About Gas/Spec

Excellence in Gas Treating Chemicals requires a specialized mix of superior chemistry, know-how, patented technology, experience and…inspiration.

SPECIALTY GAS TREATING CHEMICALS

A genuine fascination and drive to solve problems better. Faster. More ingeniously than before. Going beyond fundamental chemicals supply, INEOS leads with superior services- before and after chemicals delivery- that add-up to true, full-scale, value-rich Chemical Solutions.

Since 1982, the GAS/SPEC name has represented a special focus on the products, technology and service to chemically remove acid gases from process streams. The GAS/SPEC business unit has been continuously headquartered in Houston, Texas, with its major technical facility in Freeport, Texas. The family of specialty amines offered by the GAS/SPEC Technology Group, all based on MDEA technology, provides custom H2S and CO2 removal in amine treating operations. The GAS/SPEC products and technology are exclusively offered by INEOS LLC and its specialized distributors. The GAS/SPEC Technology Group is dedicated to achieving the highest degree of customer satisfaction globally through the application of the best available technology through the supply of cost-effective products and services. Other companies offer MDEA based products, but only products with the GAS/SPEC name bring you the formulations, technology and service you are used to.

GAS/SPEC provides:

  • Systems evaluation and recommendations
  • Computer simulations to predict performance
  • Training and start-up assistance
  • On-going analytical support and system optimization
  • Technical assistance and troubleshooting
  • Process design support for engineering of new and retrofit plants

Yet, even with all this, some Gas Treating Solutions can only be achieved through a mix of technologies and competencies. We often work with strategic partners who provide complementary strengths in supply logistics, hardware, engineering and construction. Together we can develop and deploy effective, economical solutions more quickly. A better solution for you.

Remember, only products containing the GAS/SPEC trade name will deliver the performance you are used to!

Our Products

Grades Application
GAS/SPEC CS-1 GAS/SPEC CS-1 specialty amine is a formulated MDEA (methyldiethanolamine) solvent designed for removal of H2S and CO2 from gas or liquid hydrocarbon streams. GAS/SPEC CS-1 is typically used in applications where low levels of CO2 are required in the treated gas. GAS/SPEC CS-1 provides greater gas removal capacity per volume of circulating solution than generic amines such as monoethanolamine (MEA) or diethanolamine (DEA). GAS/SPEC CS-1 is less corrosive than generic amines and can be used at up to 50 weight % amine strength, which reduces amine circulation rate and energy usage. This translates into lower operating costs and increased capacity for existing equipment and reduced capital for new equipment. Treatment of natural gas, LPG, and ethane are typical applications.
GAS/SPEC CS-1000

GAS/SPEC CS-1000 series are a methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) based solvent formulated to provide deep removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from gas processing applications. GAS/SPEC CS-1000 allows for greater CO2 removal capacity with superior chemical stability, lower corrosion and longer product life under extreme conditions than MEA (monoethanolamine) or DEA (diethanolamine). GAS/SPEC CS-1000 solvent should be considered mainly for applications in which the treated gas carbon dioxide (CO2) specification is less than 1000 ppmv. GAS/SPEC CS-1000 can be used to replace MDEA-piperazine blends in all applications. Typical ones include ammonia, LNG, ethane treating and natural gas treating requiring deep CO2 removal.

