Project number
25072
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
This project centers on designing an NRU model with helium recovery to process nitrogen-rich natural gas and meet strict product specifications. The goal is twofold: deliver pipeline-quality natural gas with minimal nitrogen and produce a crude helium stream at a high recovery rate. To achieve these targets, the team employed a double-column cryogenic distillation cycle – first removing most hydrocarbons at high pressure, then separating helium from nitrogen at lower pressure.
The design utilizes the cold nitrogen and helium output streams to pre-cool incoming feed gas. This reduces the need for external refrigeration, lowers overall power consumption and maximizes heat recovery. It also decreases operating costs and enhances the overall efficiency of the cryogenic separation cycle.
The team used modeling software, focusing on recapturing energy using turboexpanders and lowering the operating pressures of the two columns. The model successfully achieved a high helium recovery rate while maintaining low nitrogen content in the pipeline gas. The team then conducted extensive sensitivity analyses to fine-tune column pressures, optimize heat exchanger performance and evaluate the impact of different process configurations. Additionally, trade-off studies between turboexpanders and Joule-Thomson valves identified the most efficient method for reducing power consumption without compromising separation efficiency. Through these efforts, the team successfully developed a robust and energy-efficient NRU design that meets all specifications while balancing performance, cost and feasibility.
The design utilizes the cold nitrogen and helium output streams to pre-cool incoming feed gas. This reduces the need for external refrigeration, lowers overall power consumption and maximizes heat recovery. It also decreases operating costs and enhances the overall efficiency of the cryogenic separation cycle.
The team used modeling software, focusing on recapturing energy using turboexpanders and lowering the operating pressures of the two columns. The model successfully achieved a high helium recovery rate while maintaining low nitrogen content in the pipeline gas. The team then conducted extensive sensitivity analyses to fine-tune column pressures, optimize heat exchanger performance and evaluate the impact of different process configurations. Additionally, trade-off studies between turboexpanders and Joule-Thomson valves identified the most efficient method for reducing power consumption without compromising separation efficiency. Through these efforts, the team successfully developed a robust and energy-efficient NRU design that meets all specifications while balancing performance, cost and feasibility.