Simple methodology for sizing of absorbers for TEG (triethylene glycol) gas dehydration systems

Natural gas is an important source of primary energy and it is saturated with water vapor under normal production conditions. In the design of natural gas dehydration systems, correct estimation of absorption column size is crucial. Once the lean TEG (Triethylene glycol) concentration has been established, the circulation rate of TEG and number of trays (height of packing) must be determined. The current methods to correlate the TEG circulation rate, TEG purity, water removal efficiency, number of equilibrium stages (or height of packing) and the diameter of contactor employs rigorous calculation techniques involving more complicated and longer computations. The aim of this study is therefore to develop a simple-to-use method, by employing basic algebraic equations to correlate water removal efficiency as a function of TEG circulation rate and TEG purity for appropriate sizing of the absorber at wide range of operating conditions of TEG dehydration systems. Estimates from simplified approach were found to be quite reliable and accurate, as evidenced by the comparisons with literature data where the average absolute deviation percent from reported data in the literature shown to be around 0.05%.