New natural gas dehydration approach could reduce emissions

A potential breakthrough in natural gas dehydration technology will be tested at a facility in Quebec, Canada as a result of a partnership between two Canadian greentech companies and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).

Developed by Vaperma, the new advanced natural gas dehydration technology has potential to significantly reduce emissions and energy consumption compared to traditional natural gas processing.

The Vaperma, EnCana and SDTC Advanced Natural Gas Dehydration Project is a three year, $5 million innovation led by Vaperma. The project was funded mostly by the government, but with the balance from Vaperma.

Raw natural gas requires dehydration in order to avoid the formation of hydrates, reduce corrosion and meet sales specifications before it can be sold to the market and be used to heat homes, run hot water tanks or fuel barbeques. Until now, a process using a chemical called glycol has been used for natural gas dehydration.

Vaperma's new technology has potential to offer an environmentally-friendly, energy-saving alternative to traditional glycol natural gas dehydration.

Once proven, the technology could significantly reduce air emissions in the dehydration process by replacing glycol with a new membrane-based technology called Siftek™. The newly patented technology uses a solvent and a temperature resistant membrane to enable dehydration.

The Siftek membrane will be tested by Vaperma in Quebec City. The facility will test various configurations at different natural gas pressures and temperatures. The membrane system will then be tested at pre-commercial scale using a wellhead natural gas feed owned by EnCana in Alberta.

"Membrane-based technology offers a promising alternative to conventional processes for natural gas dehydration," said Claude Letourneau, President and CEO of Vaperma. "Benefits are expected to compare favorably to conventional technologies due to reduced energy consumption, no chemicals being required in the process, and reduced emissions."

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