Comprehensive Introduction to Yipu Associated Gas Dehydration Skid-Mounted Unit

Overview

Yipu Associated Gas Dehydration Unit is a high-efficiency purification solution developed to address the challenges in the recovery and utilization of oilfield associated gas. Through deep dehydration technology, it converts “waste” that was previously flared into qualified clean energy, directly resolving three core pain points for customers: environmental pressure, safety risks, and economic losses. Its high degree of automation, skid-mounted convenience, and excellent energy-saving and environmental performance make it a strategic equipment for oilfield enterprises to achieve energy conservation, emission reduction, cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and green development.

I. Market Pain Points

1. Resource Waste and Environmental Pressure: In the early stage of oilfield development, associated gas is often flared due to processing difficulties. This not only wastes valuable clean energy but also generates large amounts of carbon dioxide, exposing enterprises to significant environmental penalties and carbon emission reduction pressures.
2. Ice Blockage and Corrosion of Gathering and Transportation Pipelines: Associated gas is saturated with water vapor during crude oil extraction. During transportation, natural gas hydrates form as the temperature drops, severely clogging pipelines. Meanwhile, water combines with acidic gases such as H₂S and CO₂ in associated gas to form acid solutions, which severely corrode pipelines and equipment, resulting in high maintenance costs and significant safety hazards.
3. Complex Gas Source Conditions: Associated gas exhibits large fluctuations in pressure and flow, and may carry impurities such as light hydrocarbons and crude oil droplets. This imposes extremely high requirements on the stability, pollution resistance, and adaptability of dehydration equipment.
4. Difficult Operation and Maintenance in Remote Stations: Well sites are usually located in remote areas with a lack of professional operation and maintenance personnel. Equipment must be capable of fully automatic, maintenance-free operation and remote monitoring.
5. High Threshold for Recovery and Utilization: For efficient utilization of associated gas such as compression (CNG), liquefaction (LNG), or power generation, deep dehydration to an extremely low dew point is essential. Traditional simple dehydration methods cannot meet this requirement.

II. Unit Process

Adopting the mature and reliable Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) principle, the unit features a precise and efficient process:

1. Inlet Gas Pretreatment: Saturated wet associated gas from oilfield well sites (pressure 0.1-8.0MPa, temperature ≤40℃) first enters a high-efficiency inlet separator to completely remove entrained crude oil droplets, free water, and solid particles, providing protection for subsequent deep dehydration.
2. Adsorption Deep Dehydration: The pretreated gas enters a molecular sieve tower in the adsorption state (e.g., Tower A). The 3A/4A molecular sieve filled in the tower has strong selective adsorption for water molecules, effectively adsorbing water while allowing hydrocarbon gases to pass through, achieving deep dehydration.
3. Qualified Dry Gas Output: The purified dry gas has a stable atmospheric dew point of -55℃ ~ -70℃, far exceeding pipeline transportation and various utilization standards. A portion of the dry gas is transported externally or enters the next process unit, while a small portion is used as the gas source for regeneration.
4. Regeneration and Cooling Cycle:
   • Switching: When the adsorbent in Tower A is nearly saturated (12-48 hours), the system automatically switches to Tower B for adsorption to ensure continuous gas supply.
   • Heating Regeneration: The extracted regenerated dry gas is heated to 150~180℃ by an electric heater and then blown back into Tower A to desorb the moisture trapped in the molecular sieve.
   • Cooling: After the completion of heating regeneration, switch to normal-temperature dry gas to cool the adsorption tower, preparing for the next adsorption cycle.
5. Regeneration Gas Treatment: The regeneration gas rich in moisture flows through a cooler for condensation and separation. The liquid phase (water and condensate oil) is discharged, and the gas phase adopts either closed-loop cycle (returning to the system inlet to achieve zero emissions and resource recovery) or open-loop cycle (venting).
6. Intelligent Fully Automatic Control: The entire “adsorption-regeneration-cooling” cycle is fully controlled by a PLC system, realizing unattended operation. It can also remotely monitor operating parameters and receive fault alarms.

III. Working Principle

The core working principle is “Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA)”.

