What happen after breakthrough occur??

We adsorp moisture from nat. gas from 40 lb/MM to 0.1 lb/MMscf. Vendor suggest life time = 4 yrs., but we scare that breakthrough 'ld happen before design-life.
What happen when breakthrough occur?? Somone said moisture will be increased so fast and has water (liquid) in outlet gas? Is it true ? How do you control or design to change bed? also does it longer or shorter than vendor design ? Bad luck is we don't have moistue probe along vessle.

 

[Rich2001]

If you don't have a moisture probe, you can try monitoring temperature. A short distance ahead of the moisture front in the adsorption bed is a thermal front temp ~10F/5.5C greater then the surrounding adsorpent.

At break through, the moisture content will rise to the saturation point, liquid may form if the temperature decreases.

The life of the bed depends on the operating temperature, pressure, flowrates, velocity through the bed and contamination along with may other items. The best thing to do is monitor. Endraus & Hauser had a good moisture analsyzer for this, however I don't believe that they are making them anymore. Some other manufacturers are Panametrics

http://www.panametrics.com/

Shaw

http://www.shawmeters.com/

Xentaur

http://www.xentaur.com

The Panametric's system is expensive but seems to have a higher accuracy. Note any contanimation that would affect the adsorbent(alumina/Molecular seive) will also affect the probe (gold plated aluminium oxide - capacitance type).