Gas dehydration with mixed adsorbent/desiccant beds

A mixed adsorbent/desiccant bed effective for removing water from a wet gas stream to produce a dry gas stream, the bed having an axial length, a diameter, a bed volume, an inlet end and an outlet end,

• wherein from about 5 vol % to about 25 vol % of the bed volume from the inlet end towards the outlet end contains one or more desiccants comprising alumino-silicate gel and substantially no molecular sieves and other adsorbents, and the remaining bed volume contains a mixture comprising from about 1 vol % to about 99 vol % of one or more adsorbents comprising one or more molecular sieves and from about 99 vol % to about 1 vol % of the one or more desiccants comprising the alumino-silicate gel, based on a total volume of the mixture, wherein the one or more desiccants and the one or more adsorbents are each present independently as discrete particles, and
• wherein at a relative humidity of about 10%, the one or more adsorbents adsorb more water than the desiccants and at a relative humidity of about 90%, the one or more desiccants adsorb more water than the adsorbents, under ambient conditions, the amount of water absorbed being weight of water per weight of the adsorbents or desiccants.