When processing hydrocarbon gas or liquid, the mass transfer necessary to achieve a prescribed dew point or concentration of H2S or CO2 is carried out with a contactor with a regenerative solvent system. After contacting, the loaded solvent is separated from the hydrocarbon phase and routed to the regenerator before it is recycled to the contactor.

The choice and design of the contactor and separator units is decisive for size, weight and CAPEX/ OPEX of the process as this is influenced by the mass transfer rate, the sour gas mass transfer selectivity and the separator efficiency (solvent entrainment rate with the processed hydrocarbon phase).

It is perceived that the obvious step-change towards approaching future ultra-compact mass transfer unit operations is to combine the best in-line contacting technology with the best in-line separation technology. Modules for contacting and separation can be added to suit a given purification duty, and thus a multitude of applications can be implemented in a compact pipeline unit.

ProPure develops in-line technology to meet future topside and subsea requirements for processing of hydrocarbons.