AN ANALYSIS OF SUPERSONIC SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY FOR NATURAL GAS SWEETENING IN SCENARIOS WITH HIGH CO2 CONCENTRATION
The increase in natural gas production in the area known as the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, associated with high concentrations of CO2 (up to 80% molar) in the east margin offshore Brazil, has motivated the use of compact technologies, such as supersonic separators, for the treatment of natural gas, with the aim of reducing production costs. Supersonic separators are already used for natural gas dehydration and heavy hydrocarbon removal. The present work aims to analyse the potential of supersonic separators to remove high contents of CO2 from natural gas. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate the natural gas flow inside a supersonic separator and define its pressure-temperature profile. The numerical model was validated with data from the literature. Phase envelopes of fluid and gas phase composition in equilibrium with the liquid in the regions of interest were built for scenarios of 45% and 80% CO2 concentration. Results indicate that the gas may reach pressure and temperature conditions inside the supersonic separator capable of promoting the separation and obtaining treated gas with low CO2 content.
AN ANALYSIS OF SUPERSONIC SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY FOR NATURAL GAS SWEETENING IN SCENARIOS WITH HIGH CO2 CONCENTRATION
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.317372315033
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Palavras-chave: carbon dioxide; supersonic separation; natural gas; computational fluid dynamic
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Keywords: carbon dioxide; supersonic separation; natural gas; computational fluid dynamic
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Abstract:
The increase in natural gas production in the area known as the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, associated with high concentrations of CO2 (up to 80% molar) in the east margin offshore Brazil, has motivated the use of compact technologies, such as supersonic separators, for the treatment of natural gas, with the aim of reducing production costs. Supersonic separators are already used for natural gas dehydration and heavy hydrocarbon removal. The present work aims to analyse the potential of supersonic separators to remove high contents of CO2 from natural gas. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate the natural gas flow inside a supersonic separator and define its pressure-temperature profile. The numerical model was validated with data from the literature. Phase envelopes of fluid and gas phase composition in equilibrium with the liquid in the regions of interest were built for scenarios of 45% and 80% CO2 concentration. Results indicate that the gas may reach pressure and temperature conditions inside the supersonic separator capable of promoting the separation and obtaining treated gas with low CO2 content.
- marcelo da costa amaral
- Tânia Suaiden Klein
- Ricardo de Andrade Medronho
