In natural gas streams, water vapour needs to be removed to reduce pipeline corrosion and eliminate line blockages due to hydrate formation. In case of acidic gases are removed by amine treatment, the gas will be water saturated and will need to be dehydrated before it goes for further processing.
Glycol dehydration systems
Water vapour must be removed from natural gas to prevent pipeline corrosion and mechanical
damage to downstream equipment. The most commonly used method for this procedure
involves use of Triethylene Glycol (TEG) in a continuous process in which the water vapour is
absorbed from the gas under conditions of high pressure and moderate temperatures.
How Does It Work ?
Wet gas enters the tower at the bottom and flows upwards. Dry glycol flows down the
tower from the top through the packing material to remove up to 10 ppm of moisture
in dry gas. Finepac structured packings are used for efficient moisture removal. The
dehydrated gas leaves the tower at the top and goes to other processing units. The
water rich glycol leaves the tower at the bottom and goes to a reconcentration
system consisting of a stripper and a regenerator. In this system Finepac random
packings are used. Water escapes as steam and purified glycol returns to tower where
it contacts wet gas again.