Optimal design and operation of molecular sieve gas dehydration units—Part 1

R. H. M. Herold, Contributing Writer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and S. Mokhatab, Gas Processing Consultant, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Molecular sieve technology is widely used for the simultaneous removal of water and mercaptans from both gas and liquid feed streams. However, a better understanding of the design principles and the operation of molecular sieve units is needed. For economic reasons, it is important not to overdesign the molecular sieve unit. At the same time, it is essential to ensure that the unit does not become the bottleneck of the gas processing plant at the sieve’s end-of-run condition. Details of the design and operation of molecular sieve units used for natural