08 Dehydration
08 Dehydration
08 Dehydration
Chapter 11
Based on presentation by Prof. Art Kidnay
Plant Block Schematic
Field Operations
Prevent hydrate formation
Minimize corrosion
• Need to dry gas to dew point below lowest operating temperature
Plant Operations
Need 4 to 7 lb/MMscf (85 to 150 ppmv) in pipeline
• Glycol dehydration most common to produce water contents down to 10
ppmv
Need to have less than 1 ppmv H2O in gas to cryogenc units
• Glycol dehydration cannot get to these low water levels – mole sieves
used for this service
Equal fugacities for each component in each phase. Between gas & water
phases:
i ,L i Pi vap P vi ,L
y i xi Ki where Ki exp dP
i ,V i ,V P Pisat RT
Formation of the water phase will control the water content in the gas phase
Increasing water in the feed increases the amount of free water, not the
concentration of water in the gas.
Can decrease the gas water content by adding compounds that are water soluble
Based on Fig 20-59 GPSA Data Book 13th ed. & Figure 11.3 in Kidnay et. al. text book
Based on 1,000 psia contactor pressure
System
2 – 5 gal TEG per lb water removed
Absorber / Contactor
60 – 100oF inlet
Can operate up to 2,000 psia
Typically 4 – 10 bubble cap trays
• 25 – 30% efficiency
5 – 10 psi pressure drop
Flash tank
10 – 20 minute residence time
150oF, 50 – 75 psig
Regenerator
Fig. 20-58, GPSA Engineering Data Book, 13th ed.
Packed equivalent to 3 – 4 trays Basis for Figure 11.2 in text book
375 – 400oF
System
2 – 5 gal TEG per lb water removed
Absorber / Contactor
60 – 100oF inlet
Can operate up to 2,000 psia
Typically 4 – 10 bubble cap trays
• 25 – 30% efficiency
5 – 10 psi pressure drop
Flash tank
10 – 20 minute residence time
150oF, 50 – 75 psig
Regenerator
Packed equivalent to 3 – 4 trays y H2OP xH2OPH2O
vap
375 – 400oF
30 MMscfd of a 0.65 gravity natural gas enters a TEG contactor at 600 psia
and 100oF. The outlet water content specification is 7 lb H2O/MMscf and the
TEG circulation rate is 28 lb TEG/ lb H2O absorbed (3 gal TEG/lb H2O). How
much water is to be absorbed? What is the rich TEG concentration? What is the
lean TEG concentration?
Water content at inlet
conditions?
70 lb/MMscf
30 MMscfd of a 0.65 gravity natural gas enters a TEG contactor at 600 psia
and 100oF. The outlet water content specification is 7 lb H2O/MMscf and the
TEG circulation rate is 28 lb TEG/ lb H2O absorbed (3 gal TEG/lb H2O). How
much water is to be absorbed? What is the rich TEG concentration? What is the
lean TEG concentration?
How much TEG is circulated?
lb H2O lb TEG
1890 28
day lb H2O
lb TEG
52920
day
lb H2O gal TEG
1890 3
day lb H2O
hr min
24 60
day hr
gal TEG
3.9
min
Updated: December 27, 2017
21
Copyright © 2017 John Jechura ([email protected])
Example based on GPSA Data Book example 20-11
(#2)
30 MMscfd of a 0.65 gravity natural gas enters a TEG contactor at 600 psia
and 100oF. The outlet water content specification is 7 lb H2O/MMscf and the
TEG circulation rate is 28 lb TEG/ lb H2O absorbed (3 gal TEG/lb H2O). How
much water is to be absorbed? What is the rich TEG concentration? What is the
lean TEG concentration?
Dew point temperature at the
contactor pressure (600 psia)?
