Operational considerations of side reactions in gas sweetening systems—Part 1

In sour gas treating systems, a number of potential side reactions produce unwanted byproducts. These reactions depend on reactant concentrations, reactant absorption rates, temperature, kinetic rates and residence times. Appropriate prediction of the rates of these side reactions can give greater insight into the process, in terms of degradation rate and impact of operating conditions. Three reactions are examined in the context of a typical amine treating process: (1) conversion of hydrogen cyanide to formic acid, (2) hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide (COS) in methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and (3) CO2 degradation of diethanolamine (DEA). The authors explore the occurrence of these reactions th