materials under certain pressure to allow natural gas rich in CO2 to pass through the membrane components, permeate through the polymer membrane components, and accumulate CO2 before being discharged. Non permeable natural gas and a small amount of CO2 are sent as product gas to downstream users, such as gas turbines, boilers, etc. We can achieve the flow rate of permeability by adjusting the operating pressure of permeability, that is, by adjusting the ratio of product gas pressure to permeability pressure, or by adjusting the composition of CO2 in natural gas, so that the CO2 content in the product can be adjusted according to the different inlet gases, and always meet the process requirements.
