Dehydrationwithglycol

Allrawnaturalgasisfullysaturatedwithwatervaporwhenproducedfromanundergroundreservoir.Becausemostofthewatervaporhastoberemovedfromnaturalgas
beforeitcanbecommerciallymarketed,allnaturalgasissubjectedtoadehydrationprocess.Oneofthemostcommonmethodsforremovingthewaterfromproducedgasis
glycol.Thispagediscussesthetypesofglycolsthatmaybeused,theprocessusedtoremovewaterwithglycol,andthecontrolofairemissionsfromglycoldehydrationunits.

Contents
1Watervaporcontents
2Processdescription
3Functionoftheinletseparator
4Functionofthecontractororabsorber
5Functionofthereboiler
6Waterdewpointdepression
7Glycolregeneration
8Glycolpurityenhancementmethods
9Componentsoftheglycolcirculatingsystem
9.1Theglycolcirculatingpump
9.2Heatexchange
9.3Filters
9.4Surgedrum
9.5Strainer
9.6Glycolflashtank
9.7Glycolpiping
10Instrumentationandcontrols
10.1Controlofgasflow
10.2Leanglycolcirculationrate
10.3Reboilertemperature
10.4Liquidlevelcontrols
10.5Pressureandtemperatureindicators
11Contractordesignconsiderations
12Waterdewpointdetermination
13Normaloperationchecklist
14Troublediagnosis
14.1Foaming
14.2Corrosion
14.3Notmeetingwaterdewpoint
15Environmentalconcerns
16GlycoldehydratorBTEXandVOCemissioncontrol
17Nomenclature
18References
19NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
20Externallinks
21Seealso
22Category

Watervaporcontents
ThewatervaporcontentofnaturalgasatequilibriumsaturationisshowninFig.1,whichisbasedonthewellknownMcKettaandWehechartandexpandedto400Fonthe
basisofdataofOlds,Sage,andLacy.[1][2]Ascanbeseen,thewatercontentincreaseswithincreasingtemperatureanddecreasingpressure.
ForgassalesincolderareasofNorthAmerica,thespecificationlimitforwatercontentinthesalesgasis4lbm/MMscf.
Forgassalesinwarmer,southernareas,thelimitforwatercontentisgenerally7lbm/MMscfinsalesgas.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_199_Image_0001.png)
Fig.1Equilibriumwatervaporcontentofsweet
andnaturalgas(afterMcKettaandWeheand
Oldsetal.).[1][2]

Whennaturalgasisafeedstocktoaturboexpanderplantforhighnaturalgasliquids(NGL)recovery,virtuallyallthewatermustberemovedbeforechillingthegastoverylow
temperatures.
Therearefourglycolsthatareusedinremovingwatervaporfromnaturalgasorindepressingthehydrateformationtemperature.Table1liststheseglycolsandshowssomeof
thepropertiesofthepurematerial.[3]Ethyleneglycol(EG)isnotusedinaconventionalglycoldehydrator,asdescribedbelow.ThemainuseofEGinthedehydrationofnatural
gasisindepressingthehydratetemperatureinrefrigerationunits.Oftheotherthreeglycols,triethyleneglycol(TEG)isthemostcommonlyusedglycolfordehydrationof
naturalgasbecauseoftheadvantagesrelativetodiethyleneglycol(DEG):
TEGismoreeasilyregeneratedtoahigherdegreeofpurity

Vaporlossesarelower
Operatingcostsarelower

(/File%3AVol3_Page_201_Image_0001.png)

Table1

TetraethyleneglycolwouldhavetoberegeneratedathighertemperaturesthanTEGtoreachtherequiredpurityforapplicationinaglycoldehydrationunit.[2]Thus,ofthefour
glycols,TEGisthebestsuitedfordehydrationofnaturalgas.Inglycoldehydration,TEGisusuallyreferredtoonlyasglycol.Unlessotherwisespecified,thatconventionis
usedintherestofthispage.

Processdescription
Fig.2isaschematicdrawingofthetypicalprocessequipmentforglycoldehydration.Whiletheoverallprocessequipmentissimilarforallglycoldehydrationunits,therecan
beconsiderablevariationamonginstallations.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_202_Image_0001.png)
Fig.2Schematicdrawingoftypicalglycol
dehydrationequipmen.

Thegasflowsthroughaseparatortoremovecondensedliquidsoranysolidsthatmightbeinthegas.[4]Someabsorbersincorporatetheseparatorinabottomsectionofthe
vessel,inwhichcasethegasthenflowsupwardthroughachimneytrayintotheglycolabsorberportionofthevessel.Theglycolcontactororabsorbercancontain:
Trays
Randompacking
Structuredpacking
Ifitisatrayedvessel,itwillcontainseveralbubblecaptrays.Leanglycolispumpedintotheupperportionofthecontactor,abovethetoptraybutbelowthemisteliminator.
Thetraysarefloodedwithglycolthatflowsdownfromtraytotrayindowncomersections.Thegasrisesthroughthebubblecapsandisdispersedasbubblesthroughtheglycol
onthetrays.Thisprovidestheintimatecontactbetweenthegasandtheglycol.Theglycolishighlyhygroscopic,andmostofthewatervaporinthegasisabsorbedbythe
glycol.Therichglycol,containingtheabsorbedwater,iswithdrawnfromthecontactornearthebottomofthevesselabovethechimneytraythroughaliquidlevelcontrolvalve
andpassestotheregenerationsection.Thetreatedgasleavesthecontactoratthetopthroughamisteliminatorandusuallymeetsthespecifiedwatercontent.
Therichglycolcanberoutedthroughaheatexchangecoilinthetopofthereboilercolumncalledthestill.Theheatexchangegeneratessomerefluxfortheseparationofthe
waterfromtheglycolinthetopofthestillandalsoheatstherichglycolsomewhat.Insomeinstallations,therichsolutionpassestoaflashtankoperatingatabout15to50psig,
whichallowsabsorbedhydrocarbongastoseparatefromtheglycol.Theglycolthenflowsintothestillthroughafilterandaheatexchanger,exchangingheatwiththe
regeneratedglycol.Itdropsthroughapackedsectioninthestillintotheglycolreboilervessel,whereitisheatedtothenecessaryhighregenerationtemperatureatnear
atmosphericpressure.Atthehightemperature,theglycollosesitsabilitytoholdwaterthewaterisvaporizedandleavesthroughthetopofthestill.Theregeneratedglycol
flowstothesurgetank,fromwhichitisroutedthroughthelean/richheatexchangertotheglycolpump.Thepumpbooststhepressureoftheleanglycoltothecontactor
pressure.Priortoenteringthecontactor,itexchangesheatwiththedrygasleavingthecontactororsomeotherheatexchangemedium.

