MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF SE and ExxonMobil Catalysts and Licensing LLC have released a new highly energy efficient amine gas treatment technology named OASE sulfexx, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The technology is based on a new proprietary amine-based solvent that selectively removes hydrogen sulfide (H2S), while minimizing the co-absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) from gas streams.
The companies jointly developed the amine-based solvent to help petroleum refiners and gas processors meet future requirements, while also increasing capacity and lowering operating costs on existing equipment. For new facilities, the use of this technology will reduce the size of the equipment and the initial capital investment compared to conventional amine gas treatment units.
"We are pleased to partner with BASF to develop OASE sulfexx, a compelling solution aimed at helping operators reduce emissions and lower costs,” said Dan Moore, president of ExxonMobil Catalysts and Licensing, LLC. “Collaborating to develop new, game-changing technologies is central to how we work, and the development of this new product provides yet another example of what we bring to the marketplace."
"OASE sulfexx will help our customers to achieve their sustainability goals by lowering energy consumption and reducing sulfur emissions,” said Andreas Northemann, vice president of BASF Gas Treatment. “The H2S selectivity of OASE sulfexx is outstanding – it’s hard to find a product on the market with that type of capability."
Multiple pilot plant tests at ExxonMobil and BASF facilities have demonstrated the superior selective properties of this solvent compared to methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) formulations and FLEXSORB™ SE and SE Plus solvents. A commercial demonstration concluded at a tail gas treating unit located in North America further confirms the results.
OASE sulfexx will help to debottleneck existing Claus tail gas treating, acid gas enrichment, and highpressure acid gas removal units. In Claus tail gas treating units, the technology can achieve less than 10 ppmv H2S specifications while rejecting CO2 to meet future emission requirements.
As MRC informed earlier, in September 2019, ExxonMobil announced plans to spend GBP140 million over the next two years in an additional investment program at its Fife ethylene plant, which has a capacity of more than 800,000 t/y.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 557,060 tonnes in the first three month of 2020, up by 7% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments rose because of the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. Demand for LDPE subsided. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market was 267,630 tonnes in January-March 2020, down 20% year on year. Homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers accounted for the main decrease in imports.
MRC