GAS/SPEC CS-2000 GAS/SPEC CS-2000 Series Specialty Amines are a methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) based solvent formulated to provide deep removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from gas streams. GAS/SPEC CS-2000 provides enhanced formulation stability over previous product alternatives in the market. By eliminating the preferential component loss that leads up to a buildup of impurities, it retains maximum CO2 removal capacity with lower energy requirements, lower corrosion, and longer product life even under extreme conditions. This translates into lower operating costs and less maintenance.
GAS/SPEC SS GAS/SPEC SS Specialty Amine is an INEOS formulated MDEA (methyldiethanolamine) specifically designed for the gas treating industry. It selectively removes H2S over CO2 from a gas or liquid stream, which results in greater acid gas removal capacity per volume of circulating solution than amines such as monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and diisopropanolamine (DIPA). GAS/SPEC SS is less corrosive and less prone to degradation than MEA, DEA, or DIPA and it can be used at up to 50 weight % amine strength, which reduces amine circulation rate and energy usage. This translates into lower operating costs and increased capacity for existing equipment and reduced capital for new equipment. Applications include coal gasification and tail gas treating.
GAS/SPEC SS-3 GAS/SPEC SS-3 Specialty Amine is formulated for use in applications where selective removal of H2S from gas streams is required. GAS/SPEC SS-3 not only removes H2S to lower levels than MDEA (methyldiethanolamine) alone, but also improves CO2 slip. Increased selectivity for H2S over CO2 allows the plant to increase treating capacity, lower energy usage, and improve the quality of acid gas going to the sulfur plant.
GAS/SPEC TG-10 GAS/SPEC TG-10 Specialty Amine is specifically designed for meeting a 10 ppmv H2S specification in tail gas treating applications. GAS/SPEC TG-10 is ideal for meeting stringent regulatory requirements and reducing the final SO2 effluent associated with tail gas treaters. GAS/SPEC TG-10 can allow you to realize near 99.9% sulfur conversion. This product can help meet the lower specifications without the penalty of increased CO2 pickup so there is no reduction in sulfur plant capacity.

Natural Gas Processors

Natural gas treating covers a broad range of applications that have in common the source of the gas is produced from underground formations. This can include gas that is associated with historical oil production, gas found without oil, gas found in coal seams, and more recently, gas recovered from shale formations. It can also generally refer to the treating of the higher hydrocarbons recovered with the methane, which may be treated in a liquid state.

In natural gas treating, carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are removed to pipeline specifications in order to minimize corrosion and to meet a target heating value for commercial fuel contracts. Deep CO2 removal to low ppm specifications for cryogenic liquid recovery can also be achieved.  At the other end of the spectrum, CO2 pick-up can be minimized so that the H2S will be concentrated enough to feed a sulfur plant in so-called “Acid Gas Enrichment” units. For over 30 years the GAS/SPEC Technology Group has provided products and services that maximize natural gas treating capacity while reducing energy consumption and minimizing solvent loss.

With the development of improved techniques to successfully recover oil and gas deposits trapped within shale formations, shale gas has become one of the world’s fastest growing energy sources. The shale gas revolution began in the United States, and large reservoirs have been identified in Asia and South America. Shale gas conditioning requires specialized solutions and know-how developed to meet the unique needs of the industry. INEOS maximizes value for our customers with our market knowledge, chemistry expertise, and advanced innovation to treat shale gas to the required specification.

GAS/SPEC SG-1060 Solvent is one of our shale gas products that have successfully replaced mixtures of Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and Diethanolamine (DEA). GAS/SPEC SG-1060 eliminates the potential for CO2 degradation commonly encountered in MDEA/DEA mixtures. GAS/SPEC Shale Gas Solvents also provide increased treating capacity and energy savings over competitive solvents.

Treating natural gas liquids (NGL) such as ethane is another area where GAS/SPEC products excel. Ethane is a vital feedstock for the global petrochemical industry. INEOS Dragon Ships transport liquefied ethane from the United States to Europe in order to bring shale gas economics to the European Petrochemical industry. Before ethane and NGLs can be used as a chemical feedstock, CO2 and H2S must be removed to very low specifications. GAS/SPEC CS-1 and CS-1000 Solvents are proven performers in Liquid Treating applications where deep CO2 and H2S removal are required to meet product specifications. 

Refineries

Refinery amine systems must remove H2S to a required specification in order to comply with environmental regulations. These systems can be complex with multiple gas and liquid contactors on the same regeneration train. Experts in the GAS/SPEC Technology Group have helped refineries adapt to changing environmental regulations and feedstock conditions while minimizing operating costs for over three decades. 

