Method and apparatus for sweetening and/or dehydrating a hydrocarbon gas, in particular a natural gas

An apparatus (100,200) for removing a component from a hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″), in particular from a gas extracted from a gasfield, said apparatus comprising:

• a vertical elongated container (150) comprising at least one substantially vertical inner partition wall (168) in said vertical elongated container, said at least one inner partition wall defining at least two treatment chambers within said container (151,152), each of said at least two treatment chambers having:
• a respective first inlet port (171,181);
• a respective second inlet port (172,182);
• a respective first outlet port (173,183);
• a respective second outlet port (174,184),
• said first inlet port (171,181) and said second outlet port (174,184) arranged at an upper end of each treatment chamber (151,152), said first outlet port (173,183) and said second inlet port (172,182) arranged at a lower end each treatment chamber (151,152);
• a feeding means for feeding a treatment liquid (2′,2″) into at least one of said at least two treatment chambers (151,152) through said respective first inlet port (171,181), and a liquid extraction means for extracting said treatment liquid as a used treatment liquid (3′,3″) through said respective first outlet port (173,183) of said at least one of said at least two treatment chambers (151,152), wherein said feeding means of said treatment liquid is adapted to feed a treatment liquid selected from the group consisting of:
• a sweetening liquid, i.e. a liquid adapted to receive an acid compound present in said hydrocarbon gas to be treated;
• a dehydration liquid, i.e. a liquid adapted to receive moisture, i.e. Water, present in said hydrocarbon gas to be treated;
• a feeding means of said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″) into at least one of said at least two treatment chambers (151,152) through said respective second inlet port (172,182), and a gas extraction means for extracting said hydrocarbon gas as a treated gas (8′,8″) through said respective second outlet port (174,184) of said at least one of said at least two treatment chambers (151,152),
• so that in said at least one of said at least two treatment chambers (151,152) said treatment liquid (2′,2″) comes into contact with said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″) and receives said component from said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″), and that said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″) is changed into a treated gas (5′,5″) in which said component has said treated gas concentration, comprising, furthermore, selective convey means (44′,44″,46′,46″,48,49) for carrying out a treatment mode of said hydrocarbon gas selected from the group consisting of:
• a series-mode, wherein said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″) flows along a first treatment chamber (151) and then along a second treatment chamber (152) of said at least two treatment chambers, and said treated gas is extracted only from said second treatment chamber (152);
• a parallel-mode, wherein said hydrocarbon gas (1′,1″) is directly fed into said first treatment chamber (151) and into said second treatment chamber (152), and portions of treated gas are extracted from both said first and said second treatment chambers (151,152);
• an exclusion-mode wherein said treated gas is fed/extracted to/from a single treatment chamber selected among said first treatment chamber (151) and said second treatment chamber (152),
• characterised in that an inner longitudinal partition wall (83,168,89) is arranged within said vertical elongated container, said inner longitudinal partition wall (83,168,89) defining in said vertical elongated container said first chamber (151) and said second chamber (152), and in that
• a means is provided for compensating a mechanical deformation of said inner partition wall (168), said mechanical deformation due to a process condition difference between said first chamber (151) and said second chamber (152), in particular said mechanical deformation due to temperature and/or pressure differences between said first chamber (151) and said second chamber (152).