Functionoftheinletseparator
Thefirstandforemostpieceofequipmentthatthegasflowsthroughistheinletseparator.Thisvesselcanbeeitheraseparate,detachedvessel,oronsmallerunits,builtintothe
bottomofthecontactor.Itsfunctionistoseparateanycondensedliquidfromthegasbeforethegasentersthecontactor.Ifthegasdoesnotcontaincondensate(liquid
hydrocarbon),thevesselisatwophaseseparator.Ifthegasisarichgas,withsomecondensateaswellasliquidwaterformingattheinletconditionsofpressureand
temperatureintheseparator,thenathreephaseseparatorisinstalled.Itisabsolutelyessentialthatnoneofthefollowingenterstheabsorbersection:
Liquid
Condensate
Water
Theseparatorisusuallyequippedwithamisteliminatorsectioninthetopofthevessel.Asthegasmovesthroughthemisteliminatorsection,smalldropletsthatmightbeinthe
gaswillcoalesceonthefinewiremeshandformlargerdropletsthatdropdownthroughthegasintotheliquidsectionbelow.
Theinletseparatorisequippedwithliquidlevelcontrols,allowingtheaccumulatedliquidstoexitthevesselthroughalevelcontrolvalve.Ifforsomereasontheliquidlevelin
thevesselshouldriseaboveacertainlimit,ahighlevelalarmorshutdownautomaticallyoccurs.

Functionofthecontractororabsorber
Thecontactoristhevesselinwhichthemasstransferofthewateroccursfromthegastotheglycol.Mostofthewatervaporisextractedfromthegasphaseintotheliquidglycol
phase.Forthistooccur,itisnecessarytocreatealargesurfaceareabetweenthegasandtheliquidglycol.Thisisaccomplishedwithspecificinternalequipmentconfigurations,
suchasthroughtheinstallationof:
Trays
Structuredpacking
Randompacking
Themostcommontraysusedinthisapplicationarebubblecaptrays,asillustratedinFig.3.Thegasflowsfrombeloweachtraythroughthebubblecapandformssmall
bubblesofgasintheglycolliquidthatflowsacrossandontopofeachtray.Afterflowingacrossonetray,theglycolflowsdowntothenexttraybelowthroughadowncomer,
whichensuresthatthegascannotbypassanytray.Thegasbubblesprovidethelargesurfaceareaneededtoeffectthetransferofthewaterfromthegastotheglycol.Becauseof
theshortcontactingtimeoneachtray,equilibriuminmasstransferisnotreachedseveraltraysareneededinacontactortobringaboutthenecessarydehydrationofthegas.In
thedesignofdehydrators,thecalculationsmakeuseoftheoreticalequilibriumstagesfordetermininghowmanytimesthegasandglycolmustbecontacted.Becauseofthe
dynamicconditions,equilibriuminmasstransferisnotreachedapproximatelyfouractualtraysareusedforeachtheoreticalequilibriumstage.
Inpractice,about6to10traysareinstalledinacontactor,usuallyspaced24in.apart.
Inmorerecentdesigns,12to14traysareinstalledinglycolabsorberstominimizeglycolcirculation.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_203_Image_0001.png)
Fig.3Illustrationofbubblecapandbubblecap
trayincontractor(afterEngineeringDataBook
ofGasProcessorsSuppliersAssociationandGas
ProcessorsAssociation).[5]

Structuredpackingconsistsofarrangementsofcorrugatedsteelinternals,overwhichtheglycolflowsdownwardsasathinfilm.Elementsofstructuredpackingareillustratedin
Fig.4.Thegasflowsupwardthroughthestructuredpackingandisinintimatecontactwiththelargesurfaceareaoftheglycolthatflowsdownwardasafilmonthepacking.
Thiscreatesaveryefficientmodelformasstransfertooccur.[6]Thedesignfortheheightofthepackingrequiredisrelatedtothenumberoftheoreticalstagesrequired.The
suppliersofstructuredpackinghavedevelopedtherelationshipofpackingheightpertheoreticalequilibriumstage.Whenusingstructuredpacking,itisessentialthattheglycol
beevenlydistributedacrossthetopofthepacking.Toensurethatthelargesurfaceareaisprovidedbythedownwardflowingglycol,itisalsoessentialthatthesteelbe
thoroughlyclean,sothatallofthesteeliswettedbytheglycol.[7]

(/File%3AVol3_Page_204_Image_0001.png)
Fig.4Illustrationofstructuredpacking
elements(courtesyofKockGlitsch).

