Operating Parameters Optimization of Natural
Gas Purification Plant
Yuan Xu 1 , Yang Zhang 2 , Lianghui Guo 2 , Yi Wang 2(B) , and Yongtu Liang 2
1 PetroChina Planning and Engineering Institute, No. 3 Zhixin West Road, Haidian District,
Beijing 100089, China
2 National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety/MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum
Engineering/Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Oil and Gas Distribution Technology, China
University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
wangyi1031@cup.edu.cn
Abstract. The natural gas purification plant is the upstream of the natural gas
supply chain. Its operating parameters have an important influence on natural gas
supply chain system analysis, pipeline scheduling, inventory management and
other aspects of the natural gas supply chain. Energy Performance Index (EnPI) is
introduced in this paper to judge the energy consumption of the purification plant.
A detailed model is developed by Aspen HYSYS. The operating variables are
optimized by the particle swarm algorithm, and then the operating variables are
input into the model to calculate the unit energy consumption of the purification
plant. Through the optimization, the purification plant can be operated with low
energy consumption.
Keywords: Natural gas purification plant · Aspen HYSYS · Particle swarm
algorithm
1 Introduction
With the rapid development of modern industry, people’s demand for energy is increasing. Natural gas, as a clean energy, has a prominent position in the world’s energy supply
chain. As the upstream of the natural gas supply chain, the natural gas purification plant
has an important influence on the natural gas supply chain. The operating parameters of
the natural gas purification plant will affect the flow rate of the product gas, the quality of
the product gas, energy consumption, and acid gas emissions. The quality and flow rate
of product gas will affect natural gas supply chain system analysis, pipeline scheduling
and inventory management. The acid gas exhausted from natural gas purification plant
can also effect the environment. Therefore, it is very necessary to optimize the operating
variables of natural gas purification plants.
In order to optimize the operating variables of the purification plant, the first step is
to build the process model of the purification plant. Various designers have used Aspen
HYSYS to complete the simulations of various technological processes. Dinca et al. [1]
used Aspen HYSYS to build a process model to analyze the CO 2 absorption process.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. N. Atluri and I. Vušanovi´ c (Eds.): ICCES 2020, MMS 97, pp. 276–286, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64690-5_27
Gas Purification Plant
Yuan Xu 1 , Yang Zhang 2 , Lianghui Guo 2 , Yi Wang 2(B) , and Yongtu Liang 2
1 PetroChina Planning and Engineering Institute, No. 3 Zhixin West Road, Haidian District,
Beijing 100089, China
2 National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety/MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum
Engineering/Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Oil and Gas Distribution Technology, China
University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
wangyi1031@cup.edu.cn
Abstract. The natural gas purification plant is the upstream of the natural gas
supply chain. Its operating parameters have an important influence on natural gas
supply chain system analysis, pipeline scheduling, inventory management and
other aspects of the natural gas supply chain. Energy Performance Index (EnPI) is
introduced in this paper to judge the energy consumption of the purification plant.
A detailed model is developed by Aspen HYSYS. The operating variables are
optimized by the particle swarm algorithm, and then the operating variables are
input into the model to calculate the unit energy consumption of the purification
plant. Through the optimization, the purification plant can be operated with low
energy consumption.
Keywords: Natural gas purification plant · Aspen HYSYS · Particle swarm
algorithm
1 Introduction
With the rapid development of modern industry, people’s demand for energy is increasing. Natural gas, as a clean energy, has a prominent position in the world’s energy supply
chain. As the upstream of the natural gas supply chain, the natural gas purification plant
has an important influence on the natural gas supply chain. The operating parameters of
the natural gas purification plant will affect the flow rate of the product gas, the quality of
the product gas, energy consumption, and acid gas emissions. The quality and flow rate
of product gas will affect natural gas supply chain system analysis, pipeline scheduling
and inventory management. The acid gas exhausted from natural gas purification plant
can also effect the environment. Therefore, it is very necessary to optimize the operating
variables of natural gas purification plants.
In order to optimize the operating variables of the purification plant, the first step is
to build the process model of the purification plant. Various designers have used Aspen
HYSYS to complete the simulations of various technological processes. Dinca et al. [1]
used Aspen HYSYS to build a process model to analyze the CO 2 absorption process.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. N. Atluri and I. Vušanovi´ c (Eds.): ICCES 2020, MMS 97, pp. 276–286, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64690-5_27