Activated carbons solutions for oil and gas industry - Oil, Gas & Refineries
The Challenge: Managers of petrochemical facilities today are faced with striking a difficult balance between optimizing the operating the refinery to maximize profits and complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations governing air and water emissions from the facility. Jacobi fully understands the scale and nuances of refinery operations, and we have developed a full range of activated carbons to meet every challenge in typical refinery operations.
Applications and Solutions for Oil and Gas Process Optimization
Amine And Glycol Recovery
By treating a side stream of recirculating amine liquor, activated carbon can greatly prolong the service life of the amine. Similarly, the purification of glycol used in gas dehydration processes ensures optimum performance and reduces the risk of secondary contamination of the raffinate. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ 1200, 1500 and 2000 grades are industry accepted for amine and glycol recovery systems, removing organics, oils, sulphur compounds and carbon dioxide accumulated during the treatment process.
Condensate Treatment
Water use management is an increasingly critical component of refinery operations, particularly in arid regions. In the reuse of steam condensate oil and hydrocarbons must be removed upstream of ion exchange resins in boiler water recirculation systems. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ HS series includes grades with low silica release, which reduces wash water requirements and ensures that the ion exchange columns function as intended in the removal of trace metals, and not silica, from the recirculating condensate.
HPNA Removal
During the hydrocracking process, certain compounds called heavy polynuclear aromatics (HPNA) are formed. These compounds can foul processing equipment and have other adverse effects. Jacobi offers our PetroSorb™ 1000 and PetroSorb™ 6000 series carbons to remove these undesirable components.
Mercaptan Extraction And Fuel Sweetening
Activated carbon serves as a perfect substrate for impregnation with any oxidation catalyst used in the removal of mercaptans from high grade liquid fuels. Providing both exceptional product hardness, minimal fine formation in the treated fuel, and low volume density, Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ G-SWC80 meets all the requirements of this critical refinery process.
Gas Purification – Mercury Removal
Mercury and its reacted by-products in natural gas, petrochemical, and refinery feed streams can result in extreme corrosion of metallic components. Jacobi offers their AddSorb™ VQ series of high activity, impregnated activated carbons manufactured by steam activation of coconut shell (granular) and anthracite coal (extruded). The chemical impregnations used offer exceptionally high loading capacity and high temperature stability for the most arduous operating conditions.
Gas Purification – Desulfurization Of Natural Gas
Sulphur is a common contaminant requiring removal from gas streams, whether it be for catalyst protection or the control of odorous emissions to the atmosphere. Jacobi’s AddSorb™ VA series and AddSorb™ Sulfox are suitable for sulphur removal in air or oxygen deficient atmospheres, with exceptionally high capacity and suitable for in-situ regeneration.
Gas Purification – Pressure Swing Adsorption
High purity gases are increasingly used in refinery operations. Remote extraction locations often dictate that gas generation occurs onsite. Activated carbon plays a critical role in the separation of oxygen, hydrogen and other critical gases from the air in pressure swing adsorption systems. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ GXK and PetroSorb™ CS gas separation carbons are made from coconut shell and anthracite coal by steam activation processes, ensuring excellent cycle yields and high purity end product.
Reformer Gas Treatment
The process of gas recovery often results in contaminants that are unfavourable to various treatment steps such as precious metal catalysts. Activated carbons extend the life of these catalysts, and can also perform a catalytic function for the manufacture of industrial products such as phosgene, vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ GXB is a good all-purpose adsorbent for these applications.
Applications and Solutions for Oil and Gas Environmental Compliance
Waste Water Treatment
Refineries often face stringent wastewater discharge guidelines, which limit the release of organic contaminants in wastewater streams or regulate the toxicity of the wastewater discharge. Treatment via the addition powdered activated carbon (PAC) to existing aerobic or anaerobic biological treatment processes, or through fixed beds containing granular activated carbon (GAC) can help refineries meet these discharge requirements. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ 80 and PetroSorb™ 90 carbons are ideal for cost-effective wastewater treatment.