Similarly,randompackingofvarioustypescanalsobeusedinglycolcontactorstocreatethesurfaceareaformasstransfer.Varioustypesofrandompackingareillustratedin
Fig.5.Again,thetotalheightofthepackinginthevesselisrelatedtothenumberoftheoreticalstagesusedinthedesignandtheheightofpackingpertheoreticalstage.The
suppliersofthepackinghavecorrelationsforpackingheightpertheoreticalstage.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_205_Image_0001.png)
Fig.5Illustrationoftypesofrandompacking
(afterEngineeringDataBookofGasProcessors
SuppliersAssociationandGasProcessors
Association).[5]

Functionofthereboiler
Therichglycolleavingtheabsorbermustberegeneratedtoahighpuritysothatitcanberecirculatedtotheabsorbertocontinueitsdehydrationfunction.Theregenerationis
accomplishedinthereboilerandthestillcolumnabovethereboiler.
Therichglycolispreheatedthroughheatexchangewiththeregeneratedglycolandentersthetopofthestillatatmosphericpressure.Byheatingtheglycolinthestilland
reboilertonearitsboilingpoint,theglycolreleasesvirtuallyalloftheabsorbedwaterandanyothercompoundsandisthencooledforreuse.Theheatisusuallysupplied
throughafiretubeinthereboilerinwhichnaturalgasisburned.Thefiretubeisalwayssubmergedintheglycolbyhavingtheglycolflowingfromthereboileroveraweiror
pipe,whichishigherthanthetopofthefiretube.

Waterdewpointdepression
Waterdewpointisthetemperatureatanygivenpressureatwhichthenaturalgasissaturatedwithwater.Becausesalesgasgenerallyhasamaximumwatercontentspecification
inmassperunitvolume(e.g.,4lbm/MMscf),itisnecessarytodeterminefromFig.1thedewpointtemperatureatthecontactorpressure.Forexample,ifthetreatingpressure
were1,000psia,thenthedewpointtemperaturefor4lbm/MMscfwouldbeabout18F.Ifthetreatingpressurewere500psia,thedewpointtemperaturewouldbeabout5F.
Theoverallobjectiveofdehydrationistoremoveasufficientamountofwaterfromthenaturalgassothatthespecificationformaximumallowablewatercontentinthetreated
gasismet.Ifthegashasnotbeenprocessed,thenthegasenteringtheglycolcontactorisfullysaturatedwithwateratthepressureandtemperatureoftheseparatoraheadofthe
contactor.Thedewpointdepressiontoachieveistheloweringofthedewpointtemperaturefromtheseparatortemperaturetoatemperatureattheseparatorpressurewherethe
watercontentmeetsthespecifiedlimitforthedehydratedgas.Thenextexampleshowsthedifferenceindewpointdepressionandtheamountofwatertoberemovedper
MMscf,ifthegasisenteringtheglycolcontactorat90Fandat1,000psiaorat500psia.Thewatercontentspecificationinthisexampleis4lbmperMMscfforthetreatedgas.
Examplesofwaterdewpointdepressionfortwooperatingpressuresareshownat90F.
Watercontentat1,000psiaand90F=45lbm/MMscf(Fig.1).
Dewpointtemperaturefor4lbm/MMscfand1,000psia=18F(Fig.1).
Watertoremove=454=41lbm/MMscf.
Dewpointdepression=90F18F=72F.
Watercontentat500psiaand90F=78lbm/MMscf.
Dewpointtemperaturefor4lbm/MMscfand500psia=5F.
Watertoberemoved=784=74lbm/MMscf.
Dewpointdepression=90F5F=85F.
Fig.6providesacorrelationoftheequilibriumwaterdewpointwhengasisincontactwithtriethyleneglycolofvariouspuritiesatdifferentcontactingtemperatures.6Inactual
operations,equilibriumisnotachievedonanytray.Toenhancethetransferrateofthewaterfromthegastotheglycol,anapproachtemperaturetoequilibriumof10to20Fis
usedindesigningglycoldehydrationunits.Forexample,assuminga10Fapproachisrealistic,toachievethedewpointtemperatureof18Fat1,000psiacontactingpressure,an
equilibriumdewpointof8F(18Fminus10Fapproach)isusedinthedesignoftheglycoldehydrationunit.Ata90Fcontactingtemperature,theglycolpuritymustbeabout
98.8%toachievethisequilibriumdewpoint,accordingtoFig.6.Atacontactingpressureof500psiaand90Fontheotherhand,theglycolpuritymustbeabout99.3%to
depressthewaterdewpointto5Fwithanapproachof10F.Thelowerthewaterdewpointtemperaturerequirementisforthetreatedgas,thehighertheglycolpurityhastobe.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_206_Image_0001.png)
Fig.6Equilibriumwaterdewpointvs.
temperatureatvariousTEGconcentrations
(afterEngineeringDataBookofGasProcessors
SuppliersAssociationandGasProcessors
Association).[5]

Glycolregeneration
Thedegreeofwaterremovalfromnaturalgasbyglycol,orthedepressionofthewaterdewpointofthegas,dependsoncertainconditions:

Glycolpurity
Glycolcirculationrate(uptoacertainlimit)
Numberofcontactingstages(trays)orpackingheight
Amountofwaterintheinletgas,whichdependsonthepressureandtemperatureofthegas
Theseparametersmustbeconsideredatthedesignstageofthecontactor,inadditiontothemaximumrate,pressure,andtemperatureofthegas.Thehighertheglycolpurity,the
moreeffectiveisthedewpointtemperaturedepression.Iftheglycolpurityisinsufficient,increasingtheglycolcirculationratewillnotnecessarilyachievethedesired
dehydrationofthegas.

Glycolpurityenhancementmethods
Insomeoperatingsituations,ahighglycolpurityisrequiredthatcannotbeachievedbythetemperatureintheglycolreboileralone.Thereareseveralwaysofenhancingthe
purityoftheglycolbeyondwhatisachievedinthereboiler.[5]Onesuchmethodistheapplicationofasmallamountofstrippinggasintheregeneratingsection.Fig.7showsthe
effectofusingstrippinggastoenhancethepurityoftheleanglycolsolution.[5]Strippinggasissimplyasmallstreamofnaturalgasthatisflowedintothehotglycol.Theflow
ofthisgasisusuallyregulatedmanuallywithasmallneedlevalveandismeasuredbymeansofasmallrotameter.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_207_Image_0001.png)
Fig.7EffectofstrippinggasonTEG
concentration(afterEngineeringDataBookof
GasProcessorsSuppliersAssociationandGas
ProcessorsAssociation).[5]

