Dehydration of Natural Gas

Natural Gas usually contains significant

quantities of water vapor. Changes in temperature and
pressure condense this vapor altering the physical
state from gas to liquid to solid. This water must be
removed in order to protect the system from corrosion
and hydrate formation.
All gasses have the capacity to hold water in a
vapor state. This water vapor must be removed from
the gas stream in order to prevent the formation of
solid ice-like crystals called hydrates. Hydrates can
block pipelines, valves and other process equipment.
The dehydration of natural gas must begin at the
source of the gas in order to protect the transmission
system.
 Three principal reasons for dehydrating
the natural gas:

Prevention of line plugging due to formation of

hydrates.
Prevention of reduction of line capacity due to
formation of free water (liquid).
Elimination or retarding of corrosion in the pipeline
 Dehydration-removal of water vapour.
All the natural gas downstream from the
separators still contains water vapour to some degree.
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
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 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 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.
Dehydration System
 Dehydration systems used in natural gas
industry fall into four categories in principle:
Direct cooling
Compression followed by cooling
Absorption – a process 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.
Adsorption – a process in which gas flows
through a bed of granular solids that have an
affinity of water.
 Contactor or sober – vessel that allows either the
absorption or adsorption process to take place.
Desiccant – liquid or solid that has affinity for water
and is used in the contactor in connection with either of
the processes.

Two major types of dehydration equipment in use

today are:
 Liquid Desiccant Dehydrator
Solid Desiccant Dehydrator
Dehydration by Cooling
During the cooling process, the excess water in the
vapor state becomes liquid and is removed from the
system. Natural gas containing less water vapor at low
temperature is output from the cooling unit. The gas
dehydrated by cooling is still at its water dew point unless
the temperature is raised again or the pressure is
decreased. Cooling for the purpose of gas dehydration is
sometimes economical if the gas temperature is unusually
high.
Gas compressors can be used partially as
dehydrators. Because the saturation water content of gases
decreases at higher pressure, some water is condensed and
removed from gas at compressor stations by the
compressor discharge coolers.
Dehydration by Adsorption
Adsorption is defined as the ability of a
substance to hold gases or liquids on its surface. In
adsorption dehydration, the water vapor from the gas
is concentrated and held at the surface of the solid
desiccant by forces caused by residual valiancy. Solid
desiccants have very large surface areas per unit weight
to take advantage of these surface forces. The most
common solid adsorbents used today are silica,
alumina, and certain silicates known as molecular
sieves. Dehydration plants can remove practically all
water from natural gas using solid desiccants. Because
of their great drying ability, solid desiccants are
employed where higher efficiency are required.
 The advantages of solid desiccant
dehydration include:
Lower dew point, essentially dry gas (water conten less
than 1.0 lb/MMcf) can be produced.
Higher contact temperatures can be tolerated with
some adsorbents.
Higher tolerance to sudden load changes, especially on
startup.
Quick startup after a shutdown.
High adaptability for recovery of certain liquid
hydrocarbons in addition to dehydration functions.
Operating problems with solid-dessicant
dehydration include:
Space adsorbents degenerate with use and require
replacement
Dehydrating tower must be regenerated and cooled for
operation before another tower approaches
exhaustion. The maximum allowable time on
dehydration gradually shortens because desiccant
loses capacity with use.
Dehydration by Absorption
Dehydration by absorption with glycol is usually
economically more attractive than dehydration by solid
desiccant when both processes are capable of meeting the
required dew point.
Glycols have been widely used as effective liquid
desiccants.
Glycols used for dehydrating natural gas are ethylene
glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol
(TEG), and tetraethylene glycol (T4EG).
Triethylene glycol (TEG) has gained nearly universal
acceptance as the most cost effective of the glycols due to its
superior dew point depression, operating cost, and operation
reliability. It has been successfully used to dehydrate sweet
and sour natural gases over wide ranges of operating
conditions.
