Natural Gas Dryer FAQs

Deliquescent desiccants rely on the principle of chemical absorption, where water molecules in the vapor state form bonds with the desiccant materials and slowly form a liquid.

Desiccants such as molecular sieves, activated alumina, and silica gel rely on the principle of adsorption, where water molecules in the vapor state adhere to the porous solid surface of the desiccant.

GasDry deliquescent desiccants are tablets, comparable in size and shape to household water softeners.

Adsorbent desiccants are small spherical beads. Adsorbent desiccants used in air and gas dehydration processes are typically regenerated.

Deliquescent desiccants are non-regenerable. The solution produced during the dehydration process is periodically drained from the dryer vessel for disposal.

• Preventing fuel line and control gas freeze-ups
• Meeting pipeline moisture specifications
• Preventing hydrate formation
• Reducing emissions from traditional TEG dehydrators
• Minimizing expertise required from operators and service technicians
• Delivering reliably dry gas at remote locations

GasDry deliquescent desiccants are prized for the simplicity of their application. A desiccant gas dryer has no moving parts, except for a drain valve, and requires no power for operation. This means that deliquescent desiccants are ideal for remote gas drying applications.

GasDry deliquescent desiccants are often used to dry fuel gas for compressors, generating sets, turbines, heaters, and other gas-fired equipment at remote locations where untreated natural gas is relied on as a fuel source.

Desiccants from Van Gas Technologies are also used to dry small flows of instrument and control gas.

In many cases, GasDry desiccants are used to dry sales gas and meet pipeline moisture specifications.

Owners of small residential natural gas wells can affordably dehydrate gas with minimal expertise and expense.

Unlike TEG dehydrators, deliquescent desiccant dehydration systems use no fuel gas, have no pumps, or burners, and produce no emissions. No special operator expertise is required.

Desiccant dehydration systems are often applied in environmentally sensitive locations to eliminate emissions that would otherwise be produced by a TEG, PSA & TSA, or membrane system.

Keep in mind that the term “pressure dew point” is commonly misused in the natural gas industry. Pressure dew point is the temperature when condensation begins at line pressure. The measurement of water vapor in terms of pounds per million standard cubic feet (#/MMSCF) is not a pressure dew point. A moisture content measure measurement in #/MMSCF does not tell you at what temperature water will condense at line pressure. Pressure dew point is the measurement that conveys this information and is therefore often more useful in analyzing fuel gas and instrument gas dehydration applications, where preventing condensation is the goal.

Consumption rates will vary mainly according to gas temperature and flow rate. Van Gas Technologies can help calculate the consumption rate(s) of desiccant in any given application.

Vessels can be oversized to extend service intervals.

The consumption rate of deliquescent desiccant in a natural gas dryer will vary according to gas temperature and flow rate. Low gas temperatures correspond to lower moisture loads and lower consumption rates.

In many systems, pall rings or ceramic beads are used as a pre-layer to buffer desiccant beds from entrained liquid droplets and mist, minimizing premature consumption.

Peladow DG briquettes are loosely formed, have a tendency to dust, and are irregularly shaped. These qualities favor excessive consumption, plugging of drains, particulate carryover, and bed channeling, which results in reduced dehydration performance.

Liquid droplets of any substance cannot enter the gas dryer vessel without negatively affecting the performance of the system. This includes liquid water, hydrocarbon condensate, and lubricants. If liquids are present in upstream gas a separator and/or coalescing filter must be installed ahead of the desiccant gas dryer.

The water vapor content of natural gas, when measured at standard conditions, e.g. pounds of water per MMSCF, varies according to both pressure and temperature.

• Low temperature = low water vapor content
• High temperature = high water vapor content
• High pressure = low water vapor content (when corrected back to standard conditions)
• Low pressure = high water vapor content (when corrected back to standard conditions)

Low operating temperatures and high operating pressures favor the uses of GasDry deliquescent desiccants.

In many low temperature, high pressure applications GasDry desiccants, particularly GasDry Max, can be used to meet pipeline specifications.

Contact Van Gas Technologies to learn if a particular moisture specification can be achieved with GasDry desiccants under particular conditions.

GasDry Prime is a low-cost desiccant for meeting basic dehydration requirements. GasDry Prime is often used to dry fuel gas in applications where fuel and instrumentation lines are not exposed to extremely low ambient temperatures. GasDry Prime is also used as a primary drying agent when several desiccant gas dryers are plumbed in a series.

In a properly sized desiccant gas dryer, GasDry Prime will establish a relative humidity of 55%.

GasDry Peak is a mid-grade deliquescent desiccant for drying fuel gas and instrument gas when gas temperatures are not expected to exceed 80 F (27C). GasDry Peak can produce pipeline quality gas, with respect to moisture content, under certain operating conditions. GasDry Peak is often used as a primary drying agent when several gas dryers are plumbed in series.

In a properly sized desiccant gas dryer, GasDry Peak will establish a relative humidity of 35%.

GasDry Max is the highest performing deliquescent desiccant available on the market. It is used for preventing fuel line and instrument line freeze-ups in locations exposed to low ambient temperatures. GasDry Max is also an effective media for meeting pipeline moisture specifications in many applications. GasDry Max is often used as a final “polishing” media in desiccant dehydration systems with multiple dryer vessels plumbed in series.

In a properly sized desiccant gas dryer, GasDry Max will establish a relative humidity of 10 - 13%.

Unlike TEG dehydrators, deliquescent gas dryers can be effectively “turned down.” This means that a desiccant gas dryer does not lose operational efficiency or performance under low-flow conditions.

Deliquescent desiccant dryers form a closed system, with no produced emissions. This makes a desiccant system potentially ideal for replacing a TEG dehydrator in environmentally sensitive areas or in cases where an operator faces legal mandates to reduce emissions.

The tablets of all GasDry desiccant grades are uniform in shape and size. These qualities allow gas to evenly flow through a bed of GasDry tablets.

The shape of raw calcium chloride briquettes is irregular. This causes bed channeling, reduced contact time, and uneven dehydration.

The raw materials of GasDry desiccants are pressed into tablets under intense pressure, resulting in a dense final product. This ensures that GasDry desiccants exhibit little to no dusting within the dryer vessel.

Calcium chloride briquettes are loosely formed and typically brittle. Often a barrel of raw calcium chloride is more than 15% dust by weight.

Calcium chloride should not be used as a drying medium in applications where gas temperatures exceed 80F. Calcium chloride briquettes or tablets begin to fuse at this temperature. Peladow DG, with its high calcium chloride content, is often a poor choice for dehydrating natural gas. Van Gas Technologies offers several deliquescent desiccant tablets that are suitable for a wider range of temperatures.