Thereareacoupleofwaysofflowingthisgasintothehotglycol.Onewayissimplytoflowthegasintotheglycolbelowtheoverflowlinefromthereboilertothesurgedrum
ordirectlyintotheglycolinthereboilervesselthroughaperforatedpipebelowthefiretube.Theotherwayistoinstallasmallpackedcolumnbetweenthereboilerandthe
surgedrumandadmitthegasatthebaseofthiscolumn.Bycontactingthehotglycolwithnaturalgas,anadditionalsmallamountofwaterisstrippedfromtheglycolintothe
gas,increasingthepurityoftheleanglycol.Ifapackedcolumnisusedasacontactingmeansbetweentheglycolandthestrippinggas,thestrippingefficiencyisconsiderably
improved,asseeninFig.7.
Thestrippinggasthatisaddedtotheglycolintheregenerationsectionisemittedintotheatmospherewiththereleasedwatervapor,unlessthevaporsfromthestillcolumnsare
routedtoaheateroranincineratororarecapturedbyacompressorandrecompressed.

Componentsoftheglycolcirculatingsystem
Theglycolcirculatingpump
Thecirculationofglycolisdonewithareciprocatingpump.Thepumpisdrivenby:
Anelectricmotor
Naturalgaspressure
Highpressure,richglycolreturningfromthecontactor
Electricmotordrivenpumpsareusuallyemployedincentraldehydrationfacilitieswhereelectricpowerisavailable.Infieldinstallations,anaturalgaspoweredpumpora
glycolpoweredpumpcanbeused.Inthelattercase,thehighpressure,richglycol,withtheassistanceofasmallamountofhighpressuregas,flowingoutofthecontactor,is
usedtoprovidethepowerneededtostrokethepump.Therequiredpumprateinfielddehydrationunitsisusuallysmall.Therefore,asingleplungerpumpisnormallyused.
Whenthegasrateislarge,duplexortriplexpumpsareused.
Themainproblemswithglycolpumpsareleaksthroughthepackingaroundtheplunger,aswellasstickingcheckvalves.Ifthepackingglandnutistightenedtoomuch,therod
maygetscored.Usually,asmallpanisplacedunderthepumportheplungerportionofthepumptocontaintheleakedglycol.

Heatexchange
Becauseglycolmustberelativelycoolwhenenteringtheabsorberandisheatedtonearitsboilingtemperatureforregeneration,theliquidiscontinuouslysubjectedtoheating
andcooling.Tominimizetheuseofenergyintheregenerationoftheglycolathightemperature,severalheatexchangeopportunitiesarebuiltintomostglycolcirculating
systems.Heatexchangeusuallyoccursincertainlocations:
Coilinthetopofthereboilerstill
Coilinthesurgetankorseparateheatexchangerbetweenrichandleanglycol
Pipeinpipeheatexchangeraheadoftheglycolabsorberoracoilinthetopoftheabsorber
Insomecases,anadditionalheatexchangerisnecessarytoexchangeheatwithair,tocooltheleanglycolaheadofthecontactor.Itisnecessarytolimitthetemperatureofthe
leanglycoltoonlyafewdegreesabovethetemperatureofthegastoincreasetheabsorptionofthewaterbyglycol.Toohighaglycoltemperaturereducesthetransferofwater
fromthegastotheglycol,andthewaterdewpointmaynotbemet.Thisisfrequentlytheprobleminsummeroperations,inwhichthegasisdehydratedaftercompression.On
hotdays,theglycol,aswellasthegas,mightbeabovenormaltemperatures.Usually,byexchangingheatwiththedriedgasthroughadoublepipeexchangerorthroughacoilin
thetopofthecontactorinsmallunits,thetemperatureoftheglycolisadjustedtoafewdegreesabovethetemperatureofthegasleavingthecontactor.

Filters
Itisveryimportanttomaintaintheglycolinascleanaconditionaspossible.Forthisreason,filtersarealwaysincorporatedinaglycolcirculatingsystem.Thesefiltersare
usuallyparticulatefiltersandcarbonfilters.

Theparticulatefiltersareintendedtoremovesolidsdowntoa5mdiameter.Solidscanoccurfromcorrosionintheglycolsystem.Carbonfiltersaredesignedtoremove
dissolvedimpurities,suchascompressoroilorcondensatefromtheglycolsolution.Particulatefiltersareusuallyinstalledontherichglycolsideandareinoperationallthe
time.Carbonfiltersmaybebypassedmostofthetime,ifthereisnodissolvedhydrocarbonintheglycol.Impuritiesintheglycolsolutionmightpromotefoaminginthe
contactororstill.

Surgedrum
Becausetheglycolthatisbeingcirculatedmightnotalwaysflowevenlyatthesameratethroughoutthesystem,avessel,thesurgedrum,isrequiredthatcanhandleanysurges
inthecirculationrate.Thereboileralwayscontainsaliquidlevelabovethefiretube.Glycollevelsintheabsorberorflashtankareessentiallyconstantbutmightfluctuate
slightly.Thus,thereisaneedforavesselthatcanabsorbslighttemporarydifferencesincirculationflowbetweenthevariousvessels,aswellasthethermalexpansionofthe
glycoluponstartup.
Thesurgedrumisusuallylocatedbelowthereboileroratleastatalevelbelowtheglycolinthereboiler.Theglycollevelinthesurgedrumisimportantbecauseinsome
instancesthereisaheatexchangecoilinthesurgedrum,asexplainedearlier.Thelevelofglycolinthesurgedrumshouldbeaboutatthetwothirdsfulllevel.Theliquidlevel
inthesurgedrumisanitemthatisusuallycheckedbytheoperators.Ifthelevelislowerthannormal,thismightbethefirstindicationoftrouble,suchas:
Highglycollosseswiththetreatedgas
Losseswiththevaporsleavingthereboilerstill
Holdupinoneofthevessels
Leaksinthepiping

Strainer
Astrainershouldalwaysbeinstalledupstreamofthesuctionoftheglycolpump.Theglycolstrainerensuresthatnosolidparticlesenterintotheglycolpump.Themainproblem
withsolidsenteringthepumpisthattheymightlodgeinthesuctionordischargevalvesandpreventthepumpfrompumpingatmaximumefficiency.

