Water Dew Point and Other Quality

Parameters in Natural Gas Transmission

Systems
A brief overview of the importance and implications of water dew point,
carbon dioxide content, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide in natural gas
transmission systems.

Water Dew Point

Water dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in a gas stream starts to condense into
liquid water. It is an important parameter to monitor and control in natural gas transmission
systems, as liquid water presence can cause several problems, such as:

 Hydrate formation: Hydrates are solid crystalline compounds of water and hydrocarbons
that can form under high pressure and low temperature conditions. They can reduce the
flow capacity of pipelines, create blockages, and interfere with instrumentation.
 Pipeline corrosion: Corrosion can occur at relative humidity levels below 100%,
especially in the presence of acidic gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
Corrosion can damage the pipeline integrity, reduce the gas quality, and increase the risk
of leaks and explosions.

To prevent these problems, it is recommended to operate the natural gas transmission systems at
a relative humidity of not more than 50%, which corresponds to a water dew point of about -
10°C at typical pipeline pressures. The water dew point can be controlled by dehydration
processes, such as glycol injection, adsorption, or membrane separation.

Carbon Dioxide Content

Carbon dioxide is a common impurity in natural gas that can affect the gas quality and the
pipeline performance. It can lower the heating value of the gas, increase the compressibility
factor, and cause acid gas corrosion. It can also affect the downstream processes, such as
liquefaction and purification.

Initially, the contracts for natural gas transmission systems specified a maximum carbon dioxide
content of 2% to prevent acid gas corrosion. However, later on, the protection against corrosion
was ensured by limiting the water dew point, as mentioned above. Therefore, the carbon dioxide
content became less critical for the pipeline integrity, but it remained important for the
downstream processes, especially for the liquefaction plants.
Liquefaction plants require low carbon dioxide content in the gas supplies, as carbon dioxide can
freeze and form solid hydrates at low temperatures, which can damage the equipment and reduce
the efficiency. Therefore, the current specifications for liquefaction plants prefer a carbon
dioxide content of less than 0.5%.

Oxygen
Oxygen is another impurity that can affect the natural gas quality and the pipeline performance.
It can cause oxidation and corrosion of the pipeline materials, increase the risk of fire and
explosion, and damage the downstream processes, such as purification and liquefaction.

Oxygen content in natural gas is typically near zero, as natural gas is produced from anaerobic
reservoirs. However, oxygen can enter the gas stream due to air leakage, air ballasting, or
incomplete combustion. A limit of 0.1 mol% was adopted to overcome measurement difficulties,
though it is generally uneconomic for gas sellers to air ballast to achieve this.

Molecular sieve purification units at liquefaction plants can be damaged by small oxygen
concentrations, leading to prefer a limit of 10 ppm oxygen in current specifications. Oxygen can
also react with hydrogen sulfide and form elemental sulfur, which can foul the equipment and
reduce the gas quality.

Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic and corrosive gas that can be present in natural gas as a result of the
bacterial decomposition of organic matter or the thermal cracking of heavy hydrocarbons. It can
affect the gas quality and the pipeline performance in several ways, such as:

 Lowering the heating value of the gas

 Increasing the acid gas corrosion of the pipeline materials
 Forming elemental sulfur or sulfides that can foul the equipment and reduce the
efficiency
 Posing health and safety hazards for the workers and the customers

Gas quality regulations require gas to contain a maximum of 3.3 ppm hydrogen sulfide when
distributed to customers, as this is the odor threshold for most people. However, this limit is not
necessarily the level for normal operation and supplies are often purchased with much lower
levels, such as 0.5 ppm or less.

Hydrogen sulfide can be removed from natural gas by various processes, such as amine
absorption, membrane separation, or iron sponge.