Glycol dehydrator emission control improved

For natural gas glycol dehydrators, evaporative cooling provides better emission control than conventional air cooled or glycol-cooled condensation technologies. Recent developments in environmental regulations, including the upcoming Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards, have made emissions of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTEX) from glycol dehydrators a major concern for the natural gas industry. This concern has led the gas industry to look for new ways to reduce and control hydrocarbon emissions from these systems. Gas Research institute (GRI) has sponsored the development of the R-BTEX process, which uses evaporative cooling. The paper discusses available technology and then describes the advantages of the R-BTEX process.