UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has announced its UOP Separex membrane system has been selected for the removal of contaminants from natural gas produced from a large shale formation found in British Columbia.
Apache Corp. will use the UOP Separex membrane system to remove carbon dioxide from shale gas at its operations in the Horn River Basin of northeastern British Columbia. Removing impurities is a required step in upgrading the gas so it can be transported by pipeline for commercial use.
Shale gas, sometimes referred to as an unconventional gas, is natural gas found in shale rock formations. According to the International Energy Agency, there are an estimated 921 trillion cubic metres of shale resources around the globe, which is more than five times the proven amount of conventional natural gas reserves.
"Shale gas is an important energy resource in North America and around the world," said Gary Sturtevant, gas processing business director for Honeywell's UOP. "Our membrane solution offers a novel approach to the critical step of contaminant removal that simplifies start-up and reduces maintenance requirements."
When complete, the land-based Separex system will remove carbon dioxide from 150 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas processed at the facility. Engineering will be complete this summer and the fabricated system will be delivered in the first quarter of 2011.
Apache Corp. is an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the U.S., Canada, Egypt, the United Kingdom's North Sea, Australia and Argentina. Apache, together with a joint venture partner, has more than 400,000 acres in the Horn River Basin.
The UOP Separex membrane technology upgrades natural gas streams by removing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and water vapor in a single process to meet the quality standards specified by pipeline transmission companies, as well as end-users of the natural gas.
Separex membrane systems can be installed on-shore or off-shore, require little to no utilities, and provide for very short start-up times and extreme turndown capabilities. Due to the low consumption of materials within the process, membrane technology is particularly desirable in remote locations where logistics make it difficult to transport supplies to site. To date, 130 Separex units have been installed worldwide.
UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, process plants and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries. UOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc. and is part of Honeywell's Specialty Materials strategic business group.