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Gas Dehydration

All natural gas well streams contain water vapor as they leave the reservoir.  Free or liquid water may also be produced with the natural gas. As the gas travels up the well bore to the surface, it cools due to pressure reduction and heat conduction to cooler formations. The ability of gas to hold water vapor decreases as the gas temperature decreases, so natural gas is nearly always saturated with water vapor when it reaches the surface. Additional cooling of saturated gas causes condensation of water. If the gas is further cooled, hydrates (solid, crystallized water/hydrocarbon compounds) can form.

Free water in a natural gas stream can result in line plugging due to hydrate formation, reduction of line capacity due to collection of free water in the line, and increased risk of damage to the pipeline due to the corrosive effects of water. Reducing the water vapor content of natural gas reduces its saturation temperature (or dew point), thereby reducing the chance that free water will form in the pipeline.

Exterran offers a wide range of products for dehydration of natural gas.  Exterran maintains an inventory of pre-engineered TEG Gas Dehydration Systems in our strategically located facilities.  Our stock equipment includes designs tailored to onshore and offshore use, ranging from 6” to 72” Glycol Absorber/Scrubbers (both structure packed, 6, 8 and 10 bubble cap tray) and 75 MBtu to 3 MMBtu Glycol Regenerators (standard to high re-concentration). This inventory helps us provide you with immediate delivery on the most commonly used equipment.

If your conditions require a larger or higher specification TEG unit, or you are interested in an alternative dehydration method such as low temperature separation, Exterran has the design, engineering, quality programs and fabrication expertise to satisfy practically any requirement.  In addition to liquid desiccant systems, we design and manufacture a broad range of dehydration products including dry desiccant, mole sieve, and low temperature separation systems.