Adsorbent Dehydration for Natural Gas Processing

Protect molecular sieve dehydration systems from contamination that can impact dehydration performance and downstream operations.

What Is Adsorbent Dehydration?

Adsorbent dehydration is a natural gas processing method used to remove water vapor from natural gas streams. Molecular sieve dehydration systems are commonly used where low water content specifications, cryogenic processing requirements or downstream equipment protection are important.

Because molecular sieve dehydration units rely on adsorbent media to remove moisture, effective contamination control can help support dehydration performance and operational reliability.

Adsorbent Dehydration at a Glance

Removes water vapor from natural gas streams
Uses molecular sieve adsorbent media
Supports low water content specifications

Helps protect downstream processing equipment
Requires effective particulate and liquid contamination control

How Molecular Sieve Dehydration Works

Molecular sieve dehydration helps dry natural gas by removing water from natural gas streams before downstream processing, transportation or storage.

The process typically includes gas-liquid separation, molecular sieve dehydration vessels and downstream filtration technologies designed to help protect equipment and maintain process performance.

Molecular sieve dehydration process flow diagram showing natural gas entering liquid gas separation, molecular sieve dehydration vessels, particulate filtration and downstream gas processing.

Why Contamination Control Matters in Molecular Sieve Dehydration

Molecular sieve dehydration systems can be affected by particulate contamination, liquid hydrocarbon carryover and adsorbent dust. Effective filtration technologies can help support dehydration performance and downstream processing requirements.

Natural Gas Dehydration Unit Requirements

Natural gas dehydration systems commonly require:

Achievement of water quality gas specifications required by downstream operations
Maximized molecular sieve dehydration efficiency and operational performance
Protection of downstream natural gas processing equipment
Reduction of particulate contamination that may affect processing operations
Minimized pressure drop

Molecular Sieve Hydration Challenges and Filtration Solutions

Challenge	Solution
Desiccant bed degradation due to foreign material, such as glycol, amine, lube oil, corrosion inhibitors and solids, coating and plugging the pores of the adsorbent and preventing access to the large interior surface.	Improve your adsorbent dehydration productivity and reliability with effective liquid and solid removal upstream of the desiccant beds to protect against bed degradation and capacity loss. High efficiency SepraSol™ Plus liquid/gas coalescers and Medallion™ HP liquid/gas coalescers provide 99.999% removal at 0.3 microns per the DOP test and 1 ppb downstream per the modified ANSI/CAGI-400-1999 test procedure.
Bed damage due to large ingression of liquid water, causing the bed to fracture.	Protect against introduction of traces or slugs of liquid by capturing the water upstream of the desiccant beds. The SepraSol Plus liquid/gas coalescer assembly has a dual sump provision that accepts most slugs without bypass or loss of removal efficiency. Pall’s full element oleophobically treated SepraSol Plus coalescers also recover very quickly, minimizing the pressure drop across the assembly.
Damage to downstream process equipment due to entrainment of desiccant fines in the dry gas stream.	Protect downstream equipment, such as compressors and catalyst beds through effective solids control downstream of the desiccant beds. The DGF Dry Gas Particulate Filters, such as the Profile Coreless filter, removes desiccant fines and other contaminants from the dry hydrocarbon gas stream before it enters the pipeline, compressor, or catalyst bed.

Challenge

Solution

Desiccant bed degradation due to foreign material, such as glycol, amine, lube oil, corrosion inhibitors and solids, coating and plugging the pores of the adsorbent and preventing access to the large interior surface.

Improve your adsorbent dehydration productivity and reliability with effective liquid and solid removal upstream of the desiccant beds to protect against bed degradation and capacity loss.

High efficiency SepraSol™ Plus liquid/gas coalescers and Medallion™ HP liquid/gas coalescers provide 99.999% removal at 0.3 microns per the DOP test and 1 ppb downstream per the modified ANSI/CAGI-400-1999 test procedure.

Bed damage due to large ingression of liquid water, causing the bed to fracture.

Protect against introduction of traces or slugs of liquid by capturing the water upstream of the desiccant beds.

The SepraSol Plus liquid/gas coalescer assembly has a dual sump provision that accepts most slugs without bypass or loss of removal efficiency.
Pall’s full element oleophobically treated SepraSol Plus coalescers also recover very quickly, minimizing the pressure drop across the assembly.

Damage to downstream process equipment due to entrainment of desiccant fines in the dry gas stream.

Protect downstream equipment, such as compressors and catalyst beds through effective solids control downstream of the desiccant beds.

The DGF Dry Gas Particulate Filters, such as the Profile Coreless filter, removes desiccant fines and other contaminants from the dry hydrocarbon gas stream before it enters the pipeline, compressor, or catalyst bed.

Explore Natural Gas Filtration Solutions

Contamination control technologies can help support molecular sieve dehydration performance and downstream gas processing operations.

Application	Pall Products	Customer Benefits
Desiccant bed protection	SepraSol Plus liquid/gas coalescers Medallion HP liquid/gas coalescer	Productivity, reliability, on-spec water content, and extended desiccant life via maintained dehydrator efficiency and capacity
Downstream protection	MCC1401 style dry gas filter Profile® Coreless dry gas filter	Downstream process reliability by elimination of adsorbent dust

Discuss Your Natural Gas Dehydration Application

Every natural gas processing operation has unique process conditions and contamination control requirements.

Talk with Pall's filtration specialists about protecting molecular sieve dehydration systems and supporting downstream gas processing operations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adsorbent Dehydration

What is adsorbent dehydration?

Adsorbent dehydration is a natural gas processing method used to remove water vapor from gas streams using adsorbent media such as molecular sieves.

What is molecular sieve dehydration?

Molecular sieve dehydration uses porous adsorbent materials to remove moisture from natural gas streams and achieve low water content specifications.

Why is dehydration important in natural gas processing?

Dehydration helps remove water vapor that may affect downstream processing, transportation and storage operations.

What contaminants can affect molecular sieve dehydration systems?

Particulate contamination, liquid hydrocarbons and adsorbent dust may affect molecular sieve dehydration system performance.

Why is filtration used before molecular sieve dehydrators?

Filtration can help reduce contaminants that may impact dehydration efficiency or equipment reliability.

What filtration technologies are used in molecular sieve dehydration?

Natural gas dehydration operations may use liquid gas coalescers, particulate filters and downstream protection filtration technologies.

How do liquid gas coalescers support dehydration systems?

Liquid gas coalescers help remove liquid contaminants and aerosols before gas enters downstream processing equipment.

What products are commonly used to protect molecular sieve beds?

Filtration technologies may be used upstream and downstream of molecular sieve dehydration units to help manage contamination and adsorbent carryover.