Desiccating Gas Liquids, Re-Hydrating Gas Liquids, And Why You Want To Do Either To Volatile Gases

Gases that have been compressed and frozen into liquid form include propane and benzene. These products are frequently used as fuels for heating or cooling, as well as for fuel for vehicles in place of gasoline. They can be extremely volatile, making them difficult to transport, but that is also why they are under constant pressure and kept very cold. In addition to these safety measures, companies that produce and "bottle" these liquid gases have the option of using an air gas-liquid drying system to make these gas-liquids easier to handle. Here is more on how these interesting systems operate, why these gases are desiccated, and why they are then re-hydrated. 

The Air Drying System in Operation

A liquid gas is injected into a holding tank in the air drying system. It is then slowly filtered through a desiccant, removing moisture from the gas-liquid. The gas-liquid is significantly less in volume, or it crystallizes, and then it is moved into another storage tank. The tank is gradually filled with desiccated gas-liquid until it is full. Now the tank can be moved with less volume and more product over ground on the back of a tanker truck. When it reaches its delivery station, the crystals or dehydrated gas-liquid is re-hydrated. 

Why Desiccate the Gas-Liquid?

More product can be moved with less volume. If you could move twelve thousand gallons of water in crystal form in a six-thousand gallon/pound tanker, you would, just to create twice as much product at the delivery point. Sometimes desiccating the product also has to do with the fact that the use of the product involves mixing it with water or another chemical when it is in use, and therefore it has to have less liquid volume prior to use in order to mix well with another chemical or increase in volume with the addition of water. 

Why Re-Hydrate the Gas-Liquid?

When you re-hydrate the gas-liquid, you restore its crystal form to its usable liquid state, or its reduced liquid form to its consumable state. Take propane, for example. If you desiccate it to a less liquid state, you can move more product. It is delivered to consumers whose HVAC systems run on propane, and therefore it will be re-hydrated at that point in time by their HVAC appliances. As for the consumers who use it as vehicle fuel, the product is re-hydrated and placed inside a holding tank at specified locations, where drivers of propane-fueled vehicles can easily access the product, refuel their vehicles, and pay for it there.