 Dew point depression of 40°F to 140°F can be
achieved at a gas pressure ranging from 25 psig to 2500
psig and gas temperature between 40°F and 160°F.
The feeding-in gas must be cleaned to remove
all liquid water and hydrocarbons, wax, sand, drilling
muds, and other impurities. These substances can
cause severe foaming, flooding, higher glycol losses,
poor efficiency, and increased maintenance in the
dehydration tower or absorber.
Methanol, injected at the wellhead as a hydrate
inhibitor, can cause several problems for glycol
dehydration plants. It increase the heat requirements
of the glycol regeneration system.
Dehydration process are as follows:
1. The feeding in gas streams first enter the unit
through an inlet gas scrubber to remove liquid
accumulations.
2. The wet gas is then introduced to the bottom of the
glycol –gas contractor and allowed to flow upward
through the trays, while glycol flows down through
the column.
3. The gas then flows down through a vertical glycol
cooler, usually fabricated in the form of a concentric
pipe heat exchanger, where the outlet dry gas aids in
cooling the hot regenerated glycol before it enters
the contractor.
4. The dry glycol enters the top of the glycol-gas
contractor from the glycol cooler and is injected onto
the top tray.
5. The wet glycol, which has now absorbed the water
vapor from the gas stream, leaves the bottom of the
glycol-gas contractor column, passes through a high-
pressure glycol filter, which removes any foreign solid
particles that may have been picked up from the gas
streams, and enters the power side of the glycol pump.
6. In the glycol pump the wet high-pressure glycol from
the contractor column pumps the dry regenerated
glycol into the column.
7. The gas separated in the flash separator leaves the top
of the flash separator vessel and can be used to
supplement the fuel gas required for the reboiler.
8. The glycol flows through the reboiler in essentially a
horizontal path from the stripping still column to the
opposite end. In the reboiler, the glycol is heated to
approximately 350°F to 400°F to remove enough water
vapor to reconcentrate it to 99.5% or higher.
9. In order to provide extra-dry glycol (>99%) it is usually
necessary to add some stripping gas to the reboiler.
10. The reconcentrated glycol leaves the reboiler through
an overflow pipe and passes into the shell side of the
heat exchanger/surge tank.
 Glycol dehydration have several
advantages including:
Low initial-equipment cost
Low-pressure drop across absorption towers
Makeup requirements may be added readily
Recharging of towers presents no problems
The plant may be used satisfactorily in the presence of
materials that would cause fouling of some solid
absorbents.
Glycol dehydrators also present several operating
problems including:
Suspended matter, such as dirt, scale and iron
oxide, may contaminate glycol solutions.
Overheating of solution may produce both low
and high boiling decomposition products.
The resultant sludge may collect on heating
surfaces, causing some loss in efficiency, or, in
severe cases, complete flow stoppage.
When both oxygen and hydrogen sulfide are
present, corrosion may become a problem because
of the formation of acid material in the glycol
solution.
Liquids such as water, light hydrocarbons or
lubrication oils, in inlet gas may require installation
of an efficient separator ahead of the absorber.
Highly, mineralized water entering the system with
inlet gas may, over long periods, crystallize and fill
the reboiler with solid salts.
Foaming of solution may occur with a resultant carry-
over of liquid. The addition of a small quantity of
antifoam compound usually remedies this problem.
Some leakage around the packing glands of pumps may
be permitted because excessive tightening of packing
may result in the scouring of rods. This leakage is
collected and periodically returned to the system.
Highly concentrated glycol solutions tend to become
viscous at low temperatures and, therefore, are hard to
pump. Glycol lines may solidify completely at low
temperatures when the plant is not operating. In cold
weather, continuous circulation of part of the solution
through the heater may advisable. This practice can also
prevent freezing in water coolers.
To start a plant, all absorber trays must be filled with
glycol before good contact of gas and liquid can be
expected. This may also become a problem at low-
circulation rates because weep holes on trays may drain
solution as rapidly as it is introduced.