Glycolflashtank
Whenevergasisincontactwithaliquidatelevatedpressures,suchasnaturalgasandglycolinthecontactor,someofthegasphysicallydissolvesintheliquid.Thegreaterthe
contactingpressure,themoregasdissolvesintheliquid.Thus,somenaturalgasdissolvesintheglycolintheabsorberinadditiontothewatervapor.Whentheglycolreaches
theflashtank,itstemperaturehasbeenraisedthroughthecoilinthereboilerstill,andthepressureintheflashtankisatamuchlowerlevel,generallybetween15to50psig,
thanthepressureinthecontactor.Inlightofthesechangedconditionsofpressureandtemperaturebetweentheabsorberandflashtank,mostofthedissolvedgasesevolvefrom
theglycolintheflashtank.
Onlargersystems,theglycolflashtankcanbedesignedasathreephaseseparatortohelpremoveanycondensatethatbecomesentrainedintheglycol.Thisbulkseparator
increasestheoperatinglifeofthedownstreamfilters.

Glycolpiping
Allthevesselsthroughwhichglycoliscirculatedareinterconnectedwithsteelpiping.Glycolisasubstancethatispronetoleakthroughthreadedconnectionsinpiping,aswell
asthroughthepackingonglycolpumpplungers.Forthisreason,someoperatorspreferweldedpipingratherthanthreadedpipingfortheglycolsystem.Thereare,however,
manythreadedglycolsystemsthathaveprovidedleakfreeservice.
Becausethepumprateisusuallysmall,thepipinginmostfieldinstallationsisofsmalldiameter.Itisimportanttocheckthepipingforleaksandtorepairthemassoonas
possible.

Instrumentationandcontrols
Mostglycoldehydrationunitsaresufficientlyautomatedthattheycanoperateunattended.Thedegreeofautomaticcontroloftheequipmentcanvaryconsiderablyanddepends
largelyonthespecificationsbytheownercompany.Thediscussioninthissectionhighlightsthemaincontrolpoints,whichmaybeconsideredastheminimumcontrolofa
dehydrationunit.Thecontrolsrelatemainlyto:
Gasflow
Temperatures
Pressures
Glycolcirculation
Leanglycolconcentration
Pressuregaugesshouldbeinstalled:
onallvessels,includingthereboiler
onthedischargesideofthepump
Similarly,thermometersshouldbeinstalledonallvessels,aswellasaheadandafterallheatexchangeequipmentonbothcoldandhotlines.

Controlofgasflow
Gasflowisusuallycontrolledwithaflowcontrolvalveupstreamoftheinletseparator.Theoperatorcansettheflowtoacertainrate.Ifthesetrateisnotmet,thenthevalve
opensfullyandallowstheavailablegasflowtoentertheseparatorandthecontactor.Downstreamofthecontactor,theremaybeameter,whichmetersthegasflow,orthe
metermayalsobelocatedupstreamoftheseparator.Atsomepointdownstreamofthecontactor,thereusuallyisabackpressurevalve.Thisvalveensuresthatthepressurein
thecontactorissteadywithoutabruptchanges.Thepressureissetabovethedownstreamlinepressuretoensuresteadyoperationofthecontactor.

Leanglycolcirculationrate
Toachievetherequiredwaterdewpointdepression,itisnecessarytocirculateacertainamountofleanglycolperpoundofwatertoberemovedfromthegas.Therateofglycol
circulationdependsonseveralconditions,whichareallinterrelated.Theseconditionsare:
leanglycolpurity,afterregeneration,whichdependsonthereboilertemperatureandwhetherornotstrippinggasisused,withzerooronestagecontactingforthe
strippinggas
Watercontentofthegas,whichdependsongastemperatureandpressureintheinletseparator
Numberofactualtrays(orequivalentpackingheight)inthecontactor
Designapproachtemperatureinthecontactor
Ingeneral,acirculationrateof3to5galofleanglycolperpoundofwatertoberemovedfromthegasisrequired.Iftheglycolpurityisnotsufficientlyhigh,anylarger
circulationratemightnotgivethenecessarydewpointdepression.

Usuallythereisanattempttomatchthecirculationratetoneartheminimumrequiredratetoachievethenecessarydrying.Overcirculationhasdisadvantages:
Heatloadontheregeneratorisincreased,requiringmorefuelgasconsumption
Leanglycolreturningtothecontactorisatahighertemperaturebecauseoflessefficientheattransfer
morehydrocarbonsareabsorbed,especiallycompoundssuchasbenzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,andxylene(BETX),ifthesecompoundsarepresentinthegas
additionalacidgasisabsorbed,ifsourgasisbeingdehydrated
Becausethereisconcernabouttheabsorptionofothercompoundsbesideswater,aswellasforenergyefficiency,theglycolcirculationrateshouldbesettoremovetherequired
wateronly.Infieldinstallations,usinggasdrivenpumps,thepumpsaresettotherequiredpumpratebyagascontrolvalve.Thisisusuallyamanuallyoperatedneedlevalve.
Themanufacturerofthepumpprovidesachartforthepumpthatshowsthepumprateinvolumetricunitspertimevs.thenumberofstrokesoftheplungerperminute.

