the challenge of filtering heavy feed stocks | article from filtration news - october 2011

8/3/2019 The Challenge of Filtering Heavy Feed Stocks | Article from Filtration News - October 2011

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L

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FILTRATIONNEWS September/October 2011Volume 30 No. 5www.filtnews.comOil and Gas Industry Filtration

Filtration Market in Oil/Gas Sector

Filtering Heavy Feed Stock

Solutions for Hydrocarbon Condensate

Chase Machine & Engineering:Investing in Core BusinessChase Machine & Engineering:

Investing in Core Business


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26 October 2011 www.filtnews.com

Oil & Gas | Filtrationcentrifuges, organoclay absorbents, mi-crofiltration, and different oil resistantmembrane materials and membranetypes. GeoPure produced a 200-gpm

unit incorporating some of the pretreat-ment options and, used it successfullyfor about nine months to treat BarnettShale frac water of at least 13,400mg/liter total dissolved solids.

ProChemTech invented a sequentialprecipitation process for treatment offlowback water. The first precipitation re-moves suspended solids, iron, and bar-ium from the flowback water as solid,typically non-hazardous, sludge cake.The remaining scale formers (calcium,

iron, magnesium, manganese, and stron-tium) are precipitated to make one solidsludge cake, which could be used as analkaline soil amendment or for aban-doned mine spoil reclamation.

The process does not materiallychange the concentration of dissolvedsolids in the FRW. ProChem concludesthat the only known alternative to theirprocess is the GE Thermal Evaporation

process, which uses a vertical-tubeevaporator to convert industrial waste-waters into distilled water for reuse.

OTHER MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGIESMTRs FuelSep systems purify rawgas sidestreams to premium quality fuelgas. MTR membranes easily removeH2S, C3+, CO2, N2 and water fromfuel gas at moderate pressure. Becausethese impurities are taken out of thefuel gas and returned to the compres-sor suction, there are no effluentstreams to be disposed of. Any C3 + re-moved from the fuel gas goes back intothe main gas stream, so all NGL in the

raw gas stream is available for down-stream recovery, if desired.

These units have no moving parts, aresimple to install and operate unattended.Many units are operating worldwide.

H2S is found in natural gas in manylocations, and this high H2S gas cannotbe transported from the wellhead topipelines without treatment. MTRsmembranes can provide a simple, low-

cost, compact solution for reducing H2Sin natural gas.

Argonne National Laboratory andNalco Company have reached an agree-

ment for an electrodeionization technol-ogy to reduce the cost of technology thatcan process biomass-based feedstocksinto biofuels and chemicals. Specifically,Argonnes patented technology allows forthe deionizing or the continuous removalof charged products like organic acidsfrom aqueous streams and eliminates therequirement to continuously add neu-tralizing agents. Conventional biopro-cessing technologies require significantcapital expenditures on energy-intensive

steps to recover these products and gen-erate large waste streams.

Snowpure also has experience withelectrodeionization for bioprocessing.This technology is primarily used in ul-trapure water. However, biofuels and sea-water desalination promise to open evenbigger markets. These technologies andapplications are covered extensively inthe Free Global Knowledge Orchard2.


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www.filtnews.com October 2011 27

CARTRIDGESCartridges are used in water treatment

but also product purification. They arealso used in conjunction with the lubri-cation for fans, turbines, compressors andother rotating equipment.

A big application for cartridges is fil-

tration of the biofuel product. ParkerHannifin supplies the Turbine Series filterassemblies, which are installed on the vac-uum side of the fuel transfer pump forbest efficiency and to protect precision en-gine components from dirt, rust, algae, as-phaltines, varnishes, and especially water,which is prevalent in engine fuels.

SCRUBBERS AND ABSORBERSScrubbers and adsorbers are used for

cleanup of various exhaust gases as well

as purification of CO2 for resale in thecorn-based ethanol process.

Coalescers are used to remove impuri-ties from the fuel gas stream.

The multi-step Claus process recoverssulfur from the gaseous hydrogen sulfidefound in raw natural gas and from the by-product gases containing hydrogen sul-fide derived from refining crude oil andother industrial processes. The byproduct

gases mainly originate from physical andchemical gas treatment units (Selexol,Rectisol, Purisol and amine scrubbers) inrefineries, natural gas processing plantsand gasification or synthesis gas plants.These by-product gases may also containhydrogen cyanide, hydrocarbons, sulfur

dioxide or ammonia.

MACROFILTRATIONThese are two main routes for liquefy-

ing coal: indirect and direct. The indirectprocess requires both particulate and acidgas removal from the flue gas stream. Ce-ramic filters or venturi scrubbers are usedfor particulate removal. Acid gases are re-moved in processes similar to those de-scribed above for natural gas purification.Absorbers and coalescers have a place.

The second liquefaction approachsuch as used by headwaters is direct liq-uefaction. With the commercial success ofa direct liquefaction system in China, thisalternative may become the preferredroute. It has lower capital costs and less ofa carbon footprint than indirect liquefac-tion. There is also more reliance on filtra-tion of liquid.

The solid/liquid separation is one of

the most important unit processes in thedirect approach. One device for primaryseparation is a pre-coat pressurized rotarydrum filter.

