Fiber Adsorbents for Odorant Removal from Pipeline Grade Natural Gas

Sulfur odorant removal from pipeline natural gas can prevent or delay corrosion in gas turbines to increase their lifetime and efficiency. Removal of the odorant tert-butyl mercaptan (TBM) by selective adsorption with fiber sorbent modules and removal with pellet packed beds are compared in terms of capital and operating costs. Capital costs are estimated based on sizing the equipment items needed for each system, which varies depending on the regeneration gas used. Operating costs are estimated based on the utilities needed to run each system, again varying depending on the regeneration gas used, and also on whether heat integration is considered. Using a fraction of the product gas for regeneration is safer, simpler, and more economical than compressed air or nitrogen. Due to the need for more adsorber beds to process the same amount of TBM-containing pipeline natural gas, the capital cost associated with the pellet packed bed system is significantly higher than that of the fiber sorbent system. Heat in...