Design and optimization of a concentric setup for the separation of Heat Stable Salts from industrial lean amine solution using electromagnetic forces

Abstract The accumulation of heat-stable salts (HSS) in the gas sweetening amine units causes several problems, including foaming, corrosion, and fouling. Herein, a simple and efficient electromagnetic salt removal (EMSR) process was proposed for the separation of HSS from industrial lean amine solution. In this process, HSS were separated through an electro polarization mechanism instead of electrosorption. For this purpose, a lab-scale concentric flow setup was fabricated using aluminum conduit and rod as an anode and cathode, respectively. The effects of the process operational parameters, including flow rate, applied voltage, residence time, and pH were investigated. At the best-operating conditions, a maximum of 15 % HSS removal percentage was achieved in one pass having the power consumption of 0.003 Wh/L. This study demonstrated the potential usage of EMSR for industrial applications.