Process

Natural gas gathering systems deliver large volumes of gas via pipeline to the central inlet of the gas processing facility. Removal of solid contaminants and free liquids present in the inlet gas is an important first step in the protection of the downstream processes.

Problem

Iron oxides, iron sulfides, dirt and a variety of deformable particles suspended in field gas can flow directly into the processing system. Effective removal of these contaminants can prevent fouling in gas sweetening and dehydration systems. Multi-stage separators and/or coalescing filter systems are typically used upstream of the sweetening system to provide protection. In both systems, cartridge filters will provide reliable particulate removal and long service life.

Schematic diagram for high liquid content field gas:

Schematic diagram for high solid and liquid content field gas:

Solution

The Cartridge filtration system, placed ahead of the liquid/gas coalescer or incorporated into the multi-stage separator will efficiently remove solids and deformable contaminants. Filtration protects the downstream processes and will extend the service life of the coalescer systems. Direct process benefits include:

• Consistently clean natural gas feed
• Reduced process upsets and the associated downtime
• Reduced filter element change-out frequency

Products Suitable For This Application

Inlet Gas Separator/Coalescer Filtration Application Guide
Feature-Tec Filter Product	Applied to	Recommended Flow Rate
Coalescer / Separator(5μm)	Inlet Raw Natural Gas	A coalescer / Separator can be installed to remove liquid and solid particles from the gas phase. It can quickly remove large amounts of free water from the gas and cut maintenance costs.
FSH FSH-40-1-V-5 (5μm)	Inlet Raw Natural Gas	Raw Natural Gas has a high impurity content including large amounts of soft deformable particles. Surface filtration systems such as automatic backwash filters, metal filters and membrane filtration are not suitable. In these applications, a high dirty-holding disposable filter element is the most appropriate.
Vane PacksMesh Pads FT-VV-12-X	Field gas filtration	Demisters are used to separate liquid from gas phase for Field gas. Demisters consist of a group of closely spaced blades arranged to provide sinusoidal or zig-zag gas flow paths. It is however, not recommended for dirty services as plugging may happen causing the reduction in separation efficiency.