Perry Equipment Corporation

Iso 9001 certified

APPLICATION DATA SHEET EL-GS-AD-19

SOLID DESICCANT GAS DEHYDRATION

PROCESS DESCRIPTION
Solid desiccants, i.e., alumina, aluminum or silica gels, and molecular sieves, are used to adsorb moisture from natural gas when the driest possible gas is desired. Each of the adsorbents listed have advantages depending on the process and gas conditions. The wet inlet gas is first treated for free water and hydrocarbon liquids in a gas scrubber . Water will overwhelm the bed, thereby shortening its service life, and hydrocarbon liquids will foul the desiccant under most conditions. The pretreated gas is then processed through one of usually two beds. As one bed is on-line, the other is being regenerated. After the bed is saturated with adsorbed water it goes through a regeneration cycle. Dry gas is diverted from the process outlet and heated to between 450F-550F. This temperature is enough to drive the water from the adsorbent, but not enough to cause damage. Above 600F the adsorbent could be damaged. The hot regeneration gas is then cooled, compressed, and injected back into the wet gas inlet.

PROCESS PROBLEMS
Desiccant adsorbents are extremely sensitive to any substances they are not designed to remove. Typical fouling contaminants include: compressor lubricating oils, liquid hydrocarbon (condensate), amines, glycols, corrosion inhibitors, H2S, and corrosion related solids, e.g., iron sulfide. These substances are upstream process materials that are carried over due to inadequate separation during processing or use. The primary reason the beds are fouled by these substances is that the regeneration temperature and physical flow of the regeneration gas is not enough to drive the contaminant off of the bed. They, therefore remain in the bed and reduce its water capacity . Water and possibly hydrocarbon condensate is formed in the regeneration gas after cooling. These liquids cause piping corrosion, and compressor damage. Inadequate compressor inlet gas separation will always lead to costly compressor problems. Another compressor related problem is entrained compressor lube oils being introduced into the

sy stem with th e regeneratio n gas. As m entioned in the first para graph, comp ressor lube oils are a de siccant foula nt. Be cause of no rmal gas flow and revers e flow du ring regener ation, particl e-particle ab rasion and cra ckin g cause adsorbent f ines to be ge nerated. Th ese fines m igrate in the direction of the flow an d leave the bed entraine d in the gas. These fin es are very abrasive to d own stream compresso rs.

Th e con densate and water is fur ther separated in a PE CO Series 1 10 Phase S eparator to a llow mo r ec onomical di sposal or reu se. e A PECO model 70 Dry Gas Filte r is used to remo ve the adsorbe nt fines from the dehydra ted gas. Ev ery filter ele ment change d in this uni t me ans money save d in compres sor maintenance d ownstream. Any condensate, wa ter or hydro carbon, form ed upon co oling the reg eneration g as, and adso rbent fin es carried in the gas are removed fro m the flow stream by a PECO Seri es 75 Gas Filter Separa tor with PEACH PCHG e lements. Th is Precompression tre atement is e ssential to co mpre ssor mainten ance saving s. Th e lub e oil mist en trained after the regenera tion gas is c ompressed is removed b y a PECO P GP Gemini with PGC Fi lter/Coalesc er elements. Th is ste p reduces th e load on wet gas prefilters, and if p resent, will save adsorbe nt from oil related fouling. PECO m anufacture s the equipm ent, and has the technic al expertise t o assist in solving all of t he se p arat ions related problems en countered in yo ur pla nt. Give us a call at 1-8 00-877-PECO and ask for our PECO Petroleum Applica tion Profile a nd Applicati on Data She ets.

PECO SOLUTIONS
A PECO Serie s 95 Gas Scrubber is use d as the firs t stage to re move entrai ned liquids a nd their as sociated sol ids. A PECO PGP Gemin i with PE ACH PG C FIlter/Coa lescer Eleme nt polish es the gas o f even the smallest liquid droplets be fore entering the desicca nt bed. As mentioned ab ove, entrain ed liquids wi ll shorten the service life of the bed. The additio n of two stag es of se paration ens ure long bed life which tr anslates int o significant operational savings, e.g ., heat, ad sorbent, lab or . Water and con densate removed by the gas se paration equ ipment is co llected and p iped to a fla sh tank whe re the entrain ed gas solid s, and liq uids are removed.