Separation
Separation
Separation is an industrial process in which different phases within a mixture, such as liquid, gas, or solid components, are isolated from each other using specialized equipment. Separation is achieved by passing the mixture through vessels equipped with specialized internal components, which enhance the efficiency of separating vapor from liquid or capturing particulates, to meet specific purity and quality standards for each phase.
Separation packages can be offered as:
- Vertical 2 phase or 3 phase separators
- Horizontal 2 phase or 3 phase separators
- Slug catchers
- Coalescing Filter separators
- Cyclone separators
Specifications:
Separator packages can be customized to fulfill various customer’s requirements, from size and/or capacity, functionality and features, to modularization, containerization and meeting specific layout constraints.
- Size: separator vessels up to 20’ diameter or more. Transportation limitations are applicable only to packaged equipment
- Material: Carbon Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Duplex and Superduplex
- Others (as applicable): Membrane separation can be considered for specific applications
Dew Point Control
Refrigeration/JT
Hydrocarbon and water dew point control by mechanical refrigeration/JT expansion to meet pipeline specifications and recover NGLs.
Specifications:
- Inlet Gas Flow rates: Inlet flows from 5 to 200 MMSCFD
- Refrigeration compression up to 5000 HP
- Dew Point Control and Liquids Recovery Units
- JT, Propane Refrigeration and Turbo Expander
- Electric or Gas Engine Drive Propane Compressors
- Water and hydrocarbon dew point suppression to meet pipeline specifications
- Aerial Coolers for Refrigerant Condensing and Product Cooling
- Construction Material: Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel
Dehydration
Glycol Dehydration
Triethylene Glycol dehydrators are used for removal of water vapour from natural gas stream via absorption using glycol solvents (TEG). This process helps meet pipeline water specifications and prevents hydrate formation and corrosion and maximizes pipeline efficiency.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 1.0 mmscfd to over 200 mmscfd and larger depending on client’s project requirements.
- Outlet water specifications: Typical 2 to 4 lb/mmscf (32 to 64 mg/m3) but can be as low as 0.5 lb/mmscf (8 mg/m3) if operating conditions are favorable
- Materials: Carbon steel, stainless steel and alloys as required by the client.
- Pumps: Systems include enery exchange electric or gas-driven glycol pumps.
- Reboiler Types: Gas fired or electric, hybrid, heat medium (hot oil).
- Scrubber Type: Integral 2 or 3-phase scrubbers available under the glycol contactor.
Molecular Sieve Dehydration
Molecular Sieves are most commonly used in the natural gas industry for dehydration of water to very low levels as required for downstream cryogenic Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) recovery processes.
Molecular sieves can also be utilized for hydrocarbon liquid dehydration, H2S and Sulphur removal as required. It is used for the removal of water vapour and other impurities such as mercury, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and mercaptans from the gas stream via adsorption using solid materials known as molecular sieves.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 1.0 mmscfd to over 180 mmscfd or larger as required by the Client’s Project Requirements
- Outlet specifications: Water <0.1 ppmv, Total Sulphur specs as required.
- Material: Carbon steel, stainless steel and alloys as required by the client.
Acid Gas Treatment
Amine Sweetening
Amine sweetening systems are designed to remove hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbon dioxide (CO₂), mercaptans & other sulphur impurities from natural gas, and liquid hydrocarbons.
Solvent Types:
- MDEA
- DEA
- DGA
- MDEA
- Mixed Amines
- Proprietary Amines
Specifications:
- Inlet Gas Flow Rates: 1 – 300 MMSCFD
- Amine Circulation rate: 5 USGPM – 2500 USGPM
- Membrane or non-regenerative sweetening options are available
- Able to implement proprietary license process designs as requested
Sulphur Recovery
Recovering elemental sulphur by processing acid gas from the sweetening unit.
Specifications:
- ALCO can design and build custom sulphur recovery units to convert the amine plant acid gas stream to elemental sulphur. Alco has experience in designing Claus packages for in excess of 95% recovery of sulphur.
- We work with the customer to maximize the heat recovery to be used elsewhere in the plant.
- Depending on customer requirements we are able to provide enhanced degassing. If needed sulphur pelletizers or other forms of final sulphur product can be included within the plant.
- Able to implement proprietary license process designs as requested.
NGL Recovery & Fractionation
Deep Cut/Cryogenic
High recovery of NGLs (C2+ products) by cooling the gas stream to extremely low temperatures (cryogenic) via turbo expanders.
Specifications:
- Capacities up to 300 MMSCFD, customizable to your gas processing needs
- Inlet Gas Dehydration using Molecular Sieve Technology
- Ethane and Propane Recovery Modes for operational flexibility
- Turbo Expander based Cooling with partial residue gas recompression
- Optional Add-Ons:
- Mechanical refrigeration for rich gas compositions
- TEG dehydration upstream of molecular sieve
- Inlet and Sales Gas Compression
- Amine Treating for CO₂ and H₂S Removal
- Mercury Removal Unit
- Hot Oil System for Heating Services
- Product Pumps for NGL
- NGL Fractionation
- Modular and Highly Flexible Designs, customized to your specific requirements
- Standard non-propriety configuration options including GSP, RSV and SCORE
- Able to implement proprietary license process designs as requested
Fractionation
Fractionation of NGLs to ethane (C2), propane (C3), butane (C4) and condensate (C5+) products.
Specifications:
- Deethanizer, Depropanizers, and Debutanizers
- Capacity: 100 BBLS/day to 20,000 BBLS/day
- Reboilers using direct fired, heat medium, and electric immersion heaters
Stabilization
Stabilization of liquid hydrocarbons by removal of the lighter hydrocarbons to produce a stabilized condensate (C5+) product.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 500 BBLS/day to 50,000 BBLS/day
- Considerations for enhanced water removal to prevent salt and other impurities (wax, asphaltenes and particulates) to prevent fouling in the tower and reboiler.