Customer challenges
- The customer operates a large gas central processing facility (CPF) in Algeria. Following start-up, the plant suffered process and equipment related challenges due to mercury induced liquid metal embrittlement (LME)
- The mercury content was higher than expected, exceeding the original facility design tolerances, and the CPF was subsequently shutdown after only one year of operation after the detection of high mercury levels in the export line. This significantly impacted on the customer’s export gas specification
- Several solutions are available in the market, however, Expro is prepared for fast deployment from its existing fleet of Mercury Removal Units (MRU) which boasts competitive deployment time, efficiency, and extensive operational experience over competitors
- The customer requested Expro mobilize two MRU trains on a fast-track basis to treat their produced gas and facilitate production on a low CAPEX basis
Expro Excellence
- Expro mobilized two MRU trains, which consisted of multiple modular packages per train to the customer’s main CPF in Algeria to overcome the high mercury content and to treat the produced gas to facilitate production on a call-out rental basis
- Our team experienced significant challenges due to required modifications of the customer’s existing facility to tie into and ease deployment of Expro’s temporary MRU packages. We delivered an integrated approach and collaborated with the customer’s project and PMC teams
- The two MRU trains were designed and installed in parallel. They consisted of inlet filter coalescers, mercury removal vessels with non-regenerative fixed bed catalyst, guard bed filters, and metering skids, which can handle a broad range of mercury laden gas (up to 200 μg/Sm³ – Mercury content) from 1.5 to 12 MMSm³/Day of gas, achieving as low as < 0.01 μg/Sm³ mercury content
- Following start-up, the packages have achieved a greater than 98% uptime, while meeting specification
Value to client
- Through Expro’s standardized modular package design and our dedicated commitment to quality, safety and superior project execution, our MRU trains (set of modular packages) were mobilized on an extremely fast-track basis to treat produced gas and produce on spec gas suitable for export purposes with a zero CAPEX outlay for the customer
- Expro’s rich track record in operations and maintenance in a variety of modular packages for a range of different solutions throughout the world, ensures our operations team have developed a keen understanding and insight into the optimization and efficiency of mercury removal packages, enabling the customer to achieve lower OPEX outlays and reducing system
- complexities
