Merichem Liquid Hydrocarbon-Treating Technologies

Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc. and Merichem Company have formed an alliance
to allow Shell Global Solutions to market and license Merichem’s technologies.
Shell Global Solutions

Selecting the optimum treatment for removing impurities

from hydrocarbon streams is a challenging task for any
refiner. To help customers access best-in-class solutions,
Shell Global Solutions has an alliance with Merichem
Company, the leading technology licensor for caustic
treating of light and middle distillate hydrocarbons.
This allows Shell Global Solutions to offer a series of
proven liquid hydrocarbon treating technologies that
complement its own technology portfolio. These are
designed to remove mercaptans, carbonyl sulphide
(COS), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon dioxide (CO2)
and naphthenic acids.

The Shell Global Solutions–Merichem offer covers the

following technologies:

n THIOLEX™; n NAPFINING™;
n THIOLEX COS; n NAPFINING HiTAN;
n REGEN ;
®
n EXOMER™;
n REGEN ULS; n AQUAFINING™;
n MERICAT™; n MERICON™;
n MERICAT C; n CHLOREX™;
n MERICAT J; n AMINEX™; and
n MERICAT II; n AMINEX COS.

Merichem has a 70-year track record in the oil and

gas business, and has licensed more than 800 process
units worldwide.

About the technology

AT A GLANCE Merichem’s licensed technologies are primarily based on
Customer driver: Legislative constraints (permits/licence its proprietary, state-of-the-art, non-dispersive FIBER FILM®
to operate, fuel specifications); margin improvement (product Contactor. A retaining cylinder packed with very fine,
upgrade, optimised production, efficiency and availability) proprietary metal fibres, the FIBER FILM Contactor has
been licensed worldwide to treat problems throughout
Solution: A suite of technologies to remove H2S,
the hydrocarbon processing industries.
mercaptans, COS and other acidic contaminants from
hydrocarbon streams The technology achieves non-dispersive-phase contact
Value delivered: High performance impurity without the problems inherent in conventional dispersive
removal; smaller unit footprint and reduced capital mixing devices, such as aqueous phase carryover,
and operating expenditures hydrocarbon losses, lack of turndown ability, long settling
times, plugging and flooding. Moreover, because the
Proof point: More than 800 licensed process
aqueous phase adheres to the fibres in the FIBER FILM
units worldwide
Contactor rather than being dispersed into the
Untreated Treated
hydrocarbon hydrocarbon

pRoof poINTs
Tüpraş
Turkish oil company Tüpraş selected Merichem
technologies to treat a 22,000 barrel-per-stream-day
Fresh caustic or
lean caustic hydrocarbon stream at its Izmir refinery. NAPFINING,
from REGEN®
Spent caustic MERICAT II, and AQUAFINING technologies are
or rich caustic being used to help meet jet fuel specifications.
to REGEN®
Merichem also licensed its MERICON spent caustic
neutralisation technology to treat up to 1.6 m3/h of
spent caustic ahead of the existing wastewater
Figure 1: THIOLEX technology employs the FIBER FILM Contactor as the mass treatment plant.
transfer device and utilises caustic as the treating reagent to remove acid gas
and mercaptan compounds from liquid and gas hydrocarbon streams. Samsung Total Petrochemicals Co. Ltd.
Samsung selected Merichem technologies for its
heavy-ends by-product upgrade project.
hydrocarbon phase, carryover is virtually eliminated. NAPFINING, MERICAT II and AQUAFINING
technologies treat 15,000 barrels-per-stream-day of
Uncontrollable emulsions are also eliminated because
jet fuel in order to meet internationally accepted jet
effective phase contact occurs without dispersion.
fuel specifications.
Process description Refineria de Cartagena SA (Reficar)
THIOLEX: Caustic extraction of acid gas and mercaptan Reficar selected Merichem technologies to treat
compounds from liquid and gas hydrocarbon streams hydrocarbons and spent caustic at its refinery in
(Figure 1). The technology has been licensed for over 220 Cartagena, Colombia. AMINEX, THIOLEX and
units since 1980. REGEN technologies are used to treat coker LPG
and saturated LPG at the facility. In addition,
THIOLEX COS: Caustic/catalyst extraction of acid gas NAPFINING, MERICAT II, and AQUAFINING
and COS compounds from liquid and gas technologies, in conjunction with salt and clay beds,
hydrocarbon streams. treat kerosene and jet fuel streams.
REGEN: Regeneration of rich caustic streams to Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd
improve caustic utilisation. Typically, REGEN is used to Shell selected Merichem technologies for a revamp
regenerate the mercaptide-rich caustic that THIOLEX project at its refinery in Pulau Bukom, Singapore.
purges, returning a lean caustic stream for additional Merichem will supply its THIOLEX and REGEN
mercaptan removal. Disulphide oil (DSO) gravity technologies to treat propane/propylene, butane/
separation or solvent washing minimises the impact of butylene and light catalytically cracked gasoline
DSO back-extraction (Figure 2). It can also be used to streams in order to meet product specifications.
revive rich or spent caustic streams emanating from
refinery treating units. REGEN technology was first
licensed in 1980. To date, Merichem has granted
operating licences to 151 units worldwide.

