Gas Conditioning Dehydration System Improves Glycol Filtration

Gas Conditioning Dehydration System Improves Glycol Filtration

System Identification: Gas Conditioning Dehydration System suffering excessive and expensive cartridge filter replacements and unable to specify the desired level of filtration quality, a Southern California natural gas plant added a Lakos Separator and quickly overcame both problems. Installed as a pre-filter to existing cartridges, the Lakos Separator reduced cartridge replacement from as often as every other day to as seldom as every 7-10 days. In addition, the cartridges have been upgraded from 50-micron to 25-micron elements to better protect the overall system from dirt, scale, rust and reaction products. Spokesmen for the gas facility indicate that cartridge replacements of up to 24 elements per week (at costs exceeding $175 per week) and the frequency of shutdowns were far more than an adequate cause for installing the 10 GPM (2.3 m3/hr) Lakos Separator. Purging of the separated solids is accomplished via a continuous bleed technique. Switching to finer filtration elements has improved the glycol solution’s conditioning which reduces build-up in the reboiler and increases the glycol’s ability to absorb water. Without the Lakos Separator, attempts to use such fine filtration resulted in daily cartridge replacement and unacceptable downtime and costs. Requiring no routine maintenance and capable of effective filtration, the Lakos Separator is a valuable pre-filter and problem-solver.