~ 24oF
stripper contactor
glycol pump
Inlet separator
reboiler
gas burner
Contactor foaming
Contaminates: hydrocarbons, salts, particulates, inhibitors, O2
Poor dehydration (from source other than foaming)
Gas rate too low - 80% flow reduction = 20 % tray eff
Glycol rate low - 75% flow reduction = 33% tray eff
Glycol inlet temperature too high
Flash drum / Foaming in Still
Presence of heavy hydrocarbons
Absorption Adsorption
From UOP
Equilibrium Zone
(Saturated)
yIn
yOut
400 200
300 150
Temperature
50
100
Desorption
Bed Heating Bed Cooling
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time, Hours
Updated: December 27, 2017
37
Copyright © 2017 John Jechura ([email protected])
Regenerating Bed Temperature History
Heat On
600
300
500
Inlet 250
Temperature
Temperature, ºC
400
Temperature, ºF
200
50
100
Desorption
Bed Heating Bed Cooling
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time, Hours
Regeneration
Calculate heat required to desorb water while also heating the desiccant & vessel
Total amount of regeneration gas flow calculated based on heating phase about 50-60% of
total regeneration time
Regeneration gas flowrate should give a pressure drop gradient of at least 0.01 psi/ft
4 m
Dmin
Vmax
LMTZ ft CZ
35
Regeneration calculations
Used to determine the required regeneration gas flow & the fuel gas requirements
• If regeneration gas recycled back to inlet of mole sieves then you must add this
rate to that of the feed gas for the bed calculations
Heat loads
• Heat to desorb water – increase water to its desorption temperature, break
adherence to surface, & vaporize
o Use 1,800 Btu/lb water adsorbed for conservative design
• Heat to increase sieve to regeneration temperature
• Heat to increase vessel to regeneration temperature
• Heat losses – typically estimated as 10%
100 MMscfd natural gas (molecular weight of 18) is water saturated at 600 psia
and 100oF & must be dried to –150oF dew point. Determine the water content of
the gas (inlet & outlet) & amount of water that must be removed.
Do preliminary design of a molecular-sieve dehydration system consisting of two
towers with down-flow adsorption in one tower and up-flow regeneration in the
other. Use 4A molecular sieve of 1/8″beads (i.e., 4x8mesh). The regeneration
gas is part of the plant’s residue gas (at 600 psia and 100oF) & has a molecular
weight of 17. The bed must be heated to 500oF for regeneration. Base this on a
24-hour cycle consisting of 12 hours adsorbing and 12 hours regenerating
(heating, cooling, standby, and valve switching; the heating time is 60% of the
regeneration time).
ft 3
14.7 psia 100 460 °R ft 3
VIG 100 10 6
600 psia 60 460 °R 2.6 10 day
6
day
• Real gas flow much different? Estimate: Z=0.93
6 ft
3
6 ft
3
ft3
Vact Z VIG 0.93 2.6 10
2.5 10 1700
day day min
PM
600 18 lb
1.93 3
ZRT 0.93 10.7316 560°R ft
• Gas viscosity at inlet conditions (600 psia and 100oF). Estimate 0.015 cP.
• Velocity vs. pressure gradient. For given beads & gas properties:
P
B u C u2
L
ft
0.33 0.056 0.015 u 8.89 10 5 1.93 u 2 u 41.4
min
P
Bu Cu 2
L
psi
0.056 0.01538.5 8.89 105 1.93 38.5 0.29
2
ft
• Total bed height is the sum of these two zones. Total vessel height adds 3 ft for
supports, …
LBed Lsat LMTZ 14.4 1.74 16.1 ft Lvessel LBed 3 19.1 ft
L ft
Flow rate is sufficient
http://twisterbv.com/PDF/resources/Twister_-_How_Does_It_Work.pdf
stripping still
contactor
reboiler
http://www.kirkprocess.com/products/highspeed-gas-dehydration/
stripping still
contactor
reboiler
http://www.en-fabinc.com/en/glycol_dehydration_system.shtml
http://www.enerprocess.com/processing-&-treating-units/gas-conditioning-&-treating/mol-sieve-dehydration-units
Zeolite A Zeolite X