REGEN ULS: Regeneration of mercaptide-rich caustic,

which yields a lean caustic with minimal DSO back-
extraction into the LPG. Ultra-low sulphur levels can be
achieved in the treated product. Ideal applications are
high-sulphur coker LPG streams and LPG streams, and
LPG products requiring less than 5ppm sulphur. The
technology can often treat LPG pre-fractionation in a
single train, whereas conventional technologies usually
require multiple trains post-fractionation.

MERICAT and MERICAT C: A caustic/catalyst/air mixture

removes hydrogen sulphide and sweetens mercaptan
compounds in gasoline, naphtha, condensate and crude
oil streams (Figure 3). The technology has been licensed
to more than 148 units since 1977.
Source Stream (impurities) Applicable technologies

Crude distillation unit Overhead offgas (H2S, RSH, AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS
COS, CO2)
Saturated LPG (H2S, RSH, COS) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS
LSR/HSR naphtha (H2S, RSH) THIOLEX, REGEN, MERICAT
Jet fuel/kerosene (RCOOH, RSH) NAPFINING HiTAN, MERICAT II, MERICAT J, AQUAFINING
Diesel (RCOOH) NAPFINING HiTAN, AQUAFINING
Downstream
applications

Catalytic refomer Unstabilised reformate CHLOREX

(HCl, NH4Cl)

FCC or RCC Unsaturated LPG (H2S, RSH, COS) THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS
Light FCC gasoline (H2S, RSH) THIOLEX, REGEN, MERICAT, EXOMER
Heavy or full range FCC gasoline MERICAT, MERICAT II, MERICAT J, EXOMER
(H2S, RSH)

Coker, visbreaker or LPG and naphtha (H2S, RSH, AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS, MERICAT
hydrocracker COS)

Source Stream (impurities) Applicable technologies

NGL fractionation Natural gas (H2S, RSH, COS, CO2) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS
applications
Midstream

Propane (H2S, RSH, COS) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS

Butane (H2S, RSH) THIOLEX, REGEN, REGEN ULS
Natural gasoline (H2S, RSH) THIOLEX, REGEN, MERICAT II, MERICAT J

Source Stream (impurities) Applicable technologies

Gas production field Natural gas (H2S, RSH, COS, CO2) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN
LPG (H2S, RSH, COS) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN
Condensate (H2S, RSH) NAPFINING, THIOLEX, REGEN, MERICAT, MERICAT II
applications
Upstream

Oil production field Associated gas (HCl, NH4, NH4Cl) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN
Light crude oil (H2S, CO2, NAPFINING, MERICAT
RCOOH, RSH)

Oil sands heavy oil Fuel gas (H2S, RSH, COS, CO2) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN
upgrader
LPG (H2S, RSH, COS) AMINEX, THIOLEX, REGEN
Offgas Untreated Treated
Air hydrocarbon hydrocarbon

Fresh Air
DSO gravity solvent
separator

Oxidiser
Solvent
wash
Catalyst

Spent
Coal caustic Fresh
Catalyst cascaded
caustic
Rich caustic Spent caustic
from THIOLEX

