Engelhard Molecular Gate™ Adsorption Technology Allows the Treatment & Sale of Coal Mine Methane Gas

The Engelhard Molecular Gate® adsorbent technology system is gaining further market acceptance with eight units operating or in fabrication with flows up to 10 MM SCFD. 

In the application in Southern Illinois the system allows the  treatment and sale of coal mine methane gas that would otherwise remain unrecovered in shut-in wells.  Unlike other technologies, Engelhard Molecular Gate adsorbent removes N2 and CO2 in a single, unattended step and provides high on-stream factors.

The Engelhard Molecular Gate system is offered as a prefabricated, modular plant based on patented adsorbent materials and is generating significant interest in the natural Easy start-up, unattended operation and cost-effectiveness are the hallmarks of the Molecular Gate  technology. 
The Southern Illinois system is located at the natural gas wellhead and is powered on-site using tail gas generated by the process.

The technology is applied in two applications.  In nitrogen removal the process operates by adsorbing nitrogen at high pressure (80-800 psig) while delivering the product sales gas at near feed pressure.  This ability to deliver methane at high pressure minimizes the compression requirements.

No pretreatment other than dehydration is required and the system removes CO2 along with the nitrogen in a single step.  The system recovers 90-95% of the methane as sales gas and the rejected nitrogen containing “tail gas” is normally used as fuel to gas engines or other local uses. 

In the CO2 removal system water and CO2 is removed in a single step, again with product methane delivered at high pressure.  Cost is generally 20% lower than amine processing and with much less operator attention is required.

Reduction of Nitrogen Levels in Natural Gas by up to 10%, Removal of Water & Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from Natural Gas

In Southern Illinois the system is designed to reduce nitrogen levels in the natural gas from up to 10% to the local pipeline specification of 4%.  It also removes water and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the gas, and can treat up to one million standard cubic feet per day (1 MM SCFD).  Other treatment methods have proved too costly to developing  the coalmine for natural gas recovery.  The purified natural gas is sold to an interstate transmission pipeline.

About Guild Associates

Guild Associates is the exclusive USA licensee of the Molecular Gate technology originally developed by Engelhard Corporation (now a part of the BASF Group) and has provided all systems to date.  Guild provides adsorption and catalyst systems to a variety of markets as well as shop fabricated engineered systems including Molecular Gate systems. 

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