Category Archives for Design Considerations
Stripping Still Temperature
A higher temperature in the top of the still column can increase glycol losses due to excessive vaporization. The boiling point of water is 212°F and the boiling point of TEG is 546°R The recommended temperature in the top of … Continue reading
Glycol Circulation Rate
When the number of absorber trays and lean glycol concentration are fixed, the dew-point depression of a saturated gas is a function of the glycol circulation rate. The more glycol that comes in contact with the gas, the more water … Continue reading
Stripping Gas
The lean glycol concentration leaving the reboiler can be lowered by contacting the glycol with stripping gas. Often, wet gas that is saturated with water vapor at ambient temperature and 25 to 100 psig is used. At 25 psig and … Continue reading
Reboiler Pressure
Pressures above atmospheric in the reboiler can significantly reduce lean glycol concentration and dehydration efficiency. The still column should be adequately vented and the packing replaced periodically to prevent excess back pressure on the reboiler. At pressures below atmospheric the … Continue reading
Glycol Reboiler Temperature
The reboiler temperature controls the concentration of the water in the lean glycol. The higher the temperature the higher the concentration, as shown in Figure 8-11. Reboiler temperatures for triethylene glycol are limited to 400°F, which limits the maximum lean … Continue reading
Glycol Concentration
The higher the concentration of the lean glycol the greater the dewpoint depression for a given glycol circulation rate and number of trays. Figure 8-9 shows the equilibrium water dew point at different temperatures for gases in contact with various … Continue reading
Lean Glycol Temperatures
The temperature of the lean glycol entering the contactor has an effect on the gas dew-point depression and should be held low to minimize required circulation rate. High glycol losses to the gas exiting the contactor may occur when the … Continue reading
Number of Contactor Trays
The glycol and the gas do not reach equilibrium on each tray. A tray efficiency of 25% is commonly used for design. That is, if one theoretical equilibrium tray is needed, four actual trays are specified. In bubble cap towers, … Continue reading
Contactor Pressure
Contactor pressures have little effect on the glycol absorption process as long as the pressures remain below 3,000 psig. At a constant temperature the water content of the inlet gas decreases with increasing pressure, thus less water must be removed … Continue reading
Inlet Gas Temperature
At constant pressure, the water content of the inlet gas increases as the inlet gas temperature increases. For example, at 1,000 psia and 80°F gas holds about 34 Ib/MMscf, while at 1,000 psia and 120°F it will hold about 104 … Continue reading