Skip to main content
LPG and Propane Drying and Treating
Gas Treatment & Drying

LPG and Propane Drying and Treating

Drying and sulphur removal from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane, and butane streams using 3A molecular sieve and impregnated activated carbon to meet pipeline and storage specifications.

Find My Solution View Products & Systems
The Challenge
Liquefied petroleum gas above the pipeline water limit forms hydrates and ice in storage tanks and distribution piping. Trace mercaptans cause odour problems and corrode downstream equipment. The drying bed must work without coadsorbing the C3 and C4 product hydrocarbons.
Quick Answer

LPG drying removes water and trace sulphur from liquefied petroleum gas, propane, and butane streams using 3A molecular sieve in a TSA cycle. The 3 Å pore size excludes the C3 and C4 hydrocarbons from the sieve, eliminating coke laydown and giving long media life. Optional impregnated activated carbon polishing handles trace mercaptans.

LPG and Propane Drying and Treating

Why LPG Dehydration Needs 3A Specifically

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and its components propane (C3) and butane (C4) are the world’s most widely distributed cooking and heating fuels. Pipeline and storage specifications limit water to single digit ppm to prevent hydrate formation and ice accumulation. The drying sieve must remove the water without coadsorbing the C3 and C4 hydrocarbons; SorbiTech 3A molecular sieve with its 3 Å pore is the only sieve that meets this requirement.

3A Excludes Propane and Butane by Pore Geometry

Propane (4.3 Å) and butane (4.7 Å) both exceed the 3 Å pore opening of 3A and cannot enter the crystal. Water (2.6 Å) enters freely and is captured at the surface and inside the cages. The bed holds water alone; the regeneration off gas contains only the released water with minimal hydrocarbon loss. A 4A bed would adsorb both water and propane, lose propane to the regeneration vent, and laydown coke in the crystal during regeneration.

LPG and Propane Drying and Treating process equipment

Optional Mercaptan Polishing

Where the LPG carries trace mercaptans (typically 5 to 50 ppm at the wellhead), a downstream impregnated activated carbon polishing layer removes the sulphur to below the storage and distribution specification. The combined train delivers pipeline ready LPG without a separate sulphur removal unit.

Delivery as Media or Complete Package

SorbiTech supplies LPG drying as a SorbiTech 3A media supply contract for an existing dryer or as a complete twin tower TSA dehydration package engineered by SorbiTech. Sector coverage is oil and gas and petrochemicals and refining.

Selection Guidance

3A molecular sieve excludes propane and butane from the pore; water is captured alone. Impregnated activated carbon polishing layer for mercaptan removal. TSA cycle at the LPG handling pressure.

How SorbiTech Solves It

A Specified, Verified Solution

Define the duty

We capture your process conditions: flow, composition, pressure, temperature, and the target outlet specification.

Select media & configuration

Our engineers recommend the adsorbent grade and system type that meet the duty with margin.

Size & engineer

Bed sizing, vessel design, and cycle parameters are engineered to your case and documented for approval.

Commission & verify

We support loading, start up, and performance verification against the guarantee.

Recommended Products & Systems

Media

Adsorbents & Media

  1. 01 Pellet Activated Carbon Adsorbent Pellet Activated Carbon Extruded pellet carbon for gas phase duties: solvent recovery, vapour recovery, odour control, and mercury guard beds. Form 3 mm or 4 mm extruded pellets
  2. 02 Molecular Sieve 3a Adsorbent Molecular Sieve 3A Potassium form 3A zeolite, the size selective desiccant for streams that must not lose hydrocarbons to the bed. Pore Ø 3 Å
  3. 03 CMS 450hp Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 450HP Ultra high purity carbon molecular sieve. 99.99999 percent (7N) N2, selective O2 and CO2 capture, 1.0 to 1.6 mm pellets, minimal fines, deoxo polishing… Water Cap. Feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1, deoxo polishing recommended for 7N %
  4. 04 CMS 420kt Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 420KT High efficiency carbon molecular sieve. Higher oxygen affinity under 7 to 12 barg, 1.2 to 1.8 mm pellets, Snowstorm Filling compatible, ASTM D4058 attrition… Water Cap. Feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1 %
  5. 05 CMS 350kt Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 350KT Rapid adsorption carbon molecular sieve. 40 to 90 second cycle at 7 to 10 barg, up to 99.99 percent N2, 1.0 to 2.2 mm… Water Cap. Moisture at supply below 1.0 percent, feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1 %
  6. 06 Activated Alumina Aa 201 Adsorbent Activated Alumina Impregnated Promoter loaded activated alumina for hydrogen sulphide, chloride, and Claus tail gas guard duty. Form 3–5 mm spheres · 1.6–3.2 mm spheres
Equipment

Engineered Systems

  1. 01 SorbiTech Transformer Breather Cartridge System Silica Gel Grid Utility Breather Equipment Transformer Breather Cartridge System Pre packaged stainless steel transformer breather cartridge with indicating silica gel for grid transformer moisture protection across the high voltage transmission and distribution network. Capacity 0.5–25 kVA transformer to 800 kV substation
  2. 02 SorbiTech Cryogenic ASU Pre Purification Package ASU Front End 13x Alumina TSA Towers Equipment Cryogenic ASU Pre Purification Package Front end TSA pre purification package for cryogenic air separation units removing water, carbon dioxide, and trace hydrocarbons before the cold box. Capacity 5,000–500,000 Nm³/h air
  3. 03 SorbiTech Biogas Upgrading Unit Biomethane PSA Carbon Molecular Sieve Equipment Biogas Upgrading Unit PSA biogas upgrading unit using carbon molecular sieve to separate carbon dioxide from methane and deliver grid quality bio methane from anaerobic digester biogas… Capacity 50–2,000 Nm³/h raw biogas
  4. 04 SorbiTech Oxygen Vpsa Package Industrial Oxygen Vpsa Steel Mill Blast Furnace Equipment Oxygen VPSA Package On site vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) oxygen generation package delivering 90 to 95 percent oxygen for medical, aquaculture, ozone generation, and metals applications. Capacity 50–2,500 Nm³/h O₂ (90–95 % purity)
  5. 05 SorbiTech Heatless Desiccant Air Dryer Compressed Air ISO 8573 Twin Tower Dryer Equipment Heatless Desiccant Air Dryer Twin tower heatless desiccant compressed air dryer using activated alumina or silica gel for instrument and process air to pressure dew points below minus… Capacity 50–10,000 Nm³/h
  6. 06 SorbiTech Gas Sweetening Unit H2S CO2 Removal 13x Mol Sieve Equipment Gas Sweetening Unit Molecular sieve and impregnated carbon gas sweetening unit for H₂S, CO₂, and mercaptan removal from natural gas, refinery gas, and LPG streams. Capacity 0.5–500 MMSCFD
Industries

Industries Using This Application

  1. 01 SorbiTech Petrochemicals Refining Integrated Cracker Complex Distillation Columns Sector Petrochemicals & Refining Adsorbents and separation systems for feedstock drying, process gas conditioning, solvent recovery, and refinery effluent treatment.
  2. 02 SorbiTech Oil Gas Offshore Platform Upstream Production Sector Oil & Gas Complete dehydration, separation, and treatment across upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas. SorbiTech supplies the adsorbent media and the engineered systems from one…

Specify a Solution for This Application

Provide your process conditions and our team will recommend the grade, configuration, and sizing.

contact@sorbitech.com