Evaluation of mercury adsorbent parameters for mercury removal from wet natural gas

Author of the article:WU Hao

Author's Workplace：Xinjiang Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd., Karamay, Xinjiang, 834000, China

Key Words：Mercury removal from natural gas; Mercury adsorbent; Empty tower velocity; Dynamic mercury adsorption capacity

Abstract：Mercury is a toxic heavy metal. Some natural gas extracted from gas fields contains a certain amount of mercury. Mercury in natural gas is easily enriched in low-temperature separator, liquid hydrocarbon threephase separator, ethylene glycol regeneration tower and other equipment and piping due to changes of temperature and pressure, causing harm to equipment, the environment and posing a threat to personal safety. The removal of mercury at the source from wet gas can effectively avoid mercury contamination in the whole gas processing system. Chemisorption mercury removal process is widely used in natural gas mercury removal facilities at home and abroad, but it requires relatively high adsorbent performance. Imported adsorbents are widely used in wet gas application but they are expensive, while domestic adsorbents are cheap but rarely used in wet gas application. This paper analyzed the mechanism of the mercury adsorbent, evaluated the on-site wet gas mercury adsorbent performance at home and abroad, compared dynamic mercury adsorption capacity of domestic and imported loaded metal sulfide mercury removal adsorbents, and also analyzed the influence of temperature, pressure, flow velocity on mercury removal efficiency. This research result can provide reference for future mercury adsorbent selection and design parameters optimization of wet natural gas mercury removal process.