Emerging Solvent Regeneration Technologies for CO2 Capture through Offshore Natural Gas Purification Processes

Abstract

It is estimated that 40% of natural gas reservoirs in the world are contaminated with acid gases (such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide), which hinder exploitation activities. The demand for natural gas will increase by 30% from 2020 to 2050, with the rise of industrial activities and the lifting of travel restrictions. The long-term production of these high acid-gas fields requires mitigation plans, which include carbon capture, utilization, and a storage process to reduce carbon emissions. Absorption is one the most established technologies for CO2 capture, yet it suffers from extensive energy regeneration and footprint requirements in offshore operations. Therefore, the aims of this paper are to review and analyze the recent developments in conventional and emerging solvent regeneration technologies, which include a conventional packed-bed column, membrane contactor, microwave heating, flash drum, rotating packed bed, and ultrasonic irradiation process. The conventional packed column and flash drum are less complex, with minimum maintenance requirements, but suffer from a large footprint. Even though the rotating packed-bed column and microwave heating demonstrate a higher solvent flexibility and process stability, both technologies require regular maintenance and high regeneration energy. Membrane contactor and ultrasonic irradiation absorption systems are compact, but restricted by various operational issues.