Simulation and Economic Analysis of Helium Extraction Process from Natural Gas
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Research Methods
2.1. Process Development
2.1.1. Process Model Method
2.1.2. Linde Integrated Process
2.1.3. Exxon Mobil Integrated Process
2.1.4. Research on Adaptability of Feed
2.2. Economic Evaluation
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effect of Feed Composition
3.1.1. Analysis of Linde Integrated Process
3.1.2. Analysis of Exxon Mobil Integrated Process
3.2. Effect of Processing Capacity
3.3. Comparative Analysis of Linde and Exxon Mobil Integrated Processes
3.4. Sensitivity Analysis
4. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Feed | LNG | Fuel | LN2 | Crude He |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composition (mol%) | |||||
Helium | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 54.66 |
Nitrogen | 5.00 | 1.00 | 28.39 | 99.24 | 42.30 |
Methane | 87.85 | 90.73 | 71.56 | 0.75 | 3.04 |
Ethane | 4.73 | 5.51 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Propane | 1.64 | 1.91 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
n-Butane | 0.38 | 0.45 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
i-Butane | 0.34 | 0.40 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Temperature (°C) | 25.0 | −160.8 | 35.0 | −194.0 | −43.0 |
Pressure (kPa) | 6000 | 130 | 2000 | 130 | 2000 |
Flow rate (kmol/h) | 235,000 | 201,839 | 32,588 | 104.0 | 192.7 |
Parameter | Feed | LNG | Fuel | Crude He |
---|---|---|---|---|
Composition (mol%) | ||||
Helium | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 46.02 |
Nitrogen | 5.00 | 0.99 | 30.58 | 51.83 |
Methane | 87.85 | 90.81 | 69.39 | 2.15 |
Ethane | 4.73 | 5.47 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
Propane | 1.64 | 1.90 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
n-Butane | 0.38 | 0.44 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
i-Butane | 0.34 | 0.39 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Temperature (°C) | 25.0 | −160.7 | 26.8 | 25.0 |
Pressure (kPa) | 6000 | 130 | 2000 | 2000 |
Flow rate (kmol/h) | 235,000 | 203,329 | 31,487 | 241.3 |
Composition (mol%) | Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 | Case 4 | Case 5 | Case 6 | Case 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Helium | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.20 | 0.50 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 2.00 |
Nitrogen | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
Methane | 87.86 | 87.81 | 87.71 | 87.41 | 86.91 | 86.41 | 85.91 |
Ethane | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 |
Propane | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 |
n-Butane | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 |
i-Butane | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 |
Composition (mol%) | Case a | Case b | Case c | Case d |
---|---|---|---|---|
Helium | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
Nitrogen | 5.00 | 10.00 | 15.00 | 20.00 |
Methane | 87.86 | 82.86 | 77.86 | 72.86 |
Ethane | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 | 4.73 |
Propane | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.64 |
n-Butane | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.38 |
i-Butane | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 |
Property | Value |
---|---|
Helium extraction rate | ≥90% |
Crude He content | ≥50% |
N2 content in LNG | ≤1% |
N2 content in fuel gas | ≤40% |
