Oil and Gas

Biography

Biography: Fawzi Banat

Abstract

Foaming and solvent degradation is a major issue in natural gas sweetening unit. Currently, GASCO Company (Abu Dhabi) is using aqueous methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) to scrub H₂S/CO₂. Adsorption is mostly applied technology to regenerate MDEA. Polymeric/clay hybrid composite were used in continuous adsorption to remove contaminants using different column diameter and height. This study focusses on the removal of organic acid anions as major contaminant present in lean MDEA. Dimensional analysis has been carried out in order to identify the relevant dimensionless groups involved to provide scale up studies. The adsorption column bed diameter and bed height was changed from 1.5-2.6 cm and 10-45 cm, respectively. The columns with 2.6 cm diameter having 10, 23 and 45 cm height were filled with different weight of adsorbents. It was observed that with increasing bed diameter the breakthrough as well as bed saturation time was increased. The breakthrough curve for lower diameter column was observed to have a sharp slope and shortened mass transfer zone. The bed height of 10 cm had faster breakthrough as compared to 23 and 45 cm bed height. Thus, higher the bed height, higher is the breakthrough as more amount of lean MDEA can be treated. Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models were used for analyzing the experimental data. For the scale up studies, the concentration of the contaminants in the column was approximated into two zones: A large saturated zone and a smaller unused zone. Then assumptions were made for laboratory to pilot scale that when the column gets longer, the size of the saturated zone will change but the size of the unused zone remain constant. While, for industrial scale both the zones will increase accordingly. The findings of this research could contribute to the industrial scale up for the purification of lean MDEA.

Recent Publications:

1. Crittenden JC, Berrigan JK, Hand DW (1986) Design of rapid small-scale adsorption tests for a constant diffusivity, Journal of Water Pollution Control Federations 58: 312-319.
2. Lin SD (2007) Water and wastewater calculations manual, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, 442-443.
3. Corwin CJ, Scott SR (2010) Scaling trace organic contaminant adsorption by granular activated carbon. Environmental Science and Technology 44:5403-5408.
4. Yan G, Virarghavan T, Chen, M (2001) A new model for heavy metal removal in a biosorption column. Adsorption Science and Technology 19:25-43.
5. Werner D, Karapanagioti HK, Sabatini DA (2012) Assessing the effect of grain scale sorption rate limitations on the fate of hydrophobic organic groundwater pollutants. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 129-130: 70-79.