Sudden surges should be avoided in starting and
shutting down a plant. Otherwise, large carry-over
losses of solution may occur.
Glycol Dehydrator Design
 Dehydration with TEG in trays or packed-
column contractors can be sized from standard
models by using the following information:
Gas flow rate
Specific gravity of gas
Operating pressure
Maximum working pressure contact
Gas inlet temperature.
Outlet gas water content required
 One of the following two design criteria
can be employed:
Glycol to water ratio (GWR). A value of 2 to 6 gal
TEG/lb H2O removed is adequate for most glycol
dehydration requirements. Very often 2.5 to 4 gal
TEG/lb H2O is used for field dehydrators.
Lean TEG concentration on from reconcentrator. Most
glycol reconcentrators can output 99.0 to 99.9% lean
TEG. A value of 99.5% lean TEG is utilized in most
design.
Inlet Scrubber
It is essential to
have a good inlet scrubber
for efficient operation of a
glycol dehydrator unit.
Two-phase inlet scrubbers
are generally constructed
with 7 1/2 –ft shell heights.
The required minimum
diameter of a vertical inlet
scrubber can be
determined based on the
operating pressure and
required gas capacity.
Glycol-Gas Contactor
Glycol contactor are generally constructed with
a standard height of 7 ½ ft. the minimum required
diameter of the contactor can be determined based on
the gas capacity of the contactor for standard gas of 0.7
specific gravity at standard temperature 100°F. if the gas
is not the standard gas and/or the operating temperature
is different from the standard temperature, a correction
should first be made using the following relation:
q1= q/C1Cg
Where:
q = gas capacity of contactor at operating
conditions, MMscfd
q1 = gas capacity of contactor for standard gas
(0.7 specific gravity) at standard temperature (100°F),
MMscfd
C1 = correction factor for operating temperature
Cg = correction factor for gas-specific gravity
 It is also desired to know how much water will be
removed from the glycol dehydration unit per hour. The
water rate can be estimated by:
Wr = (Cwi – Cwo)q
24
where:
Wr = water to be removed, lbm/hr
Cwi = water content of inlet gas, lbm H2O/MMscf
Cwo = water content of outlet gas, lbm H2O/MMscf
q = gas flow rate, MMscf
Glycol Reconcentrator
Sizing the various components of a glycol
reconcentrator starts from calculating the required
glycol circulation rate:
qG = (GWR)Cwiq
24
where:
qG = glycol circulation rate, gal/hr
GWR = glycol to water ratio, gal TEG/lbm H2O
Cwi = water content of inlet gas, lbm H2O/MMscf
q = gas flow rate, MMscf
Reboiler
The required heat load for the reboiler can be
approximately esctimated from the following
equation:
Ht = 2,000qG
where Ht = total heat load on reboiler, Btu/h

The general overall size of the reboiler can be

determined as follows:
Afb = Ht
7,000
where Afb is the total fireboz surface area in ft^2
Glycol Circulating Pump
The glycol circulating pump can be sized using
the glycol circulation rate and the maximum operating
pressure of the contactor. Commonly used glycol
powered pumps utilize the rich glycol from the bottom
of the contactor to power the pump and pump the lean
glycol to the top of the contactor. The manufactures of
these pumps should be consulted to meet the specific
needs of the glycol dehydrator.
Glycol Flash Separator
Glycol flash separator- usually installed
downstream from the glycol pump to remove any
entrained hydrocarbon from the rich glycol.
Liquid hydrocarbon is not allowed to enter the
glycol-gas contractor. This is a problem a 3 phase glycol
flash separator should be used to keep these liquid
hydrocarbons out of the reboiler and stripping still.
Three-phase flash separators should be sized with a
liquid retention time of 20-30 mins. The hydrocarbon
gas released from the flash separator can be piped to
the reboiler to use as fuel gas and stripping gas.
Stripping Still
The size of the packed stripping still for glycol
reconcentrator can be determined based on the glycol-to-
water circulation rate and the glycol circulation rate.
