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.
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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
SpecificationValue
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

Tell us the stream. We’ll tell you what others are missing.

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