- High turn-down rates
- Ease of process changes to accommodate input variations
- Ease of operation (remote possible)
- Rapid start-up and immediate on-spec gas
- Environmentally friendly
- No energy consumption during storage/standby phase
Sorbead for Natural Gas
Sorbead® for Natural Gas
Sorbead® is the most robust, longest lasting adsorbent for gas processing, capable of controlling water and hydrocarbon dew point in a single process unit.
Dr.
Peg Greene
Global Segment Manager
Why BASF
History: BASF has been producing Sorbead® aluminosilicate gel in Germany for over 70 years. It is the most robust, longest lasting adsorbent for gas processing applications. Sorbead® simultaneously removes water and heavy hydrocarbons in a single temperature swing adsorption unit.
Experience: Sorbead® is installed in some of the largest gas processing plants in the world. BASF technical expertise has been employed to design, troubleshoot, and optimize gas processing and underground storage plants, many of which operate for 10+ years before requiring adsorbent change out.
Quality: Sorbead® is an amorphous aluminosilicate gel produced by a unique oildrop process, which leads to a robust product with high crush strength and low attrition. The unique pore structure provides high surface area and size variability for the adsorption of hydrocarbons and water.
Technology
Sorbead® applications:
- Dehydration and dewpoint control for pipeline transportation
- Underground gas storage
- Membrane protection – removal of heavy hydrocarbons
Sorbead® is a unique material, with many benefits over molecular sieve. As an amorphous aluminosilicate gel, it is very robust, with high crush strength and low attrition. The material pore structure is such that both heavy hydrocarbons and water are removed. This combination allows for short cycle time and low regeneration temperatures to achieve the desired performance. This approach eliminates the need for a two separate process units (dehydration plus dew point control unit), leading to lower CapEx for projects.
Sorbead® is an aluminosilicate gel with properties that differ from molecular sieve:
| Aluminosilicate Gel | Molecular Sieve | |
| Morphology | Amorphous | Zeolite w/ clay binder |
| Crush Strength (N) | 170 | 50 |
| Attrition (wt%) | 0.05 | 0.2 |
| Equilibrium H2O capacity | 45% | 22% |
| Stability to liquids | Yes | No |
| Acid Resistant | Yes | No |
Sorbead® aluminosilicate gels have unique color
Aluminosilicate Gel
Molecular Sieve
Aluminosilicate gels are made using a unique oil drop process, imparting a unique brown color to the material. Sorbead® aluminosilicate gels are only produced in BASF's production facilities in Germany.
Benefits of using Sorbead® Adsorption Technology
Services
A comprehensive package of technology, products, and servides
With worldwide experience and expertise, BASF delivers high-quality products, technologies, and reliable support to help our customers optimize performance and maximize profitability.
The services we provide:
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Process design package
- Media
- Performance warranties
- Troubleshooting & process optimization
- Sample analyses
- On-site support