Lean caustic Fresh

to THIOLEX caustic

Figure 3: MERICAT and MERICAT C technologies employ the FIBER FILM

Solvent/DSO Sand filter
Contactor as the mass transfer device and utilise a caustic/catalyst/air mixture
as the treating reagent to remove hydrogen sulphide and sweeten mercaptan
compounds in gasoline, naphtha, condensate and crude oil streams.
Figure 2: REGEN technology processes regenerable rich caustic streams
produced in the refinery, allowing it to be recycled thereby significantly
improving caustic utilisation. Typically REGEN is coupled with extractive
THIOLEX technology to regenerate the mercaptide-rich caustic purged The technology produces a neutral brine effluent stream
from the THIOLEX system, returning a lean caustic stream for additional that can be routed to waste-water treating facilities,
mercaptan removal.
evaporation ponds or waterways. MERICON technology
was first licensed in 1988. To date, Merichem has granted
operating licences to 27 units worldwide.
MERICAT J: A special solution mixed with air oxidises
heavy mercaptans in jet fuel and middle distillate streams CHLOREX: Alkaline water extraction of inorganic chloride
without the need for a fixed carbon bed. compounds from reformer gas and liquid product streams.
CHLOREX designs produce a more readily handled
MERICAT II: A caustic/catalyst/air mixture removes
effluent stream compared with the waste material
hydrogen sulphide and sweetens mercaptan
generated by sacrificial solid adsorbent beds. The
compounds in jet fuel, kerosene and gasoline and
technology has been licensed four times since 1991.
naphtha streams. MERICAT II has been licensed to over
43 units since 1986. AMINEX and AMINEX COS: A special amine removes
acid gas and COS compounds from LPG-type and gas
NAPFINING and NAPFINING HiTAN: Caustic
streams. The technology has been licensed 27 times
extraction of naphthenic acid compounds from jet fuel,
since 1998.
kerosene, diesel, condensate and crude oil streams.
NAPFINING technology was first licensed in 1977. Since
then, Merichem has granted operating licences to 75 units HAvE yOu CONsidErEd HOw yOu CAN
worldwide. Unlike electrostatic precipitators, the
n rocess feedstocks that contain difficult-to-remove
P
technology offers an on-stream factor between routine impurities
turnarounds of 100% and can process high TAN (>0.1
n Achieve higher levels of impurity removal?
mg KOH/g) feeds.
n void emulsification, carryover and pressure
A
EXOMER: A proprietary treating reagent removes the drop in your mixing vessels?
recombinant mercaptans that form in selectively hydrotreated n Minimise your use of fresh caustic?
fluidised catalytic cracked gasoline or heavier molecular
weight mercaptans from liquid hydrocarbon streams. The
capital expenditure for a grassroots EXOMER unit is All statements regarding Merichem Company, its affiliates and their
35–50% of the cost of incremental hydrotreating capacity, products are based solely on information provided by Merichem Company
and have not been independently verified by Shell Global Solutions.
and the operating costs per barrel are approximately
60–70% less when compared with hydrotreating. For more information, please visit our website at www.shell.com/globalsolutions
Shell Global Solutions is a network of independent technology companies in the Shell Group. In this
AQUAFINING: Water extraction of soluble organic and brochure, the expression ‘Shell Global Solutions’ is sometimes used for convenience where reference
is made to these companies in general, or where no useful purpose is served by identifying a
inorganic impurities from liquid and gas hydrocarbon particular company.
The information contained in this material is intended to be general in nature and must not be relied
streams. AQUAFINING technology was first licensed in on as specific advice in connection with any decisions you may make. Shell Global Solutions is not

1978 and to date has Merichem has granted 90 unit liable for any action you may take as a result of you relying on such material or for any loss or
damage suffered by you as a result of you taking this action. Furthermore, these materials do not in
operating licenses worldwide. any way constitute an offer to provide specific services. Some services may not be available in certain
countries or political subdivisions thereof.
Copyright © 2010 Shell Global Solutions International BV. All rights reserved. No part of this
MERICON: On-site solutions for the processing of spent publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical

caustics to reduce their biochemical oxygen demand and including by photocopy, recording or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from Shell Global Solutions International BV.
chemical oxygen demand, control odour and adjust acidity. GS33311110 En(A)