Energy Optimisation in NG Processing Plants - AIChE 2016 Rev 1

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies
Energy Optimisation in Natural Gas

Processing Plants
Contact: Leandro Labanca
Dr Yuhang Lou
Tel: 0161 974 0090
leandro.labanca@processint.com
www.processint.com
www.processint.com
+44 161 9740090
Station House, Stamford New Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1EP, UK
Outline
1. Overview of Process Integration Ltd (PIL)

2. Natural Gas (NG) plant design
3. Heat Exchanger Network (HEN) design and optimisation

4. Utility system design and optimisation
5. Energy optimisation studies in NG plants
6. Industrial case study

7. Conclusions
8. Questions and Answers
Slide Number: 2
1. Overview of PIL
Spin-out company of The Centre for Process

Integration (CPI) of The University of Manchester
PIL provides:
Consultancy services and products to

solve business problems and improve
margins
Software to provide easy evaluation of

business
problems
and
enable
Technology
Process
Integration
Ltd
the
Software
solutions
Consultancy
partnerships
to
Training
leverage
knowledge and experience and provide a

competitive advantage
Slide Number: 3
Successfully applied Advanced Process

Improvement Technologies in flagship
projects across the world
2. NG Plant Design
Natural
Gas
Raw Gas
Clean
and safe
energy
fuel
Treated
to
remove
impurities
Inlet Facilities
Acid Gas
Removal
Dehydration Unit
Fractionation
Train
NGL Recovery
Metal Removal
Utilities & Offsites
Gas Sales
Slide Number: 4
3. HEN Design and Optimisation

A process has heating and cooling demans that need to
Process-to-Process
be satisfied
heat recovery?
Should be heated by
Utilities?
Which Utilities?
Which is the best

match?
How much duty?

What equipment to
choose?
Slide Number: 5

Environmental
Policies
High Energy
Prices
Pinch
Technology
Optimal design of HENs improves heat

recovery and reduces the operating costs
and carbon footprint.
Slide Number: 6

Capital
cost
Heat
recovery
280
F [t/h]
300
260
240
220
200
0
20
Days
40
60
Multiple operating scenarios

Accurate model needs to be developed
to evaluate different configurations and
operating conditions
i-HeatTM
Slide Number: 7
4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

Combined Heat and Power

Boiler
Gas Turbine
Steam turbine
Power and Steam
Letdown
Import / Export
Deaerator
BFW preheater
Etc
Meet energy and power demands on site
Steam Distribution
Steam pipeline
network
Processes
Process steam generators
Process steam heaters
Process steam drivers
Etc
Slide Number: 8

Slide Number: 9
Meet energy and

power demands on
site
Different configurations can be
developed depending on:
Availability and costs of

resources
Capital investment
Reliability

Requires stable and efficient performance

Designed to cope with changes in:
Process
Operations
Operating load
changes
Start-up / Shutdown
Maintenance cycles
Ambient
Conditions
Daily
Seasonal
Leads to over-designs
and redundancies
Economics
Power tariffs
Fuel prices
Contractual
agreements
Capital cost
Slide Number: 10

Some methodologies to obtain improved designs
Cogeneration
Analysis
Total Site
Analysis
Accurate model needs to
be developed to evaluate
different configurations
Slide Number: 11

The model should consider interactions with processes
Combined
Heat &
Power
(CHP)
Steam
Distribution
Individual
Processes
The Model
i-SteamTM
Slide Number: 12
5. Energy Optimisation Studies in NG

Plants
Pinch Analysis
Process-to-process heat exchanger
Heaters and coolers from site utilities

Individual process optimisation
Process
Utility Systems
Total Site Analysis

Co generation targets
Selection of mechanical drivers
Site-wide optimisation
Slide Number: 13
5. Energy Optimisation Studies in NG

Plants
Standard procedure for energy optimisation in
Natural Gas processing plants
1. Data collection
2. Data review and reconciliation
3. Process unit screening
4. Heat integration study for individual process units
5. Cross-process heat recovery
6. Energy optimisation for site-wide utility system
7. Economic evaluation of combined improvements
Slide Number: 14
6. Industrial Case Study

Project: New design of NG processing plant that imports steam at
various pressure levels from a co-generation plant nearby.
Objective: Heat integration and Energy Optimisation Study
NG Processing
Plant
Condensate
Steam
Slide Number: 15
Co-generation
Plant

Step 1: Data collection

Process design information obtained from the client
Design information for 23 process units was received
Step 2: Data review and reconciliation

Agree hierarchy and priority for different data sources
Data required
Agreed sources
Process configuration, stream numbers and

heat exchanger duties
Process Flow Diagrams (PFD)
Processing capacity and

number of trains
Process Design Basis for individual units
Stream conditions and properties
Heat and Material Balance (H&MB)
Other equipment design information
Equipment Data Sheet

Slide Number: 16

Inlet facilities
Dehydration
units
NGL
recovery
units
Acid gas
removal units
Fractionation
units
Step 3: Process unit screening
Process units containing heat exchangers were identified
Thirteen out of 23 units were selected for the energy optimisation study
Step 4: Heat integration study for individual process units
Three units discussed to demonstrate the benefits of heat integration

Slide Number: 17
6. Industrial Case Study Unit 1
Slide Number: 18
Utility Type
Utility
Hot
LP Steam
Cold
Air
Slide Number: 19
Heat
Exchanger
Duty [kW]
SH 01
SH 02
SH 03
Total
AC 01
AC 02
Total
1,865
20,950
2,452
25,267
19,490
3,012
22,502

