Analisis De Mec Espuma En Planta Amina

Scientific & Technical Report
Analysis of Foaming Mechanisms in Amine Plants
Presented by: C. Richard Pauley Pauley Gas Conditioning Chattanooga, Tennessee and Reza Hashemi Scott Caothien Pall Corporation East Hills, New York to the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s Summer Meeting August 22-24, 1988 Denver, Colorado

GDS120

Scientific & Technical Report
Analysis of FoamingMechanisms in Amine Plants
Presented by: C. Richard Pauley, Pauley Gas Conditioning, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Reza Hashemi, Scott Caothien, Pall Corporation, East Hills, New York To the: American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s Summer Meeting August 22-24, 1988, Denver, Colorado

Table of Contents 1.0 2.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................………………………………………….…4MECHANICS OF FOAM FORMATION AND STABILITY 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 3.0 4.0 Surface Tension & Foaming Tendency ...................................................................... 4 Elasticity of Film Layer & Foam Stability .................................................................... 4 Gelatinous Layer Formation & Hydrocarbon Solubility ................................................ 5 Film Drainage& Foam Stability ....................................................................……….. 5 Iron Sulfide & Surface Viscosity ............................................................……………… 6

DATA & EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS ..............................................................……………….. 7 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Contaminants..................................................................................………………. 11 Foam Stability as an Indication of Problematic Behavior ..........................……….…. 11 Factors Influencing Foam Stability ..............................................................………… 11 Effect of Contaminants on Foam Stability ..................................................…….…... 11 Contaminant Removal............................................................................…………… 12

5.0 6.0 7.0

CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................……………… 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………..………………………………… ........................……..……. 14 APPENDIX A – EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND APPARATUS A.1 A.2 A.3 Determination of Foaming Tendency and Stability.................................................... 14 Determination of Surface Tension ............................................................................ 15 Determination of Carbon Efficiency .......................................................................... 15

1.0 Introduction Foaming in amine plants increases operating costs and reduces treating efficiency. When foaming becomes severe, amine is oftencarried over into downstream treating equipment. It is commonly held that liquid hydrocarbons and iron sulfide cause foaming. Most treatments rely heavily on carbon filtration and the addition of antifoam agents to the circulating solutions. 1,2 Unfortunately, most antifoam agents are surface active, and are removed by activated carbon. Most often, after a brief improvement the problem becomes worse.2.0 Mechanics of Foam Formation and Stability Foam is the result of a mechanical incorporation of a gas into a liquid. The liquid film surrounds a volume of gas creating a bubble. The formation and stability of the bubble depends somewhat on physical conditions such as temperature and pressure. Foam is primarily dependent on surface characteristics such as elasticity of the film layer, gelatinouslayer efficiency, drainage, and surface viscosity. 2.1 Surface Tension & Foaming Tendency The surface tension is an indication of a solution’s tendency to foam. The surface tension (γ) is a force acting parallel to the surface which opposes any attempt to expand the surface area (A). The work required to expand the surface area is called the surface free energy (G) and depends on cohesive and...