FLNG / LNG Liquefaction Plants Gas Pre-Treatment Systems

With the number of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) liquefaction plants increasing rapidly, it is necessary to fully understand what is required to prepare/treat/condition the gas before it can be condensed into LNG for transport and sale. Newpoint Gas is an expert in the treating of natural gas to make it suitable for feed into a LNG Plant, whether that plant is land-based or located on an offshore platform, FPSO, or ship.
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Amine Treating

The residue gas specification in a FLNG / LNG facility of 50 PPM Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a very stringent requirement; Amine is the most cost effective and dependable process to meet the demanding requirements.

The specialty Amines offered by several companies also provide Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) removal to less than 4 PPM in addition to CO2 in the same process. In many cases, depending on the concentrations of contaminants in the inlet gas, amine may be the only CO2 and/or H2S removal process required .

Newpoint’s modular Amine Regeneration Systems, in a FLNG environment, are designed to utilize Waste Heat Recovery and Sea Water for the heating and cooling required in the regeneration process. Making use of these available resources reduces the equipment required, thereby reducing the physical size of the facility and the weight of the equipment. Newpoint designs and manufactures more gas treating facilities than any other company.

Membrane Treating

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and/or Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in high concentrations can often be the most expensive contaminants to remove from natural gas. Membrane facilities are often the most cost effective process for the “bulk” removal of these contaminants. Additional advantages of membranes are that they require less energy consumption in the process and require less space and weigh less that other bulk removal processes. The principals of Newpoint have manufactured and operated membrane facilities since 1996.

Mercury Removal

Mercury is often present in natural gas and is known to damage aluminum heat exchangers; thereby its removal is required. If mercury is present, Newpoint recommends the use of a mercury removal process capable of reducing the mercury to concentration to less than 0.01 micrograms per normal cubic meter. Depending on the concentration of the Mercury, this process may be integrated into the Mole Sieve process as described below.

Mole Sieve Dehydration

Molecular Sieve: Concentrations of less than 1 PPM water are required in a LNG process. Mole Sieve is the most effective option. Specific Mole Sieve also provides CO2 and/or H2S removal in lower concentrations, if required.

Oxygen Removal

While it is unlikely that Oxygen may be present in a Natural Gas Stream, the situation does exist. Newpoint has a proprietary process, X-O2™, for the removal of Oxygen in concentrations of up to 4%. This process can be easily integrated into an FLNG or LNG environment.