Intensified separation alternatives for offshore natural gas sweetening

Abstract

Offshore natural gas represents a significant portion of global natural gas reserves. Processing of natural gas is essential for gas upgrading before pipeline transportation and utilization. In this work, a phenomena-based approach to propose more sustainable intensified alternatives for separation of sour gases from offshore natural gas is considered. All possible process alternatives are explored systematically using a bottom-up approach. Over six hundred feasible intensified separation alternatives are generated and ranked in terms of enthalpy index. Six intensified separation alternatives are identified as novel and innovative candidates worthy of potential further investigation and possible industrial application. These alternatives are analyzed in terms of performance matrices and LCA indicators and compared against reference cases.