Reboilertemperature
Thetemperatureoftheglycolinthereboilerdetermineslargelythepuritytowhichtheglycolisregenerated.However,thereisalimitonthetemperaturetowhichtheglycolcan
beheated.Thislimitisafewdegreesbelowthedecompositiontemperature,asshowninTable1,becauseabovethistemperature,theglycolmoleculebreaksdown.Inlightof
this,thenormaltemperatureinwhichTEGisheatedinthereboilerisabout380to390F.Thistemperaturerangeresultsinaleanglycolpurityofjustunder99%onamass
basis,theother1%beingwater.
Thus,itisveryimportanttocontrolthereboilertemperaturetotherangeof380to390Forsomeotherrangethatprovidesadequateregenerationoftherichglycol.Inmost
glycoldehydrationunits,theheatforregenerationissuppliedbyburningasmallamountofthegasinafiretubeinthereboilervessel.Thesizeofthisvesselisdeterminedby
themaximumdesignrateofglycolcirculation,andthesizeofthefiretubeitselfisdesignedforalimitontheheatfluxfromthefirethroughthesteeltubetotheglycolonthe
shellsideofthefiretube.Thelargerthefiretube,theloweristheheattransferrateperunitarea.Theflameshouldbeburningalongmostofthetube,asopposedtoanintense
flameatthefrontoftheburner.Thefiretubeshouldbedesignedforaheattransferratepersquarefootoffiretubenogreaterthan7,000Btu/h.[8]
Athermowelllocatedintheshellofthereboilerandimmersedintheglycolisequippedwithatemperatureregulatorthatcontrolstheinstrumentgassupplytoacontrolvalveon
thefuelgassupplylinetotheburner.Bysettingtheregulatoratthedesiredtemperature,thegasflowtotheburnerisautomaticallycontrolled,resultinginanarrowoperating
temperaturerangeforthereboiler.Apilotlightignitesthegastothemainburnerwhenthecontrollerallowsthegastoflow.Thereboilercontrolsalsoincludeahigh
temperatureshutdownandashutdownofthefuelsupplyincaseofpilotlightfailure.
Mostglycolreboilersareequippedwithaflamearrestorattheairinlettotheburner.Theflamearrestorconsistsofatightlywoundmetalsheet,withsufficientspacebetween
thewoundmetaltoallowsufficientairthroughthearrestorintotheburner.Ifanexternalsourceofflammablevaporsissuckedinwiththeairthroughtheflamearrestor,such
vaporswillnotigniteoutsideoftheflamearrestor,asthetemperatureofthegasiscooledbelowtheignitionpoint,thuspreventingabackflashorexplosion.

Liquidlevelcontrols
Themainliquidlevelofconcernisthelevelofthecondensedliquidsintheinletseparator.Thisvesselcanbeatwophaseorathreephaseseparator.Itisveryimportantthatno
condensedliquidflowswiththegasintothecontactor.Ifcondensateorsaltwatergetsintothecontactor,theresultcouldbefoamingordepositsofsaltoccurringonthefire
tube.Heavyhydrocarbonswilleventuallygumupthepackinginthereboilercolumnorplugthefilter.Flashingofhydrocarbonsinthestillcoulddamagethepackinginthestill
column.Inlightofthis,mostglycolunitsareequippedwithhighlevelalarmsandshutdowns,whichactivatewhentheliquidlevelisexceededintheinletseparator.
Theglycollevelinthecontactorisalsoimportant,asanyincreaseinlevelabovethegasinletpipecanresultininterruptionofcirculationofglycolbecauseofinsufficientglycol
returns.Bothliquidlevels,intheinletseparatorandthecontactor,arecontrolledbyconventionalliquidlevelfloatsandoutletvalves.
Whereaflashtankisemployed,itisagainimportanttoensurethattheleveloftheglycolbemaintainedatasetlevel.Theliquidoutletvalvemustbethethrottlingtype,as
opposedtosnapacting,toensureasmoothandsteadyflowofrichglycoltotheregenerator.Theglycollevelinthesurgedrumshouldbeatabout2/3to3/4full.Insmallunits,
theheatexchangercoilisinthesurgedrumandhastobetotallysubmersedtobeeffectiveinheattransfer.

Pressureandtemperatureindicators
Allvesselsareusuallyequippedwithpressuregauges,aswellaspressurereliefvalves.Anoperatorcheckingtheoperationoftheglycolunitcanquicklyseethepressureat
whicheachvesselisoperating.Thesamecannot,inmanyinstances,besaidaboutthetemperature,especiallyintheglycollinesupstreamanddownstreamofeachheat
exchanger.Ampleinstallationofdialthermometersontheglycollinesishelpfulbutlackinginmanycases.Thermometersareusuallyinstalledintheinletseparatorandthe
reboiler.Asaminimum,additionalthermometersshouldbeinstalledontheglycollineaheadofthecontactoraftertheheatexchangerandaheadofthereboilerstill.Ideally,dial
thermometersareinstalledonalllinesenteringandleavingtheheatexchangeequipment.

Contractordesignconsiderations
Whilethecontactorprovidestheintimatecontactbetweenthegasandtheglycol,italsomusthaveadiametersufficientlylargethatthereisseparationbetweenthegasand
liquidphases.Thegasflowsupward,andanyliquidglycoldropletsthatmightformmustbeabletofalldownthroughthegasstream.Thebasicequationrequiresthe
determinationofthemaximumsuperficialgasvelocityinthetower.Thecontactortowersareequippedwithamistextractorinstalledatthetopofthetower.Thesuppliersof
packinghavethecorrelationsforpackingheightpertheoreticalstage.
Theallowablesuperficialgasvelocityinthetowerusingbubblecaptraysisdeterminedby[5]
(/File%3AVol3_page_211_eq_001.PNG).........................(1)Thedensityofthegasatcontactorconditionofpressureandtemperatureisdeterminedby

(/File%3AVol3_page_211_eq_002.PNG).........................(2)
TheinternaldiameterofthevesselisapproximatedbyEq.3,onthebasisoftheallowablegasvelocityinthevessel,asdeterminedbyEq.1.
(/File%3AVol3_page_211_eq_003.PNG).........................(3)
Designengineersmakeuseoftheseformulas,withproprietaryadjustments,todeterminethediameterformaximumgasflowthroughtheabsorber.Theheightofthevesselis
determinedby:
Numberoftheoreticalstagesusedinthedesign
Spacingbetweenthetrays
Relationshipbetweenthetheoreticalstagesandthenumberofactualtraysorpackingheight
Additionally,thereisspaceprovidedbelowthebottomtrayandabovethetoptrayfordisengagingbetweenthegasandtheglycol.Astainlesssteelmeshmisteliminatoris
installednearthetopofthevessel.Thecontactorsarealsodesignedtoverystringentcodes,withrespecttoshellthicknessrequirementrelatedtothemaximumoperating
pressurerating.Theseitemsarestampedonaplateattachedtoeachcontactor.