Pinch analysis carried out to identify the minimum energy target

for both the hot and cold utilities
Hot Utility Target
Pinch
Cold Utility Target
Duties
Existing [kW]
Target [kW]
Hot
25,267
20,030
Cold
22,502
17,265
Saving Potential: 5,237 kW

Slide Number: 20
Four heat exchangers found to have cross pinch heat transfer
Design improvement achieved by reducing cross pinch duties within HEN
PROJECT1
Reduce cross pinch heat transfer in AC 01
Slide Number: 21

PROJECT1: New heat exchanger New HX 01 added to recover
heat between Hot Stream 2 and Cold Stream 2.
New Heat Exchanger
Air cooler duty reduced by 1,865.4 kW
SH 01
SH 01 removed
Slide Number: 22

Considering all trains:
Capital
Investment of
2.46 MM$
Energy
Saving of
0.62 MM$/yr
The project was found economically attractive
20-year Net Present Value (NPV) = 6.51 MM$
Internal Rate of Return (IRR) = 25.8%
PROJECT1 was recommended for further investigation.

Slide Number: 23

Unit 2 composed of 20 HXs
Practical constraints limiting opportunities of heat integration were considered
Simplified HEN:
Slide Number: 24
Heat Exchanger
Cross Pinch
Duty [kW]
SH 01
1,409
SH 02
642

PROJECT2
Reduce cross pinch heat transfer in SH 01 and SH 02
New Heat Exchangers

Duty reduced by 642 kW
Duty reduced by 2,051kW
Duty reduced by 1,409 kW
Slide Number: 25

Energy
Saving of
2.77 MM$/yr
Capital
Investment of
3.92 MM$

Slide Number: 26

Pinch analysis: Existing HEN design meets energy targets.

Process modification: Pre-heating feed reduces reboiler LP steam
consumption by 2,198 kW.
Air Cooler
Preheater
(heat recovered
from Process)
LP Steam
Reboiler
Slide Number: 27

Energy
Saving of
0.37Energy
MM$/yr
Energy Saving
Capital
Investment of
0.20 MM$
of 0.37 Saving
MM$/yr of
0.37 MM$/yr

Slide Number: 28

Step 5: Cross-process heat recovery
Thermodynamically, there is potential to reduce utility usage

Practical constraints and operating independence of processes limited the
opportunities to recover heat across processes
Step 6: Energy optimisation for site-wide utility system

Process Steam
Generators
HP Header
LP Steam
Import
Steam Turbine
Generators
LP Header
Process Steam
Consumers
Slide Number: 29

Co-generation plant model used to estimate the price of LP steam.
HP Header
HP Turbine
Power
Condensing
Turbine
LP Header
LP Steam
Export
Electricity = 0.07 $/kWh LP steam = 10.87 $/t

Slide Number: 30

Other options to improve the overall performance and economics
of the natural gas processing plant
Driver selection
Optimisation of refrigeration systems
Chilled water integration
Slide Number: 31
6. Industrial Case Study Combined

improvements
Step: 7 Economic evaluation of combined improvements
23 Individual
Processes
13 Process
Screening
11 Energy Saving
Projects
7 Cost-Effective Projects
Combined overall performance of the site including the energy

saving projects:
Annual operating costs reduced by more than 16 MM$

Slide Number: 32
7. Conclusions
Natural Gas processing plants used for removing impurities, such as water,
carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide.
Energy optimisation procedure has been developed that significantly

enhances the economic benefits:
Optimisation considering the integration between individual processes and
utility systems
Cost-effective projects identified and evaluated to save energy consumption in
individual process units.
Impact of energy saving projects evaluated on the utility system.
Industrial case study illustrates the benefits of the integrated procedure.
Advanced design tools for heat integration and energy optimisation

significantly improves the energy performance and process economics of a
NG Processing Plant.
Slide Number: 33
7. Questions and Answers
THANK YOU
Slide Number: 34

Energy Optimisation in NG Processing Plants - AIChE 2016 Rev 1

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PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

Energy Optimisation in Natural Gas

+44 161 9740090

Station House, Stamford New Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1EP, UK

1. Overview of Process Integration Ltd (PIL)

3. Heat Exchanger Network (HEN) design and optimisation

6. Industrial case study

Spin-out company of The Centre for Process

Consultancy services and products to

Software to provide easy evaluation of

knowledge and experience and provide a

Successfully applied Advanced Process

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

Utilities & Offsites

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

3. HEN Design and Optimisation

Which is the best

How much duty?

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

3. HEN Design and Optimisation

Optimal design of HENs improves heat

3. HEN Design and Optimisation

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

Multiple operating scenarios

4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

Combined Heat and Power

Meet energy and power demands on site

4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

Meet energy and

Availability and costs of

4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

Requires stable and efficient performance

4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

Some methodologies to obtain improved designs

4. Utility System Design and Optimisation

The model should consider interactions with processes

5. Energy Optimisation Studies in NG

Heaters and coolers from site utilities

Total Site Analysis

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

5. Energy Optimisation Studies in NG

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

6. Industrial Case Study

6. Industrial Case Study

Step 1: Data collection

Step 2: Data review and reconciliation

Process configuration, stream numbers and

Process Flow Diagrams (PFD)

Processing capacity and

Process Design Basis for individual units

Stream conditions and properties

Heat and Material Balance (H&MB)

Other equipment design information

Equipment Data Sheet

6. Industrial Case Study

Step 3: Process unit screening

Process units containing heat exchangers were identified

Step 4: Heat integration study for individual process units

Three units discussed to demonstrate the benefits of heat integration

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

6. Industrial Case Study Unit 1

PIL: The experts in process improvement technologies

6. Industrial Case Study Unit 1