Zeochem Molecular Sieves The Right Choice For Natural Gas Dehydration Z3-04

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION - THE DUTY Variety of technologies. Gases to be dehydrated (MW 18-25) include heavier associated gases, straight natural gas, sour gases. Many plants use “turbo-expander“ technology to compress,chill-down and liquefy the natural gas Dew points required of the order of -100°C.

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION - THE DUTY Molecular sieves - accepted technology Costs for the duty include the energy used in pressure loss The energy required for regeneration heating the need to replace the molecular sieve charge - typically every 2-4 years.

Zeochem Z3-04 The Right Product For The Duty Specially developed form of the A - type crystal High purity A-type crystals give better kinetics hence shorter Mass Transfer Zone length High equilibrium capacity for moisture Improved Hydrothermal Stability - Less ageing in the presence of moisture plus heat Already approved by and in extensive successful use at major natural gas processing companies.

Zeochem Z3-04 Natural Gas Dehydration High static H2O Capacity 23+% High dynamic H2O Capacity 18+% Excellent Kinetics MTZ tests High Crush Strength 9 kp (2.5-5) Low Attrition 0.5% High Density 720 kg / m3 Good Sphericity ie Low Pressure Drop Exceptional Hydrothermal Stability

Zeochem Z3-04 Natural Gas Dehydration High static H2O Capacity 22+% High dynamic H2O Capacity 17+% Excellent Kinetics MTZ tests High Crush Strength 9 kp (2.5-5) Low Attrition 0.5% High Density 730 kg / m3 Good Sphericity ie Low Pressure Drop Exceptional Hydrothermal Stability

Water Adsorption Capacity Statistics

Typical Adsorber Gas inlet Inert balls / floating screen Saturated layer MTZ Fresh Sieve Inert balls / fixed screen Gas outlet

Mass Transfer Zone Mass Transfer Zone measurements indicate the kinetics of the product Shorter MTZ gives better kinetics All product for regenerative purposes is routinely tested. Zeochem product is shown to be better than competitive products.

Mass Transfer Zone

Kinetics

Mass Transfer Zone Length Sample Designation Mass Transfer Zone Length mm Z3-01 2.5 - 5.0 mm Standard 3A Grade 280-330 Z3-04 2.5 – 5.0 mm Natural Gas Grade 180-220

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Crush Strength Physical strength under compressive stress Test measures the force required to crush beads/extrudates Simulates the compressive forces acting on the material in service All Z3-04 manufacturing lots are tested for crush strength to ensure long life in the field

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Crush Strength Zeochem’s proprietary bead forming and calcination processes yield exceptionally high crush strength, typically in excess of 9 kp for 2.5-5.0 mm beads Beads give a higher packed crush strength than extrudates Compressive forces are distributed more evenly Spherical beads have no sharp edges (cylindrical extrudates do) which can easily break off

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Attrition Tendency for material to attrite from friction against other beads or surfaces and gas flow Test measures the amount of fines produced by attrition Simulates the movement of beads/extrudates against each other during thermal swings All Z3-04 manufacturing lots are tested for attrition strength to ensure long life in the field

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Attrition % material lost as fines* Zeochem Z3-04 2 - 3 mm bead 0.05 Competitor 1/16" extrudate 0.20 In Zeochem standard attrition test (method Si5/45)

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration High Density Product gives more efficient columns Even packing Better Flow Distribution More Capacity per unit volume Longer cycles in existing columns Smaller design for new columns

Water Adsorption Capacity Water adsorption capacity is measured before and after steaming This simulates real-life conditions in the Adsorber during regeneration Need to minimise loss in capacity

Water Adsorption Capacity Sample Designation Water Adsorption Capacity new 50 % RH Water Adsorption Capacity Aged Competitive sample 1/16" 21.4 19.7 Z3-04 2-3 mm 23.1 22.6

Freeze Thaw Test Sample Fines % Broken Beads % Z3-01 Standard 3A Grade 3.5 – 10 % 3.5 % Z3-04 Natural Gas Grade 0.5 – 2.0 % 0.2 – 1.5 %

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Lower Pressure Drop Lower Compression Costs Better Recovery of Product Streams C3, C4, C5 plus

Pressure Drop Calculation Modified Ergun Equation Delta P / L = A U V + B R V 2 P = Pressure in psi L = Length in feet U = Viscosity in centipoises R = Gas Density lb / ft3 V = Fluid Velocity ft / min A,B = two (dimensional) constants

Constants For Ergun Equation Particle Size A B . 2.5-5.0 mm .056 0.0000889 2.0-3.0 mm 0.156 0.000136 1-2 mm 0.352 0.000207 1/8“ pellet (extr.) 0.0739 0.000124 1/16“ pellet (extr.) 0.238 0.000201 8 mesh gran. 0.0722 0.000156 silica gel .

