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Title: Algonquin SNG facility off to a good start

Journal Article · · Pipeline Gas J.; (United States)
OSTI ID:7140619

Algonquin SNG Inc.'s new 120 million CF/day SNG plant in Freetown, Mass., has operated at an on-stream factor of over 98 percent and a total naphtha efficiency in excess of 90 percent during its 1st continuous operation from December 1973 to April 1974. This efficiency is expected to improve when the plant is operating at full capacity this winter. The plant experienced a remarkably problem-free start-up and operation, primarily because of the recruiting and training of experienced plant personnel and thorough preparation of the equipment prior to start-up. Process units at Algonquin consist of a gasification unit and a hydrogen unit. The gasification unit produces SNG by the British Gas Corp. CRG process, which consists essentially of preheating and desulfurizing the naphtha feedstock, passing the desulfurized naphtha feed through the CRG reactor, upgrading the reactor product through 2-stage methanation, removing the carbon dioxide from the 2nd-methanator effluent, and finally dehydrating, compressing, and enriching the product gas with propane before it is odorized and injected into the Algonquin system. The hydrogen is produced by feed desulfurization (when naphtha is unavailable, natural gas from the pipeline is used for start-up) through an activated-carbon system to reduce total sulfur to less than 0.2 ppM before methane steam reforming, carbon-monoxide shift conversion in 2 fixed-bed reactors over a chromium catalyst, carbon-dioxide removal in a Benfield system, methanation to remove the residual CO and CO/sub 2/, and compression to 245-706 psig.

OSTI ID:
7140619
Journal Information:
Pipeline Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 201
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English