Amine & Glycol Recovery
By treating a side stream of recirculating amine liquor, activated carbon can greatly prolong the service life of the amine. Similarly, the purification of glycol used in gas dehydration processes ensures optimum performance and reduces the risk of secondary contamination of the raffinate. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ 1200, 1500 and 2000 grades are industry accepted for amine and glycol recovery systems, removing organics, oils, sulphur compounds and carbon dioxide accumulated during the treatment process.
Condensate Treatment
Water use management is an increasingly critical component of refinery operations, particularly in arid regions. In the reuse of steam condensate oil and hydrocarbons must be removed upstream of ion exchange resins in boiler water recirculation systems. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ HS series includes grades with low silica release, which reduces wash water requirements and ensures that the ion exchange columns function as intended in the removal of trace metals, and not silica, from the recirculating condensate.
HPNA Removal
During the hydrocracking process, certain compounds called heavy polynuclear aromatics (HPNA) are formed. These compounds can foul processing equipment and have other adverse effects. Jacobi offers our PetroSorb™ 1000 and PetroSorb™ 6000 series carbons to remove these undesirable components.
Air Emissions – VOC Control
In addition to regulations governing wastewater discharge, petroleum refineries often must comply with regulations on their air emissions, requiring control technologies for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Activated carbon’s simplicity and reliability makes it ideal for air emission compliance. Jacobi supplies PetroSorb™ GXB (extruded coal based) and PetroSorb™ CS (granular coconut shell based) grades for VOC removal systems.
Site Remediation
Refineries are often faced with remediating existing water sources prior to discharge due to legacy contamination or other factors. Jacobi’s AquaSorb™ series includes cost-effective grades with different pore size distributions for a wide range of site remediation applications, including AquaSorb™ CS, AquaSorb™ 80, and AquaSorb™ 90. Performing pilot studies will help to match the most suitable activated carbon to the stream to be treated.
Mercaptan Extraction And Fuel Sweetening
Activated carbon serves as a perfect substrate for impregnation with any oxidation catalyst used in the removal of mercaptans from high grade liquid fuels. Providing both exceptional product hardness, minimal fine formation in the treated fuel, and low volume density, Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ G-SWC80 meets all the requirements of this critical refinery process.
Gas Purification – Desulfurization Of Natural Gas
Sulphur is a common contaminant requiring removal from gas streams, whether it be for catalyst protection or the control of odorous emissions to the atmosphere. Jacobi’s AddSorb™ VA series and AddSorb™ Sulfox are suitable for sulphur removal in air or oxygen deficient atmospheres, with exceptionally high capacity and suitable for in-situ regeneration.
Vapour Recovery Units
Perhaps the highest potential loss of revenue from a refinery is the displacement of hydrocarbon vapour during transfer from bulk tanks to transportation and delivery vehicles and ships. The use of activated carbon in the adsorption of hydrocarbons using a regenerative vapour recovery unit (VRU) is commonly employed. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ BX series possess the critical properties for use in VRU systems: high VOC adsorption capacity, ease of desorption, minimal heat of adsorption, and the ability to withstand frequent and repeated regeneration cycles.
Gas Purification – Pressure Swing Adsorption
High purity gases are increasingly used in refinery operations. Remote extraction locations often dictate that gas generation occurs onsite. Activated carbon plays a critical role in the separation of oxygen, hydrogen and other critical gases from the air in pressure swing adsorption systems. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ series gas separation carbons are made from coconut shell and anthracite coal by steam activation processes, ensuring excellent cycle yields and high purity end product.
Reformer Gas Treatment
The process of gas recovery often results in contaminants that are unfavourable to various treatment steps such as precious metal catalysts. Activated carbons extend the life of these catalysts, and can also perform a catalytic function for the manufacture of industrial products such as phosgene, vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. Jacobi’s PetroSorb™ GXB is a good all-purpose adsorbent for these applications.
Gas Purification – Mercury Removal
Mercury and its reacted by-products in natural gas, petrochemical, and refinery feed streams can result in extreme corrosion of metallic components. Jacobi offers their AddSorb™ VQ series of high activity, impregnated activated carbons manufactured by steam activation of coconut shell (granular) and anthracite coal (extruded). The chemical impregnations used offer exceptionally high loading capacity and high temperature stability for the most arduous operating conditions.