The required diameter for the stripping still is
normally based on the required diameter at the base of the
still using the vapour and liquid loading conditions at the
base point.
The vapour load consists of the water vapour and
stripping gas flowing up to the still. The load consists of
rich glycol stream and reflux flowing downward through
the still column. One tray is normally sufficient for most
stripping still requirements for TEG dehydration units. the
amount of stripping gas required to reconcentrate the
glycol is approximately 2 to 10 ft3 per gallon of glycol
circulated.
REMOVAL OF ACID GAS
Iron-Sponge Sweetening
The iron sponge process or dry box process is the oldest and still the
most widely used batch process for sweetening of natural gas and natural
gas liquids.
The process was implemented during the 19th century. Large-scale,
commercial operations have, for the most part, discontinued this process
due to the high labor costs of removing packed beds.
However, its simplicity, low capital costs, and relatively low media
cost continue to make the process an ideal solution for hydrogen sulfide
removal.
The process is usually best applied to gases containing low to
medium concentrations (300 ppm) of hydrogen sulfide or mercaptans.
This process tends to be highly selective and does not normally
remove significant quantities of carbon dioxide. As a result, the hydrogen
sulfide stream from the process is usually high purity.
Use of the iron sponge process for sweetening sour gas is based on
adsorption of the acid gases on the surface of the solid sweetening agent
followed by chemical reaction of ferric oxide (Fe2O3) with hydrogen
sulfide.
The reaction requires:
A temperature below 43◦C (110◦F) & the
presence of slightly alkaline water and bed alkalinity
should be checked regularly, usually on a daily basis. A
pH level on the order of 8–10 should be maintained
through the injection of caustic soda with the water. If
the gas does not contain sufficient water vapor, water
may need to be injected into the inlet gas stream.
 The sour gas should pass down through the bed.
In the case where continuous regeneration is to be
utilized, a small concentration of air is added to the
sour gas before it is processed. This air serves to
regenerate the iron oxide continuously, which has
reacted with hydrogen sulfide, which serves to extend
the on-stream life of a given tower but probably serves
to decrease the total amount of sulfur that a given
weight of bed will remove. The number of vessels
containing iron oxide can vary from one to four. In a
two-vessel process, one of the vessels would be on-
stream removing hydrogen sulfide from the sour gas
while the second vessel would either be in the
regeneration cycle or having the iron sponge bed
replaced.
Alkanolamine Sweetening
Amine treating plants remove CO2 (carbon
dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulfide) from natural gas.
Amine has a natural affinity for both CO2 and H2S
allowing this to be a very efficient and effective
removal process. New point’s proprietary amine plant
design is based on proven amine regeneration
technology and incorporates several patent-pending
processes to improve the reliability and ease of
operation.
 Amine gas sweetening is a proven technology that
removes H2S and CO2 from natural gas and liquid
hydrocarbon streams through absorption and chemical
reaction. Each of the amines offers distinct advantages to
specific treating problems.
 MEA (Monoethanolamine)
- Used in low pressure natural gas treatment applications
requiring stringent outlet gas specifications
 MDEA (Methyldiethanolamine)
- Has a higher affinity for H2S than CO2 which allows some
CO2 "slip" while retaining H2S removal capabilities.
 DEA (Diethanolamine)
- Used in medium to high pressure treating
- does not require reclaiming, as do MEA and DGA systems.
 FORMULATED (SPECIALTY) SOLVENTS
- A variety of blended or specialty solvents are available on
the market.