Waterdewpointdetermination
Itisalwaysofinteresttoknowthatthedehydrationunitisperformingasrequiredandthattheexitgasmeetsthenecessarydewpointspecification.Ifthegashastomeetsales
gasrequirementsforwatercontent,thedewpointtemperaturethathastobemetattheoperatingpressureofthecontactorcanbeobtainedfromFig.1.Thismerelyallowsthe
operatortodeterminetheappropriatedewpointtemperature.Todeterminetheactualdewpointtemperature,adewpointtesterinstrumentisusuallyused.
Beforeelectronicinstrumentswerecommonplace,thewaterdewpointofnaturalgaswasusuallydeterminedwithaUSBureauofMinesdewpointtester.Currently,thereare
severaldifferenttypesofelectronicinstrumentsonthemarketthatdeterminetheamountofwaterinthegas,asopposedtodeterminingthecondensationtemperatureofthe
water.Suchinstrumentsneedverycleangastofunctionproperly.Aslipstreamistakenofthegastobetestedandisusuallyfilteredtoremoveanyimpurities.
Onebrandofelectronicdewpointtestersmakesuseofametaloxidelayerthatadsorbswatermolecules.Bymeasuringtheelectricalimpedanceacrosstheadsorbedmetaloxide
surface,areadingoftheamountofadsorbedwaterisobtained.Theamountofadsorbedwaterisinbalancewiththesmallamountofwaterinthesurroundinggas.Thus,adirect
readoutisobtainedofthemoisturecontentofthegasbeingtested.

Normaloperationchecklist
Whileglycoldehydrationunitsaredesignedtooperateunattended,periodicinspectionoftheequipmentanditsoperationisnecessary.Allitemslistednextshouldbechecked.
Checkthestillcolumnvent.Watervaporsshouldbevisible.Thereshouldbenopressureonthereboiler.Ensurethatthereisnoicebuildupinwinter.
Checktheleanglycoltemperaturesacrossallheatexchangersandinthereboiler.
Checkthepumpoperation,strokesperminute,andlubricationoil.
Checktheoperationoftheglycolfilterforpressuredrop.Changethefilterifnecessary.
Checktheglycollevelinthesurgedrum.Addmakeupglycolifnecessary.
Checkthestrippinggasrate.Adjustrateasrequired.
Checktheliquidlevelsintheinletseparator,contactor,andflashtank.
Drainanyfluidfromthefuelgasscrubber.
Checktheoperationoftheburnerinthefiretube.Checksightglasstoensureitisnotbrokenandgasketisingoodshapecleanifnecessary.
Checkequipmentforliquidleaks,andrepairifrequired.

Troublediagnosis
Glycoldehydratorsusuallyoperatetroublefree.However,therearesomeproblemareasthatcanoccasionallyoccur.

Foaming
Oneofthemoreseriousproblemsisfoaming.Thecauseoffoamingisusuallydifficulttodetermine.However,ifthesolutionisnotcontinuouslycleanedbyfiltration,certain
materialscancausefoaming.Oneofthemorecommoncausesoffoamingisentrainedhydrocarbonliquids.Itisessentialthattheinletseparatorprovidegoodseparation
betweencondensedliquidsandgasgoingtothecontactor.Antifoamagentisusuallyatemporarysolution,andtherealproblemmustbeidentifiedandcorrected.

Corrosion
Corrosionisusuallycausedbydegradationproductsintheglycol,whichcanbegeneratedbytoohighaskintemperatureofthefiretubeinthereboiler.

Notmeetingwaterdewpoint
Therecanbemanyreasonsfornotmeetingtherequiredwaterdewpointdepression.Thefirststepistocheckthewaterdewpointtemperaturewithadewpointtester.Ahigh
waterdewpointcanbecausedby:
Gasinlettemperaturehigherthandesign.
Gasinletpressurelowerthandesign,combinedwithnormalorhighertemperature.
Insufficientglycolcirculationowingtotoolowapumprateoralowglycollevelinthesurgedrum,checkvalvesonsuctionordischargeofpumpnotholding,orsuction
strainerplugged.
Insufficientglycolregenerationbecauseofatoolowreboilertemperature,highwaterininletseparatorcarryingwaterintoabsorber,aleakintherich/leanglycol
exchanger,insufficientstrippinggas,orfouledstrippingcolumnpacking.
Foaminginabsorber:checkliquidlevelininletseparator,placecharcoalfilterinservice,ortemporarilycutbackthroughput,ifnecessary.

Environmentalconcerns
Upontheregenerationoftherichglycoltoleanglycol,thewaterthatwasabsorbedinthecontactorisreleasedintheregenerator,andinthepastwasventedintotheatmosphere.
Unfortunately,theglycolnotonlyabsorbswaterinthecontactor,italsophysicallyabsorbshydrocarbonsandacidgas.Theabsorptivityofparaffinichydrocarbons,suchas
methane,ethane,etc.isnotgreat.However,thearomatichydrocarbonssuchasbenzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,andxylene(BTEX)aremoreeasilyabsorbed.Theproblemwith
thesevaporsisthattheyareconsideredcarcinogenic,andallcontributetoatmosphericpollution.

