HOUSTON, US: ExxonMobil Corporation has developed a new efficient technology to dehydrate natural gas. cMIST technology dehydrates natural gas using a patented absorption system inside pipes and replaces the need for conventional dehydration tower technology.
This “in-line” technology could be deployed at both land-based and offshore natural gas production operations.
The new technology, developed and extensively field-tested by ExxonMobil, more efficiently removes water vapour present during the production of natural gas. Removing water vapour through the use of dehydration technology, typically accomplished using large and expensive dehydration towers, reduces corrosion and equipment interference. In turn helping to ensure the safe and efficient transport of natural gas through the supply infrastructure and ultimately to consumers.
cMIST reduces the size, weight and cost of dehydration, resulting in reductions of the surface footprint by 70 percent and the overall dehydration system’s weight by half, which has significant added benefits on offshore applications.
ExxonMobil’s cMIST technology depends on a proprietary droplet generator to break up conventional solvent into tiny droplets that become well dispersed in the gas flow thereby increasing the surface area for the absorption of water from the gas.
This is followed by an inline separator that coalesces the water-rich glycol droplets and moves them to the outside wall of the pipe for effective separation from the dehydrated natural gas. The water-rich glycol is regenerated using a conventional system and is sent back to the droplet generator to be used again. The droplet generator uses the energy from the flowing natural gas to create droplets of the right size.
The company has licensed the cMIST technology to the Chemtech division of Sulzer, a leading player in separation technologies, to facilitate deployment across the oil and gas industry.
ExxonMobil’s Houston-based Upstream Research Company and New Jersey-based ExxonMobil Research and Engineering division develop a range of innovative technologies aimed at producing energy more efficiently.
“By leveraging our industry-leading experience with upstream applications, our researchers were able to create this advanced natural gas dehydration technology, which represents a step-change in operational efficiency and a significant reduction in footprint,” said Tom Schuessler, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company.
“We are proud to have been selected as a worldwide exclusive licensee of the cMIST technology, which includes our patented compact HiPer inline separator. cMIST technology complements the Sulzer line of compact multi-phase separation technologies and will maximise benefits available to oil & gas operating companies around the world,” said Torsten Wintergerste, president of the Chemtech division.
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