Design of an acidic natural gas purification plant by means of a process simulator

One of the most used techniques for gas purification from CO2 and H2S is chemical absorption by means of an amine solution. This technique is energy-demanding and requires an accurate design of the removal-regeneration system which usually consists of an absorber followed by a stripping unit. Processes for the combined removal of CO2 and H2S have two main fields of application: natural gas (NG) plants and refinery gas purification units. This paper is mainly focused on the typical approach of an engineering company when dealing with the design of a purification unit using commercially available process simulators. The case study described in this paper refers to a large size NG plant located in the Emirates. Emphasis is given to the way an engineering company approaches the design task with the constraint of the different types of guarantees that a customer may require.