Benefits of Amine Units
Reduces CO2 and H2S levels to the required
specifications
Modular, skid-mounted systems
Reduced manufacturing and commissioning times
Standardized and proven designs
New equipment only
Guaranteed performance
Lower installation and removal costs
Glycol/Amine Process
Amine solutions are used to remove the hydrogen
sulfide. This process is known simply as the 'amine
process', or alternatively as the Girdler process, and is used
in 95 percent of U.S. gas sweetening operations. The sour
gas is run through a tower, which contains the amine
solution. This solution has an affinity for sulfur, and
absorbs it much like glycol absorbing water. There are two
principle amine solutions used, monoethanolamine (MEA)
and diethanolamine (DEA). Either of these compounds, in
liquid form, will absorb sulfur compounds from natural gas
as it passes through. The effluent gas is virtually free of
sulfur compounds, and thus loses its sour gas status. Like
the process for NGL extraction and glycol dehydration, the
amine solution used can be regenerated (that is, the
absorbed sulfur is removed), allowing it to be reused to
treat more sour gas.
Amine Processes
Amine processes are based on the removal of an
acid gas by virtue of a loose chemical bond between
the acid gas component and the amine. Three main
types of amines are used commercially,
• Primary amine, usually MEA (monoethanolamine)
• Secondary amine, usually DEA (diethanol amine)
• Tertiary amine, usually MDEA (methyl diethanol
amine)
The primary amines form the most stable bond
with the acid gas, followed by the secondary amines.
The least stable bond is formed by the tertiary amine.
Amine Gas Sweetening Process
1. Sour gas enters the contactor tower and rises through the descending
amine.
2. Purified gas flows from the top of the tower.
3. The amine solution is now considered Rich and is carrying absorbed
acid gases.
4. The Lean amine and Rich amine flow through the heat exchanger,
heating the Rich amine.
5. Rich amine is then further heated in the regeneration still column by
heat supplied from the reboiler. The steam rising through the still
liberates H2S and CO2, regenerating the amine.
6. Steam and acid gases separated from the rich amine are condensed
and cooled.
7. The condensed water is separated in the reflux accumulator and
returned to the still.
8. Hot, regenerated, lean amine is cooled in a solvent aerial cooler and
circulated to the contactor tower, completing the cycle.
Sulfinol Process
The Sulfinol process is a regenerative process developed to
reduce H2S, CO2, COS and mercaptans from gases. The sulfur
compounds in the product gas can be reduced to low ppm levels. This
process has been developed specifically for treating large quantities of
gas, such as natural gas, which are available at elevated pressures. The
Sulfinol process is unique in the class of absorption processes because
it uses a mixture of solvents, which allows it to behave as both a
chemical and a physical absorption process. The solvent is composed
of Sulfolane, DIPA or MDEA and water. The acid gas loading of the
Sulfinol solvent is higher and the energy required for its regeneration is
lower than those of purely chemical solvents. At the same time it has
the advantage over purely physical solvents that severe product
specifications can be met more easily and co-absorption of
hydrocarbons is relatively low. For selective absorpton of H2S, COS and
mercaptans, while co-absorbing only part of the CO2, the Sulfinol-M
process is used. Deep removal of CO2 in LNG plants is another
application. Integration of gas treating with the SCOT solvent system is
an option.
 The feed gas is contacted counter-currently in
an absorption column with the Sulfinol solvent. The
regenerated solvent is introduced at the top of the
absorber. The sulfur compounds loaded solvent (rich
solvent) is heated by heat exchange with the
regenerated solvent and is fed back to the regenerator
where it is further heated and freed of the acid gases
with steam.
The acid gases removed from the solvent in the
regenerator are cooled with air or water, so that the
major part of the water vapor they contain is
condensed. The sour condensate is reintroduced into
the system as a reflux. The acid gas is passed to the
sulfur recovery plant (Claus plant) in which elemental
sulfur is recovered.
 Benefits/Advantages
Removal of H2S, COS and organic sulfur to natural
gas pipeline specification.
Low steam consumption and solvent circulation.
Low corrosion rates.
Selective removal of H2S in some natural gas
applications.
Smaller equipment due to low foaming tendency.
High on-stream factor.
 GROUP 5
Artienda, Vincent Roy
Baes, Benito
Balmes, Mark Angelo
Butihin, Elizabeth
Manalo, Jocelyn