How does a glycol dehydration unit work?

The dehydration process is simple—wet gas contacts dry glycol, and the glycol absorbs water from the gas. Wet gas enters the tower at the bottom. Schlumberger glycol dehydration processes remove water vapor from natural gas, which helps prevent hydrate formation and corrosion and maximizes pipeline efficiency.

How does a TEG system work?

What is a TEG Gas Dehydration Unit? To take the water out of natural gas, producers use a liquid called triethylene glycol, also known as TEG. When gas comes into contact with triethylene glycol, the water vapors entrained in the gas are absorbed in the TEG. In effect, the glycol “soaks up” the water.

How does a glycol reboiler work?

From the glycol gas contactor the cool wet glycol passes through a coil (reflux condenser) in the top of the reboiler still column. The coil cools the vapors leaving the still column and condenses the glycol vapors to liquid. The water remains as a vapor and continues on out the top of the still column.

What is TEG dehydration unit?

What Is a TEG Gas Dehydration Unit? A triethylene glycol (TEG) gas dehydration system is a setup used to eliminate water vapor from newly recovered natural gas. This drying equipment utilizes liquid triethylene glycol as its dehydrating agent to pull out water from a stream of natural gas flowing over it.

What is glycol operation?

The glycol removes water from the natural gas by physical absorption and is carried out the bottom of the column. This step is necessary as the absorber is typically operated at high pressure and the pressure must be reduced before the regeneration step.

What is the role of the contactor in a glycol dehydration unit?

The purpose of a glycol contactor is to remove water from a natural gas stream. When natural gas is produced, it typically contains a large amount of water that can be saturated or is at the water dew point.

What is glycol used for offshore?

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is widely used by the oil and gas markets in wellheads and pipelines to prevent hydrate formation at pipeline conditions. In offshore deepwater gas production facilities, where the exposure to lower temperatures in subsea pipelines is common, MEG is used for hydrate inhibition.

What is the purpose of glycol?

Glycol is a water-miscible coolant that is frequently used in heat transfer and cooling applications. It provides better heat transfer parameters than water, and can be mixed with water to provide a variety of heat transfer characteristics. Glycol comes in two varieties: ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.

What is glycol used for?

What is a glycol contactor?

The purpose of a glycol contactor is to remove water from a natural gas stream. When natural gas is produced, it typically contains a large amount of water that can be saturated or is at the water dew point. Triethylene glycol (TEG) is the typical choice in an absorption vessel to remove water. …

What is the purpose of the glycol contactor?

The purpose of a glycol contactor is to remove water from a natural gas stream. When natural gas is produced, it typically contains a large amount of water that can be saturated or is at the water dew point. Natural gas that contains enough water can cause problems with downstream separations and equipment.

How much water is needed for glycol dehydration?

Normally, between 20 to 115 lbs of water per MMSCF of gas must be removed before the required dew point of the gas is met. The schematics in Figures 2-14 and 2-15 show the flow through a typical glycol dehydration system. The glycol dehydration process can be discussed in two parts:

How does the glycol in the contactor tower help prevent dehydration?

Prevent gas from exceeding equilibrium temperature Dry glycol from the glycol gas heat exchanger enters the contactor tower and flows across the top tray. This is the first contact between the glycol and gas. Glycol flows downward through downcomers in the tower, absorbing more water as it passes across each tray.

Why is flash separator used in glycol dehydration process?

The insertion of a flash-separator-condenser system into the process is valuable adaption for the treatment of natural gas streams from tight formation because of the content of hydrocarbon constituents that are higher molecular weight than methane ( Table 7.4 ).

Where does dry glycol go after it enters the absorber?

The dry gas then flows through a glycol cooler to cool the hot regenerated glycol before the glycol enters the absorber. The dry glycol, on the other hand, flows down the tower, absorbs water from the up flowing gas mixture, and exits at the bottom of the absorber as rich glycol.