Reduction of chloride in amine from gas sweetening unit using a continuous virtual countercurrent ion exchange setup

In this work, continuous chloride reduction was studied using a Continuous Virtual Countercurrent Ion Exchange setup (CVCIE). With this new laboratory scale setup constructed, ion exchange process which is inherently batchwise was conducted continuously. Lewatit Monoplus M800 OH and Amberjet 4500 OH resins were used for the first time for amine reclamation. According to the resins' critical properties, Lewatit Monoplus M800 OH showed a better performance in chloride separation. The resin performance is pH-dependent. In this regard, amine-to-resin ratio at different influent chloride concentrations showed that Lewatit Monoplus M800 OH has the potential for higher chloride exchange at a pH of 10.5-11. During several experiments, the optimum amount of caustic needed for regeneration of the saturated resins was determined. Setup results showed that chloride concentration in amine tank was reduced to 50 ± 10 ppm and the pH increased to 11.85 ± 0.15 which were the averages of three different tests.