Supersonic technology for natural gas dehydration

Abstract

Natural gas (NG) dehydration is the initial process that takes place before transportation and utilization. Conventionally, this process includes the application of chemicals or using industrial units which are bulky, energy-intensive, and expensive to run. Supersonic separation is a novel technology that can dehydrate the gas and set the water dew point, thereby decreasing the likelihood of hydrate formation during the transmission and transportation. It can provide several advantages compared to conventional methods, such as Joule-Thompson valves and turboexpanders, ethylene glycol distillation, and membranes for NG dehydration. In this chapter, the supersonic technology is presented and reviewed for NG dehydration. The process of NG dehydration is compared with other cooling separation technologies. The history and development of this technology from the late 90s are also reviewed. Moreover, different manufacturers of this technology are introduced, and other applications of this technology for NG dehydration are presented. The supersonic nozzle and the main component of supersonic separation are demonstrated and schematically presented too. Finally, the main designs and their features are introduced and compared, and outlooks to improve this technology for NG dehydration will be given.