Patent ID: 8858686

Claim:
A method of removing liquid hydrocarbon contaminant droplets from a natural gas stream, which method comprises providing a wash tray in a vessel, which wash tray comprises at least one swirl tube device, said swirl tube device having an inlet for gas, an inlet for a wash liquid, a scrubbing section, a swirl imparting section downstream from the scrubbing section, an outlet for washed gas, and an outlet for liquid; admitting the natural gas stream including liquid hydrocarbon contaminant droplets into the swirl tube device via the inlet for gas; admitting a wash liquid consisting of water into the natural gas stream in the swirl tube device via the inlet for wash liquid, to form a gas/liquid mixture with wash liquid droplets dispersed in the natural gas stream; allowing the wash liquid droplets and liquid hydrocarbon contaminant droplets to interact in the scrubbing section; passing the gas/liquid mixture through the swirl imparting section so as to perform centrifugal separation of the gas/liquid mixture into washed natural gas and liquid, and removing washed natural gas and liquid from the outlet for washed gas and the outlet for liquid.