The project to build a gas condensate concentration unit at the third refinery of South Pars Gas Field for feeding the mercaptan unit is underway, which will raise the annual output of gas odorants to 2,000 tons, the director of refining projects at the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company said.
“Odorant is added to natural gas for detecting leaks in the gas pressure reduction stations,” the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana also quoted Ebrahim Esalati as saying.
Mercaptan, also known as methanethiol, is an organic gas composed of carbon, hydrogen and sulfur. It bonds strongly with mercury compounds and releases a strong odor resembling that of garlic or rotting cabbage.
Since natural gas is colorless and odorless, the foul-smelling mercaptan is added to it as a safety measure to help identify gas leaks. Its compounds are detectable at concentrations as small as only 10 parts per billion, making them an effective odorant.
Natural gas distributors began adding mercaptans to natural gas after a deadly explosion in 1937 at a school in New London, Texas. Currently, most gas odorants are mixtures of mercaptans and sulfides.
Currently, the mercaptan unit of South Pars Phase 1 Refinery is operating with a design capacity of 800 tons per year and plans are underway to increase the annual output
“Until 2018, the item was imported. However, after the US reimposed sanctions on Iran, the country faced difficulty in importing it,” the managing director of IGEDC said.
“The country would have faced enormous problems had the item’s production not been localized,” Reza Noshadi added.
He noted that by relying on the knowhow of specialists, Iran now has the technology to produce this strategic item.
“By increasing the production capacity of the odorant, in addition to meeting domestic needs, the country will also be able to export the item,” he said.
Currently, the mercaptan unit of South Pars Phase 1 Refinery is operating with a design capacity of 800 tons per year and plans are underway to increase its output.
The unit is the only one of its kind in the Middle East and one of the few production units of this substance in the world.
The unit was designed with innovative and latest knowhow, and built by local experts. It started operation in July 2018 and helped reduce the need for mercaptan import.
At present, about 1.8 tons per day of mercaptan are produced at the unit. However, due to rising domestic demand and future plans to meet the needs of gas supply and export this strategic product, several projects are underway to increase output.
The construction of a pipeline has been planned to supply the unit’s feed from the third refinery to increase production.
