Abstract In this work, a novel multi-layer pressure-temperature swing adsorption (PTSA) process was designed for efficient simultaneous water and mercaptans removal from natural gas (NG) to less than 0.1 ppmv and 3 ppmv in a mini liquefied NG unit. The proposed multi-layer PTSA consists of a three-layer fixed bed including activated alumina, molecular sieves 4A and 13X. To gain in-depth insights about the process, a descriptive model considering mass, energy and momentum balances, along with the kinetic and equilibrium equations was developed. After validating the model with the experimental and operational data from the literature, the total energy requirement and long-term operational requirements (e.g. maximum water and mercaptan removal during regeneration process) were optimized. Results of the multi-objective optimization revealed that substitution of present series of dehydration and mercaptan removal columns with an integrated multi-layer PTSA for NG purification can decrease 5.1% of energy consumption, which is approximately equivalent to 137 GJ each year. The outcomes of this study can be used as an innovative design strategy for NG purification (i.e. the combination of dehydration and mercaptan removal columns in a single multi-layer PTSA bed) and can also provide process engineers with a cost-effective tool for the optimization of regeneration parameters in the present PTSA systems.

中文翻译：

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LNG生产多层PTSA的多目标优化

摘要 在这项工作中，设计了一种新型多层变压变温吸附 (PTSA) 工艺，用于在小型液化天然气装置中同时有效地将天然气 (NG) 中的水和硫醇去除至低于 0.1 ppmv 和 3 ppmv。拟议的多层 PTSA 由三层固定床组成，包括活性氧化铝、分子筛 4A 和 13X。为了深入了解该过程，开发了一个考虑质量、能量和动量平衡以及动力学和平衡方程的描述性模型。在用文献中的实验和运行数据验证模型后，优化了总能量需求和长期运行需求（例如再生过程中最大的水和硫醇去除率）。多目标优化结果表明，用集成的多层PTSA替代现有系列脱水脱硫塔净化天然气可降低5.1%的能耗，约相当于每年137 GJ。本研究的结果可用作 NG 纯化的创新设计策略（即在单个多层 PTSA 床中结合脱水和脱硫醇塔），也可为工艺工程师提供一种经济高效的优化工具PTSA 系统中的再生参数。