APPLICATIONS · INLET GAS SEPARATION

Inlet gas separation that catches what others miss.

Conventional separators are 20–40% effective on liquid aerosols. The gap is your operating cost.
ITSB engineers inlet gas separation in Malaysia — UltiSep separators with Apex Zenith elements removing sub-micron aerosols before they reach your plant.
PENTAIR — INLET GAS SEPARATION APPLICATION HEADER (2024)
30 yearsseparation engineering since 1993
PETRONAS-group recordthree decades of delivered work
Design → Commissioningthe whole system, in-house
Genuine Pentairvalidated media, backed in-region
GENUINE PENTAIR TECHNOLOGYPentair
The problem, in numbers

What carryover actually costs a gas plant

Liquid aerosols enter the gas stream from condensation, compressor lube oils, pipeline chemicals and contact-tower carryover — mostly in the nanometer range, exactly where scrubbers and demister pads do least . For a 200 MMSCFD plant at 800 psig facing a 300 ppm liquid challenge (377 gallons/day at the inlet), separator efficiency decides what gets through :

7.5 gal/daypasses a 98% separator — into amine foaming, glycol fouling and catalyst deactivation, every day. PENTAIR APEX BROCHURE
0.04 gal/daypasses at 99.99% — the level independent laboratory testing shows for current Apex-class elements. PENTAIR APEX BROCHURE
20–40%typical aerosol removal of conventional gas-liquid separators — unable to capture the most penetrating droplets. PENTAIR ULTISEP TS
How UltiSep works

Inside-to-outside flow, engineered drainage

UltiSep reverses the conventional flow path: gas flows from the inside of the element outward, so velocity falls as droplets are captured and drained — instead of rising until captured liquid shatters and re-entrains .

The Apex element adds a gentle taper that keeps annular velocity constant along the full element height, eliminating the re-entrainment zone at the closed end and allowing smaller vessels for the same flow . The current generation, Apex Zenith, intercepts aerosols at 0.1 micron with efficiency above 99.99% and carries 50% more velocity and loading than its predecessor .

Apex element engineering diagram
Apex element engineering — Pentair technical diagram
SpecificationValueSource
SystemUltiSep® gas-liquid separator, inside-to-outside flow, single open end elements
Current elementApex Zenith — flagship gas/liquid separation media
Efficiency>99.99% on 0.1 micron aerosols
Capacity+50% velocity and loading vs prior-generation Apex
MediaBorosilicate micro- and nano-fibers, cross-linked Locked Pore Structure™
Change-outRecommended at 8–10 psid
Apex Zenith — Pentair video▶  Watch: Apex Zenith — on YouTube
Apex Zenith — Pentair video (opens on YouTube)
Your vessel, upgraded — not replaced

More of these systems installed here than anyone

ITSB has put UltiSep separators and vessel upgrades into Malaysian gas processing for 30 years — and keeps them genuine. Through the NexSys vessel re-engineering program, existing separators (including competitor in-to-out coalescers) take current Apex Zenith internals with no welding and no permanent alteration to the vessel . Proven at scale: all four Atlantic LNG trains and the RasGas turbine fuel-gas systems run this technology .

Engineer questions

Asked before the enquiry

What is inlet gas separation and why does it matter?
Inlet gas separation removes liquid aerosols and solids from natural gas as it enters a processing plant. Done poorly, carryover causes amine foaming, glycol contamination, fouled exchangers, deactivated catalyst and turbine damage. Conventional separators remove only 20–40% of liquid aerosols .
How is UltiSep different from a filter-separator or scrubber?
UltiSep flows inside-to-outside so gas velocity falls as liquid is captured, and its tapered Apex elements hold annular velocity constant — the two design changes that stop captured liquid re-entraining. Scrubbers, vane packs and demister pads cannot capture the sub-micron aerosols that make up most of the challenge .
What efficiency can a modern inlet separator achieve?
Apex Zenith elements are rated above 99.99% on 0.1 micron aerosols . At a 300 ppm challenge on a 200 MMSCFD plant, that is the difference between 7.5 gallons and 0.04 gallons of contaminant entering the plant per day .
Can our existing separator vessel be re-used?
Usually, yes. NexSys re-engineering fits current Pentair internals and Apex Zenith elements into existing vessels — including competitor coalescers — without welding or permanent modification . ITSB engineers the retrofit and supplies genuine elements in-region.
Who supplies UltiSep and Apex Zenith in Malaysia?
ITSB — the authorized Pentair Oil & Gas Separations agent for Malaysia & Asia-Pacific — supplies UltiSep systems, NexSys upgrades and genuine Apex Zenith replacement elements, with 30 years of installations across the region.
ITSB — authorized Pentair Oil & Gas Separations agent for Malaysia & Asia-Pacific

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