• Adsorption Stage: At ambient temperature and system pressure, the 3A/4A molecular sieve utilizes its regular microporous crystal structure (pore size 3-4Å). Its strong polar force field can preferentially and efficiently adsorb polar water molecules, while allowing hydrocarbon molecules such as methane and ethane to pass through, thereby achieving deep drying.
• Regeneration Stage: The adsorption capacity of molecular sieve decreases with increasing temperature. Through low-temperature regeneration technology, a small amount of product gas is heated and then backblown through the adsorption tower to provide energy for the adsorbed water molecules, enabling them to desorb, thereby restoring the drying capacity of the molecular sieve for cyclic use.

IV. Core Advantages

1. Deep Dehydration with Ultra-Low Dew Point: The outlet atmospheric dew point is ≤-55℃ ~ -70℃, which can completely prevent ice blockage and corrosion of gathering and transportation pipelines, meeting high-standard utilization requirements such as CNG and LNG.
2. Fully Automatic Operation for Unattended Well Sites: PLC control realizes one-key start-stop, fully automatic cycle, and fault diagnosis, supporting remote maintenance, perfectly solving the operation and maintenance problems of remote oilfields.
3. Energy Saving, Environmental Protection, and Low Gas Consumption: Adopts closed-loop cycle regeneration technology. The regeneration gas is its own product gas and is recycled, resulting in an extremely low gas loss rate (can be reduced to below 2%), realizing maximum resource recovery and near-zero emissions.
4. Skid-Mounted Design for Rapid Commissioning: All components are highly integrated on a sturdy skid, enabling overall transportation and hoisting. On-site, only simple pipeline and power connection are required, significantly shortening the oilfield capacity construction cycle.
5. High Reliability & Safety: The equipment has a design pressure of up to 9.0MPa, with a wide range of flow and pressure adaptability. The overall explosion-proof grade reaches Exd Ⅱ BT4, and the protection grade is IP54/IP65, ensuring long-term safe and stable operation in flammable, explosive, and harsh field environments.

V. Technical Strength

• Wide Working Condition Design Capability: The working flow covers 500~20,000 Nm³/h, and the maximum design pressure is 9.0MPa, demonstrating strong technical strength and modular design capability to handle from marginal small gas wells to main high-yield wells.
• Wide Medium Adaptability: Can effectively handle various complex gas sources such as oilfield associated gas, shale gas, coalbed methane, and biogas, with good tolerance to oil-containing and dust-containing inlet gas conditions.
• Mature Core Process: Has in-depth understanding and rich application database of molecular sieve selection, filling, and regeneration process parameters, and can conduct optimized design according to specific gas source conditions.
• Strict Quality Assurance: Provides mechanical test reports and supports video factory inspection, ensuring that each piece of equipment leaving the factory undergoes strict performance testing and has reliable quality.

VI. Product Introduction

• Product Name: Yipu Skid-Mounted Associated Gas Dehydration Unit
• Brand: Yipu
• Working Method: Dual-tower/multi-tower alternation, continuous cycle operation
• Core Components: Molecular sieve adsorption tower, regeneration gas electric heater, circulating compressor, pneumatic/hydraulic program-controlled valve, PLC control cabinet, cooling separation system
• Control Method: PLC programmable controller, digital temperature control instrument, automatic fault alarm
• Structural Features: Fully skid-mounted, compact structure (L: 2500~8000mm), weight 2000-7000kg, meeting the requirements of oilfield road transportation and installation.

VII. Application Scenarios

1. Oilfield Associated Gas Recovery: Deeply dehydrates associated gas produced during crude oil extraction to meet the standards for pipeline transportation, power generation, or liquefaction utilization, realizing resource recovery.
2. Shale Gas/Tight Gas Well Sites: Dehydrates produced natural gas at wellheads or gas gathering stations to meet the requirements of gathering and transportation pipelines.
3. Coalbed Methane (Gas) Extraction Stations: Dehydrates and purifies extracted coalbed methane to facilitate subsequent power generation or injection into pipeline networks.
4. Urban Gas Peak Shaving Stations: Deeply dehydrates natural gas from different gas sources to ensure the safety of urban pipeline networks.
5. Biogas Purification Pretreatment: Performs deep dehydration before biogas is converted into Bio-CNG/LNG, protecting subsequent purification equipment.

