【HaiChuan’s Insights from Other Sources】Puguang Gas Field Develops Domestic Antifoam Agents to Overcome the Challenges in High-sulfur Purification Systems

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On November 25, at the sixth combined unit of the natural gas purification plant at the Puguang Branch of Sinopec’s Zhongyuan Oilfield, two workers from Shift 2 of the Second Purification Workshop were using a defoamer injection system to add defoamers to the amine solution system. The antifoam agent they use is a domestically produced antifoam selected by the factory’s R&D team using a standardized testing platform and a dual evaluation system based on domestic and international standards; it was put into official use at the beginning of this year. “It’s like finding a tailored ‘Chinese formula’ for the amine solution system, enabling the equipment to operate more stably and efficiently. ”Huang Xiaolin, a technical expert at the factory, described this breakthrough in these terms. The purification of high-sulfur natural gas is a key technical aspect in ensuring a secure supply of clean energy. As the first high-sulfur natural gas processing facility in the country with a capacity of over 10 billion cubic meters, this plant uses an amine-based desulfurization process to treat complex feed gases containing hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and organic sulfur. The amine circulation system encounters severe foaming problems during long-term operation, which leads to frequent blockages in the desulfurization towers and an abnormally high amount of flash vapor, directly affecting the safety and efficiency of the plant’s operations. Previously, the plant relied on imported defoamers to maintain system stability; not only were the costs high, but more problematically, as gas field development progressed and the composition of natural gas became more complex, imported defoamers suffered from reduced adaptability and insufficient compatibility. To address this critical challenge, the factory’s technical team innovatively developed a standardized testing platform as well as a unique dual-track evaluation system for domestic and international standards. Liu Huaixu, a member of the R&D team, explained: “We simulated extreme conditions such as high temperatures of 90°C and interference from FeS impurities, and developed a four-dimensional evaluation model, which is the first of its kind both domestically and internationally.” ” After extensive experimental comparisons, the team ultimately selected a domestically produced antifoaming agent suitable for MDEA solutions. At an ultra-low dosage of just 1.7 ppm, this defoamer is able to keep the foam height within 5-10 millimeters, reducing the defoaming time to 1-2 seconds; its performance exceeds that of imported products by 18%. Ding Hong, a technician working on the production front line, has deeply experienced the changes brought about by this innovation: \"The problem of foam formation in the amine solution was like having a ‘cold with a blocked nose’ for the equipment; now that we use domestically produced antifoam agents, the frequency of liquid accumulation in the equipment has decreased by more than 50%.\" ”In addition to significantly improving operational stability, this technology also brings considerable economic benefits, reducing the annual overall cost by 960,000 yuan. More strategically, the team transformed the practical outcomes into industry standards, contributing to the revision and improvement of **Standard GB/T 26527-2024. “This means that we have not only solved our own problems but also provided a Chinese solution that can serve as a model for similar installations around the world. ”Project leader Peng Chuanbo said proudly. This breakthrough marks an important shift in our country’s field of high-sulfur natural gas purification, from relying on foreign technologies to achieving independent innovation, and from following existing standards to setting new rules; it contributes significantly to ensuring **energy security**.