Effect of electrolyte solubility and column inclination on the performance of monoethylene glycol regeneration process

In this study, the solubilities of potassium-chloride (KCl) in aqueous monoethylene glycol (MEG) solution and the vapour pressure of aqueous MEG solution containing KCl were investigated. A thermodynamic model was modified based on the data obtained to predict the solubilities of KCl, which was then applied to optimize the MEG regeneration process that is widely used in offshore gas fields. The solubility of KCl in the aqueous MEG solution decreased with an increase in MEG concentration and a decrease in temperature. The presence of KCl in aqueous MEG solution decreased the vapour pressure, thus increasing the boiling temperature at the corresponding pressure. A thermodynamic model based on the electrolyte non-random two-liquid (NRTL) coupled with the Redlich-Kwong (RK) equation of state was employed by modifying the binary interaction parameters using the experimental data. The modified model predicted the solubilities of KCl and the vapour pressure of aqueous MEG solutions, which were in good agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, the distillation column in pilot-scale MEG regeneration was inclined to simulate the movement of the offshore platform, showing decreasing MEG concentration, possibly due to the distribution issues inside the column.