VIII. Technical Indicators

Parameter Item	Technical Indicator / Description
Product Category	Associated Gas Dehydration Unit
Working Medium	Oilfield associated gas, shale gas, natural gas, coalbed methane, biogas
Treatment Flow	500 ~ 20,000 Nm³/h
Working/Design Pressure	0.1 ~ 8.0 MPa / 1.0 ~ 9.0 MPa
Inlet Condition	At 0.6MPa, dew point -13℃ (saturated with water)
Outlet Atmospheric Dew Point	≤ -55℃ ~ -70℃
Adsorbent	3A / 4A molecular sieve
Regeneration Method/Temperature	Low-temperature regeneration / 150 ~ 180℃
Single-Tower Working Time	12 ~ 48 hours
Power Supply and Power	380V / 50Hz / 12.30 ~ 150 kW
System Pressure Drop	≤ 50 kPa
Noise	≤ 85 dB
Protection/Explosion-Proof Rating	IP54 or IP65 / Exd Ⅱ BT4
Outlet Filtration Precision	≤ 3 μm
Core Advantages	Stable and efficient equipment, fully automatic operation, energy saving and environmental protection, remote maintenance

Technical Parameter Table of Oilfield Associated Gas Drying and Dehydration System

Item	Parameter	Item	Parameter
Product Category	Oilfield Associated Gas Drying and Dehydration System	Working Medium	Oilfield associated gas, shale gas, natural gas, coalbed methane, biogas
Brand	Yipu	Place of Origin	Zhejiang, China
Working Flow	500~20,000 Nm³/h	Core Components	Motor, compressor, adsorption tower, molecular sieve, filter, booster, cooler, separator, heater, control valve and control system
Core Advantages	Stable and efficient equipment, fully automatic operation, energy-saving and environmentally friendly, remote maintenance	Application Industries	Oilfield associated gas extraction, transportation and liquefaction industry; CNG mother stations and refueling stations; urban gas and industrial fuel sector; power generation industry; chemical and fertilizer industry
Mechanical Test Report	Available	Video Factory Inspection	Available
Working Pressure	0.1~8.0 MPa	Inlet Temperature	0~40℃ (50℃)
Inlet Pressure Dew Point	0.6 MPa/-13℃/saturated with water	Single-Tower Continuous Working Time	12~48 h
System Design Pressure	1.0~9.0 MPa	Regeneration Time	≤8 h (10 h)
Adsorbent	3A/4A molecular sieve	Outlet Atmospheric Dew Point	≤-55℃~-70℃
Regeneration Cooling Method	Air cooling/Water cooling	Outlet Filtration Precision	≤3 μm
Power Supply/Power	380V/50Hz/12.30~150 kW	Protection Grade	IP54 or IP65
Import and Export Pressure Drop	≤50 kPa	Motor Explosion-Proof Grade	ExdⅡ BT4
Noise	≤85 dB	Regeneration Gas Heating Temperature	150~180℃
Overall Dimensions	L: (2500~8,000) mmW: (1600~3,000) mmH: (2350~2,850) mm	Equipment Weight	2000-7000 kg
		Import and Export Pipe Diameter	DN50~DN200
Working Method	Dual-tower/multi-tower alternating “adsorption-regeneration” for continuous gas supply	Regeneration Method	Closed/open cycle, pressure reduction/isobaric regeneration/heating regeneration
Control Method	PLC programmable controller, digital temperature control instrument, automatic fault alarm	Switching Method	Manual/Automatic

Packaging, Shipping Information and Quotation

Item	Details
Sales Unit	Single product/set
Single Package Dimension	250020002850 (LWH) mm
Single Product Gross Weight	3000 kg
Packaging Method	Wooden case/three-proof cloth (waterproof, mildew-proof, corrosion-resistant)
Quotation	$28,000 ~ $100,000