Gas Dehydration & Conditioning
Principles, Design & Operation

Duration: 5 Days
Target Audience: Process Engineers, Facilities Engineers, Production Engineers, Operations Supervisors, Field Personnel
Delivery Mode: Classroom / Virtual with Design Exercises, Equipment Selection Tasks, and Case Studies
Level: Intermediate

Course Overview

This course covers the principles and practical applications of gas dehydration and conditioning systems used to prepare natural gas for transportation, processing, or sale. Topics include dehydration technologies, equipment design, operating procedures, troubleshooting, and optimization strategies for reliable gas treatment.

Day-by-Day Outline

Day 1 – Fundamentals of Natural Gas Dehydration

- Gas properties and water content in natural gas
- Hydrate formation and prevention fundamentals
- Water vapor content specifications for sales gas
- Overview of dehydration methods: glycol, molecular sieves, membranes
- Exercise: Determine water content in gas streams at different conditions

Day 2 – Glycol Dehydration Systems

- Triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydration principles
- Contactor tower design and operation
- Glycol circulation, regeneration, and filtration systems
- Troubleshooting glycol foaming, losses, and degradation
- Workshop: Size a TEG contactor for a specified gas rate

Day 3 – Alternative Dehydration Technologies

- Molecular sieve dehydration: adsorption principles, bed design
- Membrane dehydration systems overview
- Comparing glycol, molecular sieve, and membrane systems
- Criteria for selecting dehydration technologies
- Exercise: Evaluate dehydration methods for offshore and onshore installations

Day 4 – Operational Challenges & Troubleshooting

- Recognizing signs of dehydration system malfunctions
- Dealing with high glycol losses and contamination
- Contactor flooding and regeneration unit issues
- Hydrate formation despite dehydration
- Workshop: Develop troubleshooting guidelines for common dehydration problems

Day 5 – Field Applications & Optimization

- Case studies of dehydration system performance
- Optimizing dehydration system efficiency and glycol usage
- Environmental considerations: emissions, waste handling
- Integrating dehydration systems with upstream and downstream processes
- Capstone Project: Design a dehydration and conditioning plan for a field development project

Expected Learning Outcomes

Understand natural gas dehydration principles and hydrate prevention
Design and operate glycol and alternative dehydration systems
Diagnose and resolve common dehydration system problems
Optimize dehydration performance for efficiency and reliability
Integrate dehydration and conditioning systems with overall production operations

Training Methods

- Classroom instruction and interactive discussions
- Case studies and exercises with real-world data
- Excel-based economic models and production forecasts
- Software demonstrations (Petrel, Pipesim, MBAL, PEEP overview)

Customization for Regional Needs

- Examples from regional onshore/offshore fields
- Arabic-English delivery option available
- Integration with national regulatory frameworks

Trainer Profile

- Multidisciplinary instructors (reservoir, production, drilling)
- Regional NOC/IOC engineering advisors
- Guest speakers from petroleum economics and HSE backgrounds

Certification

Certificate of Completion and individual assessment report provided.