Apparatus for drying a natural gas stream

Claim 1

In an apparatus for drying a natural gas stream comprising interconnecting tubular members defining a generally horizontally extending continuous fluid flow path and a centrifugal separator tangentially connected at one end thereof, the improvement comprising an adapter conduit fluidly connected to one tubular member and having a first inner diameter at one end thereof, a nozzle chamber connected to said adapter at said first inner diameter, said nozzle chamber being adjacent the other end of said interconnected tubular members and means for introducing gas to be dried into said adapter conduit via said other end of said tubular members, a nozzle block removably positioned in said nozzle chamber and having a jet forming opening centrally thereof, said jet forming opening being connected directly to said adapter conduit and having a uniform inner diameter which is substantially smaller than said adapter conduit first inner diameter to define an orifice-like opening into which fluid from said adapter passes, said jet forming opening having an annular passageway separated therefrom, a diverging conduit fluidly connected to said orifice-like opening to receive fluid therefrom, and a plurality of individual nozzles positioned circumferentially in said nozzle block diverging conduit downstream of said orifice-like opening and communicating with said annular passageway, said nozzles being oriented to inject fluid into fluid flowing out of said orifice-like opening directed downstream toward an extension of an axial center line of said orifice-like opening, said nozzle block disposed in said nozzle chamber, an adjacent downstream portion of said interconnecting tubular members defining a mixing chamber which is fluidly connected to said diverging conduit and has an internal diameter essentially equal to the largest portion of said diverging conduit so that the area of said mixing chamber is substantially greater than the area of said orifice-like opening and means for supplying triethylene glycol under pressure greater than said gas stream to said annular passageway in said nozzle block for injection by said individual nozzles into the gas stream leaving said orifice-like opening.