Nitrogen rejection has long been at the core of our business. In the late 1980s, Clark Butts, founder, recognized the demand for an efficient, economical nitrogen rejection process for natural gas streams. Butts subsequently developed and patented the NiTech® process, which BCCK has successfully implemented throughout the United States. BCCK’s NiTech NRU technology, which is now applicable to streams of 5 MMSCFD to more than 500 MMSCFD, enables operators to profitably recover once by-passed reserves, regardless of nitrogen, CO2, helium, oxygen, methane or other potential contaminants, while providing environmentally conscious process solutions that greatly minimize methane emissions.
With minimal footprint and no cryogenic rotating equipment, the NiTech NRU delivers a highly efficient design with respect to both horsepower requirements and methane recovery, with a less complex, more reliable and lower-cost design.
Whether deploying a single or dual tower solution, our proven NiTech design has become the industry standard for both higher and lower N2 inlet gas streams. NiTech® ULM, BCCK’s latest enhancement, is designed to achieve methane contents in the vent as low as 10 ppmv, resulting in minimal methane losses to the environment. The patent-pending NiTech ULM delivers unparalleled results in emissions control for natural gas processing facilities, providing an environmentally friendly option while helping customers to minimize the financial effect of pending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
>> Learn more about our Nitrogen Rejection experience.
NiTech® Single Tower
- Robust design enabling processing of higher inlet N2 streams
- Ideal for landfill applications
NiTech® Dual Tower
- Utilizes BCCK’s single tower design with the addition of an LP processing section
- Targeted for lower N2 inlet gas streams.
- Yields 10-15% lower required HP than the most efficient single tower processes
- Higher CO2 tolerance than a single tower NRU
- Proven design that has become the industry standard for post NGL facility N2 removal
NiTech® ULM (Ultra Low Methane Enhancement)
- Patent-pending design utilizes BCCK’s proven NiTech NRU with a small compressed reflux system
- Engineered to provide an ultra-clean vent stream with reduced methane content as low as 10 ppmv, resulting in minimal methane losses to the environment
- Includes minimal equipment in addition to the NiTech NRU
- Available for new facilities or retrofitted to existing NiTech units.
>>LEARN MORE: Understanding NiTech® NRU Styles and Applications
No Real Unknowns (NRU) with BCCK
The separation of nitrogen and methane can be extremely difficult compared to the typical cryogenic distillation of natural gas due to small differences in volatility, low surface tension and close boiling points. Combine this with full heat integration, deep cryogenic temperatures and 2-phase flow all throughout the process, and you have a minefield of issues that have caused even ‘experienced engineers’ to fail.
BCCK has proven that we have the experience and know-how to convert these challenging process designs into operational nitrogen rejection facilities that meet and typically exceed our client’s performance requirements.
This empirical aspect that goes into BCCK’s designs is invaluable and can only come from the lessons learned of an NRU’s actual startup and operation, not from running process simulations. The BCCK team has greater process engineering and operational pedigree than anyone to ensure a successful NRU project. Failure is not, and has never been, an option!
Nitrogen Rejection (NRU) Highlights
FEATURED ARTICLE
Growing LNG Exports Help Drive Improvements to Nitrogen Rejection Units
BCCK Senior Process Engineer Brennan Heiser explores actionable strategies for managing emissions while achieving broader operational goals.
NiTech® Benefits
- Low capital cost – only minimal equipment; no cryogenic rotating equipment
- Flexible design allows a wide range of inlet conditions
- Low power consumption
- Simple, non-complex process design requiring minimal operator attention
- Small footprint due to minimal equipment
- Compression horsepower much lower than non-cryogenic NRU options
- High CO2 tolerance – no processing required beyond the capability of readily available amines when the gas has high CO2 contents; higher inlet CO2 designs are available
- Nitrogen contents from 3 percent to 90 percent reduced to as low as 1 percent
- High efficiency – hydrocarbon recovery typically in excess of 99 percent
- Environmentally friendly – emits no non-methane VOCs
- Quick restart
- Cold restart from short shutdowns, online and on-spec just restart associated compression
- Integrated NGL extraction with high NGL extraction efficiencies (up to 93 percent ethane recovery possible)
- Integrated helium extraction with high helium recovery
- Applicable to streams of 5 MMSCFD to more than 500 MMSCFD
EARLY NITROGEN REJECTION PROJECT
BCCK HISTORY
BCCK’s first NiTech® Nitrogen Rejection Unit installation was built in 1994 in Mist, Oregon.
BCCK began with traditional natural gas processing and treating systems, oilfield production installations and petrochemical facilities in the Southwest United States. Over time, as engineering projects became more complex and more varied, our client base expanded geographically and our technology expanded to profitably treat and process non-traditional gas, as well.
In the late 1980s, Clark Butts, BCCK’s founder, recognized the demand for an efficient, economical nitrogen rejection process for natural gas streams with volumes less than 30 MMSCFD. Butts developed and patented the NiTech® process, which BCCK has implemented throughout the United States. Since its introduction to the gas industry, the NiTech® nitrogen rejection process also has been used to process coal mine methane, thus reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
Today, BCCK serves the natural gas industry with high quality and unique gas processing solutions.
FEATURED NRU IMAGES
