Gas Processing Plants Turn to TDL Technology for Control of Molecular Sieve Dehydration Beds

Proper operation of the molecular sieve dehydration systems is critical to the efficiency of any natural gas processing or LNG plants. The whole process hinges on one key element…the analyser that monitors the desiccant dryer outlet gas for moisture content. Incorrect measurements made here can have a major financial impact and even shut the plant down. 

As a result, savvy plant managers are turning to Tunable Diode Laser (TDL) analysers to remove such mistakes from the process by providing fast, accurate moisture measurements. 

In TDL analysers, the laser and detector are isolated from the process. This allows measurements to be performed with absolutely no contact between the process gas (and entrained contaminants) providing reliable long-term operation.

“I’ve tried a lot of analysers over the years, but they never gave me the accuracy or response I had to have. With the SpectraSensors TDL all those problems go away,” says Charles Bates, who was the plant supervisor at the Okarche, Oklahoma facility for DCP Midstream.

One of the first cost savings realised at a gas processing plant involves desiccant dryer bed regeneration. Since the TDL analyser provides near-instantaneous response to moisture changes, plants have been able to extend time between regenerations by up to 20%.