Twister™ supersonic technology dehydrates, dewpoints, and recovers NGLs from natural gas — with no chemicals, no moving parts, and no need for permanent operator presence. For the right project, it delivers transformational economics.
Twister™ is a static gas separation device that accelerates natural gas past Mach 2 through a converging-diverging nozzle, causing water vapour and heavy hydrocarbons to condense and separate — with no chemicals, no moving parts, and no emissions.
A Twister™ Supersonic Separator and Hydrate Separator system has been safely dehydrating highly sour natural gas on Shell's B11 production platform for more than 20 years — continuously, with near-zero maintenance.
"If you do what you always did,
you get what you always got."
Traditional glycol-based and amine dehydration systems are complex, chemical-intensive, and demand permanent staffing offshore. They carry inherent H₂S exposure risks, significant CAPEX, and high ongoing maintenance requirements. Twister changes the equation entirely.
Extremely high and stable uptime, running for years without intervention. No pipeline integrity issues from chemical contamination.
Availability since 2003
Twister requires virtually no maintenance and can be operated unattended. No moving parts means nothing to service or replace.
Less operator intervention
Dehydration by supersonic expansion cooling requires no chemical regeneration systems, reducing both CAPEX and OPEX significantly.
Typical CAPEX savings
No glycol or other chemicals needed. Less waste. Zero process emissions. A closed system — inherently safer for sour gas fields.
Process emissions
Twister reduces plant size by up to 70%. A single compact tube replaces entire equipment trains — saving weight, space, and structural cost.
Reduction in plant size
Wet gas enters a converging-diverging nozzle and accelerates past Mach 2, causing extreme temperature drop — well below the hydrocarbon and water dewpoints.
Water and heavy hydrocarbons condense instantly. A powerful swirl forces liquid droplets to the outer wall of the tube, spinning them out of the gas stream.
The dry gas exits through the inner tube. Liquids drain separately. The entire process takes place in a static device classified as standard piping — with no moving parts whatsoever.
The same CFD technology used in Formula 1 aerodynamics is applied to model gas behaviour at the molecular level, enabling precise engineering for any gas composition, pressure, and temperature.
Two short videos that show how Twister™ supersonic separation works in practice — including a segment from Dutch national television.
Twister™ technology addresses dehydration and dewpointing challenges in a flexible, cost-effective and sustainable way — whether greenfield or brownfield, onshore or offshore, sweet or sour gas. One technology, multiple proven applications.
Proven with up to 20% CO₂ and 3,500 ppm H₂S. Safer and simpler than glycol platforms — no chemical inventories, no emissions.
Annual savings of up to US$50 million on a 300 MMSCFD offshore dehydration unit. Reduced platform weight by up to 50%.
A single unit processes 30 MMSCFD, achieving water and hydrocarbon dewpoints simultaneously. Flexible in remote locations.
Near-isentropic expansion achieves deeper cooling than turbo-expanders and JT systems, recovering significantly more C3+ NGLs.
Offshore light oil/condensate stripping with NGL recovery rates of up to 25,000 BPD and integrated gas reinjection.
Simultaneously dehydrating and removing hydrocarbons for FLNG bulk pretreatment, significantly reducing topside complexity.
For more than 20 years, a Twister™ designed offshore dehydration system combining the Twister Supersonic Separator and Hydrate Separator has been safely dehydrating 600 MMSCFD of highly sour natural gas on Shell's B11 production platform in Malaysia.
The gas contains up to 20% CO₂ and 3,500 ppm H₂S — among the most challenging sour gas environments in the world. Twister was selected as a key element of Shell's sour gas risk mitigation strategy, providing an inherently safer closed system over traditional glycol-based dehydration.
The installation has operated continuously with near-zero maintenance and no permanent operator presence required on the processing system, delivering the promised economics from day one.
Engineers evaluating Twister technology speak directly — about performance, integration, and what it means for field operations.
Our team combines deep expertise in gas processing, thermodynamics, engineering and international energy markets.
Co-founder and CEO of TwistR Energy, leading technical design and commercial delivery of Twister™ supersonic separation systems. After 28 years at Shell E&P — spanning production technology, R&D leadership, Smart Wells implementation and Smart Fields programme direction — Pieter served as Director of Corporate Technology and Innovation at Maersk Oil, then as CTO at Sierra Oil and Gas, Mexico's first independent oil company. He co-founded Marine Performance Systems, whose air lubrication technology was acquired by Alfa Laval (now marketed as OceanGlide). He brings a 45-year track record of engineering innovation and technology commercialisation to TwistR's mission.
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Co-founder and CFO of TwistR Energy, responsible for strategy, corporate development, and commercial structuring of new projects. A former Shell executive with 35 years of energy experience, he has co-founded and financed deep-tech energy ventures in hydrogen storage, advanced batteries, algae biofuels, and CCUS. He brings the financial rigour of a Shell career — including CFO of Shell Hydrogen and founding member of Shell Capital — to TwistR's mission of deploying proven supersonic separation technology at commercial scale. MSc Electrical Engineering (TU Delft) · MBA International Finance (NYU Stern).
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Computational Fluid Dynamics specialist (Ansys Fluent, TU Delft) with sharp expertise in supersonic flow simulation and a talent for quickly matching Twister technology to specific customer requirements.
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TwistR Energy, TriGen Energy, and Sinko ID will establish a dedicated clean energy testing and development facility at Rotterdam's industrial heartland.
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The District Court of The Hague has confirmed TwistR Energy B.V. as the sole authorised entity for the commercialisation of Twister™ supersonic cryogenic gas separation technology.
Read full statement →Twister technology delivers transformational results for the right applications — but it is not the right solution for every project. We are happy to evaluate your specific conditions and be direct about whether Twister adds value for you.
Get in touch with a brief description of your application — gas volumes, composition, location and processing objectives — and we will respond with a frank technical assessment.
For project enquiries, technical questions or investor discussions, reach us directly by email. We aim to respond within one business day.
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