GAS/SPEC SS Solvents are designed to selectively remove H2S while slipping CO2. As CO2 removal is not typically required in refineries, minimizing CO2 pick-up reduces the circulation rate requirements and energy consumption of the refinery amine system. Increased selectivity also reduces the load on the Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) by improving the H2S content of the acid gas feeding the unit. This is particularly important to refiners who face increasingly stringent sulfur specifications on gasoline and diesel fuels products. For refinery liquid treater applications, INEOS has developed GAS/SPEC TRS-2B Solvent which has shown to greatly reduce the overall cost of refinery liquid treating.

A European refinery faced increasing H2S processing demand in two amine systems with the addition of a diesel Hydrotreating unit. The existing amine solutions could not handle the increased processing requirements, and both systems were converted to GAS/SPEC SS Solvent. One amine system with ten absorbers was converted from 15 weight % Monoethanolamine (MEA), and another regeneration system with seven absorbers was converted from 25 weight % Diethanolamine (DEA). After both units were converted to GAS/SPEC SS, the overall amine complex was processing 46% more H2S the overall unit cost reduced by 48%.  

In refinery Tail Gas Units, achieving H2S specification while minimizing CO2 pick-up is critical. Failure to remove H2S to the required specification can result in emissions violations, and excessive CO2 pickup can overload the Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU). GAS/SPEC TG-10 Solvent was developed specifically in response to tighter emissions requirements for refineries and is the first gas treating solvent capable of meeting a < 10 ppmv H2S tail gas specification. GAS/SPEC TG-10 Solvent helps ensure the most stringent H2S specification can be met, while also minimizing CO2 removal to provide a high H2S content feed gas for the SRU’s. As countries around the world have enacted tighter emissions limits, GAS/SPEC TG-10 Solvent has allowed refineries to comply with more stringent regulations without modifying existing equipment. The state of California in the United States has enacted some of the most stringent emissions regulations in the world and the majority of refinery tail gas units in that state are operating with GAS/SPEC TG-10 Solvent.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Cryogenic processing to make Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) requires CO2 and H2S removal to very low levels in order to prevent freezing at low temperatures. GAS/SPEC CS-1000 and CS-2000 Solvent Series provide the maximum level of CO2 and H2S removal in these applications while also minimizing costs with low energy consumption and solvent usage.

Often we think of these applications in terms of the world-scale plants in Trinidad or Australia. However, LNG is also produced in smaller scale plants, sometimes as intermittent operations called “peak shaving”. The oldest facility of this type started operation in Alabama in 1965, before expanding and converting to a GAS/SPEC solvent in 2001 in order to increase capacity. Many of the new plants built for export of LNG are based on modular system design. The GAS/SPEC Technology Group has been providing process design support to the modular amine system suppliers for decades.

Synthesis Gas

Synthesis Gas is a fuel gas mixture consisting primarily of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The process usually involves steam reforming of natural gas and the product is used in applications such as ammonia production or the source of hydrogen in a refinery. These applications typically contain high levels of CO2 (>20 mol-%) which must be removed to extremely low ppm levels. GAS/SPEC CS-1000 and CS-2000 Solvent Series have been utilized to help customers achieve greater capacity with lower energy usage in these applications.

Some of these plants have operated on older amine blends or potassium carbonate (K2CO3) technology which requires heavy metal based corrosion inhibitors. In addition to the corrosion risks posed by these older solvents, the heavy metals often have associated environmental considerations. GAS/SPEC Solvents provide reduced corrosion rates in these applications and do not require heavy metal corrosion inhibitors.

Coal Gasification

Coal has been gasified into “town gas” since the 1800’s. The modern technology for gasifying coal, or other biomasses, is another type of Synthesis Gas production which has taken shape since the early 1980’s.  Most recently companies have contemplated underground gasification. This gasified mixture contains not just CO, H2, CO2, and water vapor, but also contains H2S. In some cases, CO2 and H2S must be completely removed and in others, the H2S is selectively targeted. GAS/SPEC products have been used for both applications. The CO component tends to degrade amine systems. The GAS/SPEC group has worked with a large number of applications containing high CO content and has developed methods to accurately predict the rate of degradation as well as recommended process steps to most cost-effectively manage degradation products in the amine system.

