Technical and economic impacts of piperazine content in MDEA solvents

Amine units used in gas and liquid hydrocarbon treating utilize various solvent formulations. Some are amine-based, and some are not. These blended formulations can be open-knowledge or proprietary formulas from a number of different amine suppliers. Usually, these formulations are selected based on a review of the plant design, feed acid gas content (CO2 and H2S) and treated gas requirements. In the authors' experience, a considerable number of amine units over-treat or, conversely, are strained to meet specification with the solvent in place. Further evaluation of these units has revealed that modifications to the solvent formulation may result in more ideal treating conditions. This arti