HOUSTON Jan. 6, (TransTex, LLC). All natural gas pipelines specify the amount of sour gas that is allowed in the gas stream. Based on the required permits, producers will generally choose to treat, rather than flare the entire sour gas stream.
Amine gas treating is a cost efficient choice for customers with sour gas. Flow rate, temperature, pressure, H2S and CO2 concentrations are all considered when determining the properly sized Amine unit.
Sour gas well in Wilson County, KS flowing too much CO2 in the natural gas stream
In a well located in the Cherokee Basin of Kansas, the CO2 was measured at 1.2%. The operator’s goal was to flow at 0.8%. The customer turned to TransTex to replace an existing, oversized Amine plant supplied by a competitor. After a period of due diligence, TransTex refurbished, installed and commissioned a 30 GPM Amine plant. Cost savings were immediately recognized in chemicals, energy consumption, and lowering the monthly lease rate.
Refurbishment includes inspection, repair/replace parts and testing of every piece of equipment
Both H2S and CO2 are highly corrosive. Thus, it is crucial every piece of equipment is thoroughly inspected and tested. This includes all vessels, the reboiler and surge tanks. All worn piping and valves are replaced or rebuilt. Pumps are thoroughly tested and commissioned, with warranties from our vendors. Electrical controls and instrumentation are inspected and replaced if needed. Piping is flushed to clear contaminates, and if needed an acidic test is done to free the plant of foreign paraffin. Finally, our plants are freshly painted so our customers have sharp, clean equipment on location.
Each one of these steps requires time and proper planning. Sourcing parts and procurement are part of the process. Execution and verification ensure that we provide a quality product. We maintain hydrostatic test documentation on every vessel that ships from our Hallettsville facility. Josh Smith, the director of construction stated, “The phases must be planned and executed accordingly, so we don’t have resources waiting on others to finish their part. Timing is critical in meeting our customer expectations.”
Installation required planning with customer and competitor for removal of existing facility
Delivery and installation of the amine plant was done in coordination with the customer as well as the competitor. Thorough planning ensured everyone was on the same timeline. The competitor completed their demob and TransTex installed the unit soon after, to ensure as little downtime as possible. Stephen Morgan, vice president of TransTex commented, “This is why we excel as a company. We are small enough to be fluid, with the commitment and reliability to make adjustments to schedules to meet our customer’s requirements.”