CO2 Capture

While much attention in the general media is about CO2 capture from power generating plants, the GAS/SPEC Technology Group has been supporting CO2 capture for practical industrial use since its inception. One of the first flue gas CO2 capture amine systems for full-scale operation began operating in 1983 using a GAS/SPEC Solvent. Since then, GAS/SPEC solvents have evolved to provide even better performance capabilities for removing CO2 from flue gas streams. The large scale of carbon capture amine systems increases the importance of optimizing the circulation rate and energy requirements, an area where GAS/SPEC products excel. 

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is currently the largest industrial use for CO2 capture. With EOR, CO2 is injected into a reservoir for increased oil production. As the reservoir is depleted, the carbon dioxide level increases in the associated gas. GAS/SPEC specialty amines are utilized in these applications to meet the changing and challenging requirements or increasing CO2. The Permian Basin is a region where EOR has been used extensively for over 30 years to recover difficult to extract oil reserves. GAS/SPEC Solvents have been used for a number of years in this field. As the CO2 has increased, the removal requirements on the amine have increased as well. In recent years, GAS/SPEC CS-1160 Solvent has been employed to maximize throughput in these applications.

GAS/SPEC HISTORY

1954 – The DOW Chemical Company ENTERS the gas treating market

h2s.png1981 – Dow LICENSES first high pressure MDEA system for selective H2S removal

1982 – The GAS/SPEC Technology Group is FORMED, combining technologies to provide superior products and services for gas treating applications

co2.png1983START UP of the first flue gas CO2 Capture amine system for full scale operation using a GAS/SPEC Solvent

1984 – The GAS/SPEC Technology Group DEVELOPS computer simulation models for CO2 and H2S absorption from gas and liquid process streams

1997 – First refinery tail gas units ACHIEVE a < 10 ppm H2S specification using the GAS/SPEC TG-10 Solvent, a specialty amine DEVELOPED specifically to meet tighter emissions standards for refineries

site.png2000 – The GAS/SPEC Technology Group DEVELOPS and successfully FIELD TESTS the patented CS-2000 Solvent, providing increased capacity compared to existing solvents for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Ammonia, and Hydrogen treating applications

2001 - INEOS ACQUIRES the GAS/SPEC Technology Group from Dow

2002 – INEOS GAS/SPEC DEMONSTRATES increased capacity and energy savings for natural gas processing facilities with the introduction of the GAS/SPEC CS-1000 Solvent

ss-3.png2002 – First Floating, Production, Storage, and Off-loading (FPSO) amine unit COMMISSIONED in the Gulf of Mexico using the GAS/SPEC SS-3 solvent

2010 – INEOS GAS/SPEC RELEASES SG series “Shale Gas Solvents” providing a key technology to support the growth of the North American shale gas industry

2012 – World-scale plant START UP in the Middle East using GAS/SPEC SS-3 for Acid Gas Enrichment (AGE)

Contacts

Headquarters

INEOS GAS/SPEC Technology Group
2600 South Shore Boulevard, Suite 400
League City
Texas 77573
USA

Technical Support and Analytical

INEOS GAS/SPEC Technology Group
Freeport
Texas 77541
USA
Email: gasspec@ineos.com

Sales & Customer Service: Americas

General and Sales Inquiries
USA: gasspec.usa@ineos.com
Canada: gasspec.canada@ineos.com
Latin America: gasspec.laa@ineos.com

Customer Service
2600 South Shore Boulevard
Suite 400
League City, TX 77573
Phone: (1) 281 535 6712

Sales & Customer Service: Europe

General Sales Inquires
Europe: gasspec.eu@ineos.com

Customer Service
Zoning Industriel Feluy Nord - Zone C
B-7181 FELUY/BELGIUM
Phone: (32) 67 875 963

Sales & Customer Service: Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia

General and Sales Inquiries
Asia Pacific: gasspec.apac@ineos.com
Middle East, Africa, Central Asia: gasspec.me@ineos.com

Customer Service
INEOS Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Phone: (65) 6513-2351