New Low Temperature Process of CO2 Recovery from Natural Gases

Abstract Low-temperature processes seem to be the most promising for the extraction of CO2 from gases with high acid components content. The present paper contains the research results of using supersonic separation technology (3S-separation) for the extraction of CO2 from natural gases. 3S-separation technology is based on separation of selected components of natural gas, effected by gas expansion in a supersonic Laval nozzle, in which a strong gas cooling is achieved due to the conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy. Condensation and separation of the target components are implemented in a cooled flow inside the nozzle. This paper analyzes the various technological schemes of CO2 extraction. The results of tests of model 3S-separator, confirmed the high efficiency of CO2 separation, are represented. It is proven, that units for CO2 recovery from natural gas, based on low-temperature separation processes in supersonic separators, allow CO2 concentration in processed gas below 2%.