There are a few uses of filters in othersparts of the process. One example is a fil-ter to stabilize caustic use in tank clean-

ings. Ethanol plants typically have manyfermentation tanks. The system is opti-mized so that one tank is offline for clean-ing. This clean up is important and mustbe done in a short period of time. Causticis added through a caustic control valveto maintain peak cleaning efficiency. Inone location, an Eaton (Ronningen-Pet-ter) filter was installed on a recirculationloop off of the caustic make-down tank.Cost savings were realized with the use ofthis filter.

For more information contact:

Bob McIlvaine

Tel: 1-847-784-0012 Ext. 112

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.mcilvainecompany.com

1http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree

/UnivDB/appl2.asp?ref1=4802http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree

/UnivDB/prod2.asp?prodname=Electrodeionization

FN


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Oil & Gas | Filtration

The Challenge of Filtering Heavy Feed Stocks

By Rick Jacobs, Eaton Corporation

he drive to increase profits atpetroleum refineries requiresoperators to focus on operating

efficiencies including a constant searchfor lower cost feed stocks. This searchhas led to the processing of heavier,more sour feed stocks. The most recentpush is to process more of the CanadianTar Sands. The challenge in processing

these feeds is twofold. First is simplycracking the heavy feed to make morelight ends and second is to remove thesulfur to meet regulatory limits whenproducing fuels and other products.

Choosing and maintaining the rightequipment and systems to meet thesedemands is crucial. Eatons filtrationequipment is well-suited to help re-fineries process these difficult feeds as

well as make their hydraulic systemswork reliably, effectively, and operate attheir maximum capacity.

PROCESS FILTRATIONFeed stock filtration systems pro-

tect fixed bed catalyst units from plug-ging because of contaminate in thecrude. The effect of plugging is high

differential pressures that cause thebed to be shut down prior to the cata-lysts full utilization. The heavier thefeed, the more contaminants are gen-erally present and the higher the riskfor plugging. The heavier feed stocksalso are more difficult to filter becauseof higher viscosity and the presence ofasphaltenes.

Eaton has more than 500 ReactoG-

ard systems globally installed and op-erating. The systems are protectingHydro-treaters, Hydro-crackers andHydro-desulfurization units. ReactoG-ard systems are clean-in-place units uti-lizing automatic backwashingtechnology for regeneration. This clean-in-place technology is an environmen-tally friendly solution compared to

disposable media options that requiredisposal through incineration or othermethods. The automatic operation iscontrolled with PLC or DCS controlsproviding minimal operator interven-tion. Eatons ReactoGard V is the fifthgeneration of this technology and has:

A 50% reduction in footprint Up to a 70% reduction in valves

T


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Improved backwash efficiencyover other designs

Highly efficient media to ensurecatalyst bed operation willutilize its full reactivity potential

AMINE FILTRATIONDesigned to operate in the amine

loop, Eatons ClearAmine unit isknown for its efficiency. Higher sulfurfeeds push the amine loop harder to

treat the increased volumes of sour gas.The primary issue with this is as theamine loop processes the higher levelsof sour gas it produces more corrosionin the loop. These corrosive particles

Amine filter unitReactoGuard system


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increase the solids load in the streamwhen using traditional slip stream dis-posable media systems. The increasedsolids load results in issues in theamine loops processing equipment.

Heat exchangers are particularly sus-ceptible to solids as they are an area ofdecreased velocity where solids falloutand foul the heat exchanger. Thiscauses increased maintenance and un-

planned shut-downs on theamine loop.

The free solids

in the stream alsocan becomecoated with hy-drocarbons in-creasing thehydrocarbon con-tent. The in-c r e a s e dh y d r o c a r b o n scause foaming inthe contactor thatdecreases the effi-

ciency of theamine loop.Specifically de-signed for this ap-plication, theC l e a r A m i n e sc l e a n - i n - p l a c eunit uses back-washing technol-ogy to regeneratethe filter.

The cleaning

sequence can alsouse a purging

process. This allows the system to bebackwashed with water without dilu-tion of the amine stream or aminecontamination in the backwash water.

The unit also can be set up on thelean side with an adjustable slipstream system allowing more of thestream to be filtered removing moreof the solids. The automatic proce-dure permits cleaning to occur with-out operator intervention, this meansplacing the filter on the rich side is anoption. This permits the stream to befiltered full flow, protecting down-stream equipment like the heat ex-changer and minimizing the need for

replacement of disposable media onthe slip stream sentry filters.

Traditional disposable media onthe rich side is not recommended be-cause it increases operators possibleexposure to H2S lethal gas during fil-ter changes. These capabilities pro-vide an EHS advantage overtraditional disposable media solu-tions that risk operator exposure andrequire disposal of the used media.

HYDRAULIC COMPONENT FILTRATION

Off-line Filter Units

Effective oil service for hydraulicand lubrication systems in petroleumrefineries requires using an operatingfilter, the application of a filter unitfor off-line filtration, oil change, andfilling. To prevent contamination, thefluid should be filled through a finefilter of an off-line filtration unit.Mobile (UM) and stationary (US) off-

line filtration units with electric mo-tors improve the cleanness andquality of the operating fluid andprolong its durability, thereby pre-venting early failure of system com-ponents.