GlycoldehydratorBTEXandVOCemissioncontrol
ThequantityofBTEXandvolatileorganiccompounds(VOC)emittedfromnaturalgasprocessingfacilitieshasbecomeamajorenvironmentalconcernoverthepastdecade.[9]
Withpassageofthe1990amendmentstotheCleanAirActintheUnitedStatesandsimilarregulationsintherestoftheworld,severalregulatoryprogramswereestablishedto
controlBTEXandVOCemissionsfromthestillventofglycoldehydrationsystems.
Mostenvironmentalregulationsthatwerepromulgatedhavefocusedontwomainareasthataffectedtheoilandgasindustry.ThefirstareawasthereductionofVOCand
nitrousoxide(NOx)emissions,whichwereknowntoreacttogetherinthepresenceofsunlightandcreatewhatiscommonlyreferredtoassmog.Thesecondareawasalistof
hazardousairpollutants(HAP)thatweretobecontrolled,mostofwhichwerefoundtobecarcinogeniccompounds.AmongthelistofHAPwerethefourBTEXcompounds,
whicharecommonlyfoundinnaturalgasstreams.
Tominimizeemissionsofthesevaporstotheatmosphere,severalemissioncontrolprocesseshavebeendevelopedbythegasindustry.[10]Onesuchmethodistorecover
condensablecompoundsandtousetheremainingvaporsaspartofthefuelgassupplytothereboiler.Fig.8illustratestheprocessequipment.Thevaporsemittedfromthe
glycolreboilerstillcolumnarecooledinanaturalorforceddraftaircoolertotemperaturesbelow120F.Thecondensedliquidsarecollectedinasmalltwophaseseparatorand
pumpedbackintotheprocesssystemforrecoveryofsaleablehydrocarbonliquids.Noncondensablegasfromthetwophaseseparatorisburnedintheglycolreboilerfireboxto
reducefuelgasconsumptionandtoachieveanoverallminimumdestructionefficiencyof99.7%.

(/File%3AVol3_Page_214_Image_0001.png)
Fig.8Schematicdrawingofreboilervapor
conservationequipment.

Itisimportantthatallemissioncontroldevicesbeengineeredwithpropercontrolsforsafeoperation.Safetycontrolsshouldbeusedasaminimum.Alevelsafetyhigh(LSH)
shouldbeinstalledonthetwophaseseparatortopreventcondensedhydrocarbonliquidsfromgoingintothereboilerfirebox,ifthecondensedliquidpumpfails.Aninlineflash
arrestorshouldbeinstalledinthenoncondensablegaspipingtopreventflamepropagationfromthereboilerfireboxbackintotheBTEXsystem.Apressuresafetyvalve(PSV)
shouldbeinstalledontheglycolreboileroremissioncontroldevicetoprotectthesystemfromoverpressure.Blockandbleedvalvesshouldbeinstalledinthenoncondensable
gaspipingtoprotecttheglycolreboilerduringahightemperaturesituation.
GTIhassponsoredresearchintheareaofemissioncontrolsfromglycolunits.[11][12]Acomputerprogramhasbeendevelopedthatisdesignedinparttoestimatetheamountof
BTEXabsorbedinaconventionalglycolunit.TheprogramiscalledGLYCalcandisavailablefromGTIatanominalcost.

Nomenclature
d =
K=
P=
Q=
T =
V=
z =
=

internaldiameter,inches
coefficient
pressure,psia
gasflowrate,MMscf/d
absolutetemperature,R
superficialgasvelocity,ft/sec
gascompressibilityfactor,dimensionless
gasspecificgravity(air=1)

= density,lbm/ft3

References
1.1.01.1McKetta,J.J.andWehe,A.H.1958.UseThisChartforWaterContentofNaturalGases.PetroleumRefiner(August):153.
2.2.02.12.2Olds,R.H.,Sage,B.H.,andLacey,W.N.1942.PhaseEquilibriainHydrocarbonSystems.CompositionoftheDewPointGasoftheMethaneWaterSystem.
Ind.Eng.Chem.34(10):12231227.http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ie50394a018(http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ie50394a018).
3.GasConditioningFactBook.1962.Toronto:DowChemicalofCanadaLtd.
4.Ballard,D.1966.HowtoOperateaGlycolPlant.HydrocarbonProcessing(June):180.
5.5.05.15.25.35.45.55.6Dehydration.1998.InEngineeringDataBook,11thedition,Secs.19,20,and21.Tulsa,Oklahoma:GasProcessorsSuppliersAssociation/Gas
ProcessorsAssociation.
6.Kean,J.A.,Turner,H.M.,andPrice,B.C.1991.HowPackingWorksinDehydrators.HydrocarbonProcessing(April):47.
7.Holder,M.R.1996.PerformanceTroubleshootingonaTEGDehydrationUnitwithStructuredPacking.Proc.,LaurenceReedGasConditioningConference,Norman,
Oklahoma,p.100112.
8.Grosso,S.1978.GlycolChoiceForGasDehydrationMeritsCloseStudy.Oil&GasJ.76(13February):106.
9.True,W.R.1993.Federal,StateEffortsForceReexaminationofGlycolReboilerEmissions.Oil&GasJ.91(20):28,49.
10.Sivals,C.R.1995.U.S.WillRequireGlycolDehydratorEmissionControl.WorldOil(November):75.
11.Fisher,K.S.etal.1995.GlycolDehydratorEmissionControlImproved.Oil&GasJ.93(9):40.
12.Thompson,P.A.etal.1993.PCProgramEstimatesBTEX,VOCEmissions.Oil&GasJ.(14June):36.

NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
UsethissectiontolistpapersinOnePetrothatareaderwhowantstolearnmoreshoulddefinitelyread

Externallinks
UsethissectiontoprovidelinkstorelevantmaterialonwebsitesotherthanPetroWikiandOnePetro

Seealso
Gastreatingandprocessing(/Gas_treating_and_processing)
Dehydrationwithdeliquescingdessicants(/Dehydration_with_deliquescing_dessicants)
Dehydrationwithrefrigerationandhydratesuppression(/Dehydration_with_refrigeration_and_hydrate_suppression)
Drydessicantdehydration(/Dry_dessicant_dehydration)
Sourgassweetening(/Sour_gas_sweetening)
Gasfacility(/Gas_facility)
PEH:Gas_Treating_and_Processing(/PEH%3AGas_Treating_and_Processing)

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