Inlet Moisture Considerations

Inlet gas moisture (water) content control is required to maintain continuous operation of the gas
conditioning process. It is crucial that only a properly dehydrated inlet gas be fed to the skid inlet to
avoid ice and hydrate problems.

Dew Point Control recommends the following precautions to help prevent hydrate and ice
formation:

1. When operating at cold separator temperatures of 35 degrees or higher:

o Dehydrated gas fed to the DPC unit should have no more than 7#/MMSCF of water
content.
o Methanol injection is not normally needed with a properly operating glycol unit,
although it is recommended that methanol be injected for one shift per week to keep
the system “clean.”

2. When operating at cold separator temperatures below 35 degrees:

o Dehydrated gas fed to the DPC unit should have no more than 3#/MMSCF water
content, requiring, in most cases, stripping gas on the re-concentrator reboiler, an
eight tray contactor, and a reboiler temperature of no less than 385 degrees.
o Methanol injection is recommended to keep unit clear of hydrates and ice when
operating below 35 degrees.
o When the unit chills the gas to the vicinity of hydrate formation or ice formation
temperature, methanol must be injected using the DPC provided on-skid pump.
When using DPC’s high efficiency methanol injection system, methanol flow should
be set at 2.5 pounds of methanol per pound of inlet water by setting the strokes per
minute of the injection pump. (1.2 gallons of methanol per MMSCF of 3# gas)
o Because of the potential for a freeze blockage in the unit, it is strongly recommended
that a pressure controlled unit bypass be installed across the inlet and outlet piping
to permit continuous gas delivery to the pipeline until skid operation can be
restored to normal. If the pipeline will not permit offspec gas to flow for startup or
thawing, or other system troubleshooting, then provision should be made to safely
dispose of the off-spec gas during these periods, such as a flare or vent stack located
safely at the edge of the facility and away from any exposure to neighboring
personnel, residents, houses, businesses, etc.

DPC will work with the Lessee to recommend or provide additional controls and devices to
meet specific or unique requirement for any location.

Startup Assistance and Field Service:

Standard DPC field service included in the rental rate includes up to two days initial onsite startup assistance,
quarterly jobsite visits/consultations, and telephone and email support for troubleshooting and assistance.
Additional onsite service is available on a Time and Material reimbursement basis. In addition, our
Instrument/Electrical contractor is available for any onsite work, on our equipment or other, on a case-by-
case basis negotiated and priced directly with the contractor.

1. Operator Maintenance Responsibilities

o Lessee is expected to maintain the unit properly, including safeguarding the inlet from
various contaminants that will materially interfere with the proper operation of the
equipment. Lessee is required to properly clean the unit at the end of the lease prior to
returning it to the DPC yard, otherwise a cleaning fee will be imposed. As part of the DPC
 field service, DPC will coordinate with lessee to inspect the unit prior to leaving the lease;
this should alleviate any additional cleaning fees. It is especially important for both safety
and regulatory reasons, that ALL liquid hydrocarbons be blown down and removed
from the units prior to loading on truck transport.
o DPC shall transfer to Lessee any warranties made to DPC by the manufacturer or supplier.
Specifically, instrumentation items and chemical injection pumps will be repaired and
maintained during the initial 30 day operating period, while the remaining equipment and
piping will be repaired or rebuilt by DPC during the entire term of the lease. Normal and
routine equipment and instrument maintenance, such as cleaning, and clearing of debris
from valves or other equipment, or tightening of flange, threaded joint, or packing gland or
stuffing box leaks, will be the responsibility of the Lessee.
o In general, DPC expects that the Lessee will operate, troubleshoot, and maintain the process
skids, or any other equipment, besides the chilled water packages, as if they were their own.

2. Operational Issues and Troubleshooting

Sales Gas Dew Point or Unit Freeze-up Problems:

o The biggest operational issue that DPC encounters with the operation of JT units is the
fluctuation of the sale pipeline operating pressures. The DPC JT unit is instrumented to hold
a constant pressure upstream of the unit. When the sales pipeline varies in pressure, this
changes the differential pressure across the JT value, which causes wide variations in the
process temperatures. The hydrocarbon dew point at the operating pressure of the unit is
the temperature of the cold separator. Fluctuating temperatures will cause fluctuating dew
point temperatures. When the process temperature gets too cold, the unit can freeze or
hydrate. The simplest and most reliable fix for varying pipeline pressure is to install a
backpressure controller and valve downstream of the unit. Set this controller at
approximately 30 psig above the highest-pressure swing expected on the pipeline. This will
stabilize both the pressure drop across the JT valve the unit operating temperature.
o The JT skid hot gas bypass valve (the one that has a manual regulator) can also be automated
with a KimRay T-12 temperature controller. This gas bypass can control temperatures over a
range of approximately 15 degrees. A thermowell is provided on the unit, on the exchanger
nozzle feeding gas to the separator, to permit field installation of the temperature controller.
o The manual hot gas bypass is used when icing or hydrate problems are suspected. Opening
the bypass will warm up the unit approximately 15 degrees. This is an easy solution that
does not affect any instrument settings or operating pressures.

Pressure Storage and Facilities Design and Procurement Statement

DPC offers, on a lease basis, pressurized storage tanks, as a service to customers who lease DPC JT or
refrigeration natural gas conditioning equipment. The tanks are nominally 18,000 gallon, 250 psig rated
ASME pressure vessels, skid mounted, and suitable for truck tailgate loading and unloading when completely
empty. This service is offered only to allow producers who are in a schedule bind, time to find and provide
their own tankage at a more leisurely pace.

Pressure storage tanks are leased under the following option:

Provision of a “bare” skid mounted pressurized storage tank as described above, FOB our shop near Houston.
This is a straight non-service supported lease item, and it is up to the lessee to provide installation, dress out
of the tank with appropriate and legal appurtenances (valves, including reliefs, etc.) and to install per good
engineering practice and all rules and regulations of the appropriate authorities. In addition, the lessee will
need to install the correct and appropriate truck loading facilities, including safety systems, as required by
federal, state and in some cases, local authorities. These may include, but are not limited to: DOT, EPA, Texas
Railroad Commission, and State and Local Fire Marshals.