Situation
A gas processing plant experienced high operating costs in the amine unit. Amine solvent usage was triple the volume when compared to similar plants in the area. Heat Stable Salts (HSS), bicine, acetates and thiosulfates were all extremely high, increasing corrosion in the unit. The plant wanted to identify the reason for the amine loss as well as understand where their usage rates should be based on the design and operating conditions of the plant.
Solution
Nalco Water's OMNI™ Amine Performance Monitor was installed to help determine the reason for this plant's high usage. The plant used the real-time corrosion data and online trending feature to shut in a problem well. Amine concentration, lean amine loading and HSS indicator were accessed remotely by managers and operators. As a result, daily onsite testing was eliminated. Alerts of sudden changes in amine strength due to upsets or leaks is made possible through digital monitoring of the solvent concentration.
Benefit
Since the Amine Performance Monitor was installed, amine solvent replacement and filter changeouts have dropped significantly. The plant used the corrosion measurements to take proactive measures to protect their amine unit from corrosion. Oxygen spikes are now caught and as a result, amine performance has improved usage rate has dropped by 68% (lbs amine/mmscf).One year after implementation the plant saw another 16% reduction in amine consumption with water savings due to new visibility and insight on key solvent performance indicators. The plants move to becoming proactive in response to operational challenges was also realized. Continuous validation of amine plant efficiency is viewed via the OMNI Amine Performance Dashboard.
