Gas Dehydration
Natural gas usually contains significant quantities of water vapor. Small changes
in pressure and/or temperature can cause condensation of this vapor. This can lead
to corrosion and hydrate formation. Therefore the water vapor needs to be removed
before it can be compressed or sent to the application. from many sources. The GENERON®
Membrane System is of simple process technology and utilizes patented GENERON Membrane
Technology.
Membrane Technology is competing against molecular sieve desiccant type PSA (pressure
swing adsorption) systems and liquid glycol absorption systems which are used frequently
but are complex and have high capital, operating, and installation costs, a relatively
high fuel cost and potential environmental issues. Advantages of the Membrane Systems
over both competitive types are:
- No moving parts, and designed for remote unmanned operation
- efficient packaging minimizes space and weight (ideal for offshore applications)
- Optimized process design to maximize total hydrocarbon recovery
- CO2 content can be adjusted to desired specifications
- Easy installation: skidded system can be installed in hours.
In a typical GENERON® membrane system for CO2 or H2S removal the feed gas is filtered to remove particles and liquid condensate. The feed gas is then heated to an optimum operation temperature and ready to enter the GENERON® membrane modules. CO2 gas permeates preferred through the membrane walls. The non-permeated gas remains at pressure and is the high heating value product. The “faster” permeating gases, e.g. CO2 , H2O, H2S, are collected in the permeate.