Eatons expertise has led to the de-velopment of explosion-proof mobileoff-line filter units (UMP) in two dif-ferent sizes and performance possi-bilities with a pneumatic doublediaphragm pump. A chemically re-

sistant membrane, which can easilybe changed, ensures a prolonged life


Off-line filters


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cycle. Changing the filter elementwithout any tools eliminates the needfor system downtime. Due to its com-pact design and a transporting trolleymoving the unit close to locationsthat are difficult to access is easy.

Stainless Steel FiltersIn the oil and gas industry, stain-less steel filters protect compressors,pumps, and turbines. They aremounted in suction, pressure, or re-turn lines and are available in singleor duplex as well as filter modulesfor high filtration efficiency at highvolume flows. The goal is to preventcontaminants from entering the hy-draulic and lubrication oil systemsand avoid early failure of system

components, thereby significantlyimproving the system reliability.

This high performance filter seriesis suitable for pressure ranges from16 bar up to 420 bar, and is easy tooperate and service. High-quality fil-ter elements with high dirt holdingcapacities are available in different Contamination and Condition Monitoring Systems


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filter materials. The change-overstainless steel pressure filters (EDA,EDU, EHD, EDSF series) have an ad-ditional user benefit, a change-over

ball valve that makes it possible toswitch from the dirty to the clean fil-ter side without interrupting the op-eration. This makes it possible tochange or service the contaminatedfilter element while in the off posi-tion.

Keeping Hydraulic Components andSystems Running Efficiently ThroughMonitoring

Many factors can reduce the servicelife of hydraulic components and sys-

tems in petroleum refineries. It is crit-ical to define and maintain a fluidcleanliness level on a continuous basisto prevent particle, water, or gas con-tamination. Knowing these levels is themost valuable information an operatorcan have. It permits further analysisconcerning:

Filter configuration efficiency Changes of the wear situation

in systems Secondary contamination

Accurate, on-time information en-ables the operator to respond quicklyto adverse system changes with ade-quate counteractive measures.

While monitoring fluid cleanli-ness may not be new, the innovationsfrom off-line measurement to on-linemeasurement in contamination mon-itoring is. At the present time manu-facturers have their focus ondeveloping devices for in-line meas-

urements. Eaton is a pioneer in thisfield, developing a whole in-linemonitoring system of sensors and in-dicators particle counters, watercontamination monitoring systems,and oil condition monitoring sys-tems. Applying those measuringtechniques in different configura-

tions ensures a continuous monitor-ing and state conditioning diagnosisof hydraulic systems, and even more wear surveillance and early recog-

nition of damage, which is essentialfor hydraulic and lubrication sys-tems.

CONTAMINATION MONITORINGContamination has many effects

on hydraulic systems in petroleumrefineries such as:

Accelerated oil aging Shortened fluid lifetime Failure of additives

Corrosion Cavitation Abrasion Erosion Increased wear

Therefore, defining the preciselevel of contamination at any time is



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crucial for the functionality and effi-ciency of a system. This involves twomethods of taking fluid samples fromthe system at regular intervals andtesting them. The first would besending such a fluid sample to a lab-oratory for analysis. The second is to

use a mobile electronic instrumentdesigned for this purpose.

Eatons condition monitoring sys-tems provide accurate, immediate,mobile and stationary fluid moni-toring and particle counting in ac-cordance with ISO, NAS, and SAEstandards. Eatons wide range ofproducts for particulate contamina-tion measurements are an essentialpart of any broad maintenance con-cept. Eaton systems are intended for

in-line, off-line and many on-line ap-plications as well.

Eatons mobile ContaminationControl System CCS 4 determinesthe exact particle size distribution ofthe contamination, water saturation,and fluid temperature. Measurementresults are meant to be a base forevaluating the wear condition of hy-draulic components, adherence tonorms, and early detection of dam-ages. The CCS 4 can be handled in

on-line pressurized operating modesas well as for depressurized sam-plings (e.g. tank sampling). Meas-urements are displayed as particlenumbers according to contaminationclasses:

ISO 4406:99 ISO: 4406:87 NAS 1638 SAE AS 4059 Water saturation and temperature

Theoretical water content in ppm

Internally stored measured valueseasily transfer using an USB-interfaceor a RS232-interface. By monitoringand controlling the oil cleanlinesslevel, early detection of solid parti-cles and other contaminants helpavoid unplanned maintenance; sig-nificantly decrease operating costs aswell as unforeseen shutdowns.

Eaton also offers many other fil-

tration and separation solutions in-cluding a full line of cast and

fabricated strainers, process and util-ity water filtration with automaticbackwash units, gas liquid separa-tors, and a full line of disposablemedia solutions.

For more information contact:

Eaton Corporation - Hydraulics Group

Filtration Division

Tel: 1-732-767-4203 - Fax: 1-732-494-0793

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.eaton.com

Read our magazine online: www.filtnews.com

FN

the challenge of filtering heavy feed stocks | article from filtration news - october 2011

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