Molecular sieves are synthetically manufactured crystalline, porous structures. They absorb moisture and water from substances to dry them completely. The most common component used in these sieves is zeolite. This desiccant offer protection against moisture and water. Natural gases consist of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen etc. They are produced in much hydrated components. The next step after production will be removing of water content from the natural gases. Molecular sieve for natural gas dehydration is necessary before cryogenic processing to avoid plugging and clogging of equipment’s. Also, natural gas sweetening is done for removal of H2S and mercaptan. If these two processes are not done, then the deposition of salts of sulphur will cause corrosion of pipes and valves. The process of removal of H2S is called sweetening.
The molecular sieves are available in beads and pellets. They are sold in many types including A and X type crystalline structure.The different sizes in market include Molecular Sieve 4A, Molecular Sieve 3A, Molecular Sieve 5A and Molecular Sieve 13X.These molecules are used for natural gas dehydration and sweetening process. They leave behind very low residual of water. They are also cheap and prevent unwanted side effects. These sieves meet product specifications and prevent freeze up of equipment. The product recovery is high when molecular sieves are used.