MERCURY REMOVAL FROM OIL BY REACTIVE ADSORPTION

Mercury in heavy condensate or oil causes marketing, processing, and e nvironmental concerns. We have developed an effective process to remov e mercury from oil. Laboratory tests show that the process is capable of removing up to 99% of mercury. The process is based on high-tempera ture chemisorption for selective adsorption of mercury and uses a spec ial CuS/C adsorbent which is effective for removal of most types of me rcury compounds. The process is simple and lends itself to integration into the existing LNG plant systems. In the process, the condensate f rom the stabilizer at 400-500 degrees F and 220 psi is directly passed over the adsorbent at about 10 liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) fo r mercury removal before normal heat exchange and storage. At the cont emplated operating conditions, the adsorbent can last more than 1 year . Extensive laboratory tests have been conducted to verify the technic al feasibility of the process. The adsorbent has been produced using a commercial process in a commercial unit and evaluated in the laborato ry thoroughly.