Natural Gas Dehydration
Natural Gas dehydration is the removal of water from the gas stream in order to meet pipeline specifications. In addition to separating oil and some condensate from the wet gas stream, it is necessary to remove most of the associated water. Most of the liquid, free water associated with extracted natural gas, is collected by oil and gas separators at or near the wellhead. However, additional water vapor removal is often needed with a DEHYDRATION UNIT in order to get the gas quality to meet the pipeline standards. The specifications often demand for less than 7Lbs./MMSCF water content.
Water vapor causes the formation of hydrates, over saturation of natural gas, and corrosion of equipment. Hydrates are solid, ice-like crystallized compounds formed of hydrocarbons and water. Hydrate formation occurs in high-pressure well streams with a low temperature. Hydrates can form, however, at temperatures above the freezing point. The high pressure increases saturation and creates more water vapor. Hydrates cause freezing and blocking of pipelines, valves, and other equipment, bringing production to a halt. Water present in Natural gas also causes corrosion to equipment.
HAWK ENERGY offers integrated gas dehydration units either by absorption (TEG Unit) or through adsorption (Molecular Sieve).
Glycol dehydration is a liquid desiccant system for the removal of water from natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL). It is the most common and economical means of water removal from these streams. Glycols typically seen in industry include tri ethylene glycol (TEG), diethylene glycol (DEG), ethylene glycol (MEG), and tetra ethylene glycol (TREG). TEG is the most commonly used glycol in industry. TEG units also remove benzene, toluene, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Advantages of our TEG Unit:
- Design can be sized for any flow or inlet process conditions.
- Modular, Robust and Scalable Solutions.
- Complete integration of the system on single skid
- Low operating costs
Mol sieve dehydration units provide an effective means to remove water vapor from a natural gas stream. The mol sieve design usually consists of a silicate compound containing very small pores of precise uniform size. The space between the silicate molecules act as a “trap” for the water vapor as it passes through the silicate.
Basic design consists of two or more identical mol sieve units. In a simple two-unit design, one unit operates in dehydration mode while the other in regeneration mode. Switching from dehydration to regeneration is done by use of automatic switching valves. As the dehydrated unit becomes saturated with water vapor, it is automatically switched to regeneration mode while the regeneration unit becomes active in dehydration mode. Our mol sieve dehydration units are designed skid-mounted for simple installation and mobility purposes.
Advantages of our Molecular Sieve Units.
- Removes water vapor from natural gas streams < 0.1 ppmv
- Fully automated switching valves for mode control
- Bed design optimized for maximum efficiency
- Standard and custom packaged units available
- Modular design for simple installation and mobility purposes
