Chapter 5

Dehydration

Introduction
Natural gas to be transported by pipeline must meet certain specifications. In addition
to specifications regarding delivery pressure, rate, and possibly temperature, other
specifications include maximum water content (water dew point), maximum
condensable hydrocarbon content (hydrocarbon dew point), allowable concentrations
of contaminants such as H2S, CO2, mercaptans, minimum heating value, and
cleanliness (allowable solids content). We will focuses on principles of field
processing for removing water, H2S, and CO2, and selection of required equipment.
Dehydration of Natural Gas
The term dehydration means removal of water vapor. All natural gas downstream
from the separators still contains water vapor to some degree. Water vapor is probably
the most common undesirable impurity found in untreated natural gas. The main
reason for removing water vapor from natural gas is that water vapor becomes liquid
water under low temperature and/or high-pressure conditions. Specifically, water
content can affect long-distance transmission of natural gas due to the following facts:
 Liquid water and natural gas can form hydrates that may plug the pipeline and
other equipment.
 Natural gas containing CO2 and/or H2S is corrosive when liquid water is present.
 Liquid water in a natural gas pipeline potentially causes slugging flow conditions
resulting in lower flow efficiency of the pipeline.
 Water content decreases the heating value of natural gas being transported.
Water Content of Natural Gas Streams
Solubility of water in natural gas increases with temperature and decreases with
pressure. Salt's presence in the liquid water reduces the water content of the gas.
Water content of untreated natural gases is normally in the magnitude of a few
hundred pounds of water per million standard cubic foot of gas (lbm/MMscf); while
gas pipelines normally require water content to be in the range of 6-8 lbm/MMscf and
even lower for pipelines in deep water.
The water content of natural gas is indirectly indicated by the dew point, defined as
the temperature at which the natural gas is saturated with water vapor at a given
pressure. At the dew point, natural gas is in equilibrium with liquid water; any

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decrease in temperature or increase in pressure will cause the water vapor to begin
condensing. The difference between the dew point temperature of a water-saturated
gas stream and the same stream after it has been dehydrated is called dew-point
depression. It is essential to accurately estimate the saturated water vapor content of
natural gas in the design and operation of dehydration equipment. Several methods
are available for this purpose including the correlations of McCarthy, Boyd, and Reid
(1950) and McKetta and Wehe (1958). Dalton's law of partial pressures is valid for
estimating water vapor content of gas at near-atmospheric pressures. Readings from
the chart by McKetta and Wehe (1958) are presented in Table 8-1. Figure 8-1 shows a
water content chart plotted in a different form from the chart by McKetta and Wehe
(1958).
Example Problem.1
Estimate water content of a natural gas at a pressure of 3,000 psia and temperature of
150 0F.
Table 8-1 Water Content Readings from the Chart by McKetta and
Wehe (1958) (lbm H2O/MMcf @60 0F, 14.7 psia)

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 Figure 8-1 Water content of natural gases
(Duplicated with data in the chart of McKetta and Wehe 1958).

Dehydration Systems
Dehydration systems used in the natural gas industry fall into four categories
in principle: (a) direct cooling, (b) compression followed by cooling,
(c) absorption, and (d) adsorption. Dehydration in the first two methods
does not result in sufficiently low water contents to permit injection into a
pipeline. Further dehydration by absorption or adsorption is often required.
Absorption is a process in which water vapor is removed from natural gas
by bubbling the gas counter-currently through certain liquids that have a
special attraction or affinity for water. Water vapor in the gas bubbles is
entrained in the liquid and carried away by the liquid. Adsorption is a process
in which gas flows through a bed of granular solids that have an

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affinity for water. The water is retained on the surface of the particles of
the solid material. The vessel that allows either the absorption or adsorption
process to take place is called the contactor or sorber. The liquid or
solid that has affinity for water and is used in the contactor in connection
with either of the processes is called the desiccant. Two major types of