Parameter | Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 | Case 4 | Case 5 | Case 6 | Case 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Capital Cost | 238.80 | 243.18 | 245.62 | 253.65 | 275.52 | 285.96 | 296.41 |
Total Income (m$) | 1391 | 1408 | 1439 | 1532 | 1620 | 1845 | 1984 |
IRR (%) | 101.30 | 101.63 | 105.25 | 116.21 | 126.02 | 151.90 | 170.21 |
Payback Period (year) | 3.08 | 3.07 | 3.03 | 2.90 | 2.81 | 2.65 | 2.53 |
Parameter | Case a | Case b | Case c | Case d | |||
Total Capital Cost | 238.80 | 393.63 | 505.63 | 543.85 | |||
Total Income (m$) | 1391 | 1301 | 1225 | 1127 | |||
IRR (%) | 101.30 | 84.32 | 73.65 | 62.57 | |||
Payback Period (year) | 3.08 | 3.46 | 3.77 | 4.19 |
Parameter | Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 | Case 4 | Case 5 | Case 6 | Case 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Capital Cost | 217.37 | 224.56 | 226.59 | 226.89 | 227.42 | 229.15 | 231.71 |
Total Income (m$) | 1391 | 1408 | 1442 | 1552 | 1739 | 1939 | 2139 |
IRR (%) | 101.30 | 103.27 | 107.31 | 120.43 | 143.34 | 167.71 | 192.42 |
Payback Period (year) | 3.07 | 3.04 | 2.98 | 2.84 | 2.66 | 2.52 | 2.41 |
Case a | Case b | Case c | Case d | ||||
Total Capital Cost | 217.37 | 249.70 | 268.92 | 281.09 | |||
Total Income (m$) | 1391 | 1247 | 1123 | 1007 | |||
IRR (%) | 101.30 | 87.44 | 75.40 | 64.62 | |||
Payback Period (year) | 3.07 | 3.34 | 3.68 | 4.11 |
Components (m$) | Case a1 | Case a2 | Case a3 |
---|---|---|---|
Total Capital Investment | 213.51 | 238.80 | 255.65 |
Installed equipment costs | 94.71 | 104.65 | 111.81 |
Construction cost | 47.36 | 52.32 | 55.91 |
Total Operating Cost | 225.76 | 278.25 | 304.92 |
Total Utilities Cost | 211.29 | 262.47 | 285.63 |
Feed gas | 442.97 | 520.62 | 598.01 |
Cost per Nm3 he($) | 13.21 | 12.57 | 11.72 |
Total Income | 1186 | 1391 | 1601 |
IRR(%) | 101.75 | 101.30 | 100.14 |
Payback Period(year) | 3.03 | 3.08 | 3.11 |
Components (m$) | Case a1 | Case a2 | Case a3 |
---|---|---|---|
Total Capital Investment | 187.08 | 217.37 | 244.06 |
Installed equipment costs | 81.96 | 94.99 | 106.54 |
Construction cost | 40.98 | 47.50 | 53.27 |
Total Operating Cost | 218.38 | 256.74 | 292.80 |
Total Utilities Cost | 205.58 | 241.23 | 276.78 |
Feed gas | 442.97 | 520.62 | 598.01 |
Cost per Nm3 he($) | 11.05 | 10.93 | 10.68 |
Total Income | 1184 | 1391 | 1598 |
IRR(%) | 102.13 | 101.30 | 100.77 |
Payback Period(year) | 3.03 | 3.07 | 3.10 |
Parameter | Linde | Exxon Mobil |
---|---|---|
Total Utilities Cost (m$) | 262.47 | 241.23 |
Total Operating Cost (m$) | 278.25 | 256.74 |
Total Income (m$) | 1391 | 1391 |
IRR (%) | 101.30 | 101.30 |
Payback Period (year) | 3.08 | 3.07 |
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He, Y.; Chen, R.; Li, W.; Yang, R.; Yi, C.; Wu, Y.; Xia, G.; Xu, X.; Liu, Y. Simulation and Economic Analysis of Helium Extraction Process from Natural Gas. Processes 2024, 12, 1892. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12091892
He Y, Chen R, Li W, Yang R, Yi C, Wu Y, Xia G, Xu X, Liu Y. Simulation and Economic Analysis of Helium Extraction Process from Natural Gas. Processes. 2024; 12(9):1892. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12091892
Chicago/Turabian StyleHe, Yuanyuan, Rong Chen, Wanting Li, Ruiyi Yang, Chenggao Yi, Yiping Wu, Gaohaili Xia, Xiaoling Xu, and Yansheng Liu. 2024. "Simulation and Economic Analysis of Helium Extraction Process from Natural Gas" Processes 12, no. 9: 1892. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12091892