Controlling amine sweetening
The removal of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from sour gases by amine sweetening, relies on maintaining the quality of the amine solution fed to the absorber and proper adjustment of the steam feed to the amine stripper. Insufficient steam at the stripper results in incomplete amine regeneration, while excessive steam represents a costly waste of energy. Feeding the absorber with an amine solution that is not sufficiently lean means gas absorbance will not be optimal, and adding fresh amine when it is not required is simply throwing money away.