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Hydrothermal Stability Ability of the material to maintain high adsorption capacity after exposure to high heat and humidity Test measures the retained capacity after accelerated aging in a hot, humid environment Simulates the loss in crystallinity resulting from thermal regeneration cycles when the material is in operation

Zeochem Z3-04 and Z4-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration Zeochem Steaming Test simulates regeneration conditions in use, by testing for Hydrothermal Stability Both CO2 capacity and ethane capacity are measured before and after steaming to measure how much pore shrinkage takes place Exceptional stability vs Competitive products Very Consistent Quality from lot to lot

Hydrothermal Stability Ethane Adsorption Sample Designation Ethane Adsorption Capacity New ml / g Ethane Adsorption Capacity Aged ml / g Comp "A" 3A 1/16" European nat gas reference Sample 1 24.5 0.2 Comp "A" 3A 1/16" European nat gas reference Sample 2 36.0 Z3-01 2-3 mm Standard 4A grade 44.8 1.4 Z3-04 2-3 mm Natural Gas Grade 42-45 10-20

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration X-Ray powder diffraction elemental analysis scanning electron microscopy kinetic measurement [MTZ measurement ] hydrothermal stability test bulk density [g/l] under- and oversize [max. 5 %] attrition [%] crush strength [kp] residual water [%] CO2 adsorption [%]

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 1 Beaded molecular sieve has a number of cost advantages over pelletted or extruded products. The following table shows these differences in terms of the OPERATING COSTS per year. It does NOT include the extra earnings resulting from the less frequent shut-downs or from better product recovery.

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 2 Pressure drop losses are a hidden cost. The cost of running a compressor is considerable. Standard costs are available showing that for every 1000 Nm3 per hour of gas and every mbar of pressure drop the cost of compression is 2.42 US dollars

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 3 The cost of regeneration is one of heat costs (athough the gas may also be lost). Zeochem has a high density product: around 10% higher than extruded product, which means that the number of cycles per year is also 10% lower Hence a saving in heat costs can be calculated. Standard cost assumed is 6.83 US dollar per 1000 kWh

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 4 Basis Natural Gas Dehydrator operating with 2 beds on a 16 hour cycle, regeneration with dry product gas Flow Rate Temperature Pressure Molecular Weight Heat Capacity Adsorption time Service Lifetime Regeneration time Inlet Water Outlet Dew Point 200,000 Nm3/hr 25°C 32 bara 20 2.4 kJ / kg/ °C 8 hours minimum 3 years, but projected 4 years for Z3-04 5 hours heating at a temperature of 280°C saturated at plant conditions ie 193 kg / hr < -100°C

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 5 Adsorbent Type / Operating parameters Zeochem Z3-04 beads 2.5-5 mm Typical 3A 1/8 inch extrudates Bed Internal Diameter mm Bed Height mm Weight of adsorbent pr bed kg Pressure Drop mbar Adsorbent unit cost US$ per kg Regeneration Flow Nm3 / hr at 32 bar Furnace Requirement kWh 3100 3000 16500 300 2.50 10666 1831 3400 451 10872 1866 Cost Summary in US$ per year 3 year life Adsorbent Cost in US$ per year Pressure drop cost at 2.42 US$ / mbar / 1000 Nm3/hr per year Heating cost at 6.83 US$ / 1000 kWh 27500 152944 68469 230150 69778 Total Costs in US$ per year 248913 327428

Zeochem Z3-04 Cost Savings 6 The previous table clearly shows that the yearly pressure drop and heating costs alone can far outweigh the initial costs of the molecular sieve, over the assumed 3 year service lifetime. There is the added benefit of an extra year lifetime available with Z3-04. IN THIS CASE SAVINGS TOTAL 78,515 US$ PER YEAR OF OPERATION

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION MIDDLE EAST EXAMPLE Compositions Feed Gas Regeneration Gas C1 60.3 % 91.8 % C2 20.7 % 7.2 % C3 12.4 % 0.3 % i-C4 1.0 % n-C4 3.2 % i-C5 0.7 % C6+ 0.5 % N2 0.4 % Mol Wt. 25.25 17.21

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION MIDDLE EAST EXAMPLE Three Column System Two columns adsorbing and one on regeneration Split Bed 2/3 large bead and 1/3 small bead

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION MIDDLE EAST EXAMPLE Modules 1 and 3 Column D142 A D142 B D142 C D342 A D342 B D342 C Break Through Slope °F/min 1.667 1.318 2.33 1.289 1.20 1.378 Time To Break hr 29.9 28.2 28.3 29.8 MTZ Length mm 310 418 235 395 364 369 Ave. Flow Rate mmscfd / col 190 Pressure psig 455 470 Temperature °F 69 66.5 Moisture Content lb /mmscf 43.94 39.53 Pressure drop psid 12.7 12.3 13.4 Calc. Pressure Drop psid 10.48 10.01 Water Adsorbed lb 10402 9811 9845 9358 9327 Actual Water Capacity % 13.7 12.9 12.4 Predicted Water Capacity % 11.90

NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION MIDDLE EAST EXAMPLE

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration – References Zeochem Z3-04 is in service in many plants including major natural gas companies in The Middle East Europe Asia North America South America

Zeochem Z3-04 For Natural Gas Dehydration A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR CUSTOMERS HIGH QUALITY LOWER COSTS PEACE OF MIND BACK-UP SERVICE