CONTROLLED FREEZE ZONE? COMMERCIAL DEMONSTRATION PLANT ADVANCES TECHNOLOGY FOR THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF NORTH AMERICAN SOUR GAS RESOURCES

摘要

The Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ?) technology developed at the ExxonMobilUpstream Research Company enables the single-step removal and liquefaction of CO_2and other acid gas components present in sour natural gases. The resulting high pressureliquid can then be readily reinjected for geosequestration or EOR purposes. The CFZ?technology makes it possible to economically develop sour gas resources with CO_2contents as high as 70% or as low as 10 mol% or even less, while still protecting theenvironment from excessive greenhouse gas emissions.During the last year ExxonMobil successfully started up a commercial demonstrationplant (CDP) at its Shute Creek Treating Facility in Wyoming. The CDP is able toprocess a wide range of compositions representative of global resources of interest. TheCDP also demonstrates the advantages of discharging the sour gas components as a highpressure liquid stream and re-injecting these acid gas components via an existing acidgas injection (AGI) facility.In addition, ExxonMobil has carried out studies to identify the range of conditionswhere the CFZ? technology would be attractive in developing North American sourgas reserves.This paper will provide a review of the CFZ? technology, an overview of CDPoperational data and information about the types of sour gas reserves where thistechnology might be applicable.