Design av demistere for

hytrykksanvendelse
S
Separasjonsteknologi
j
t k l i 2009
September 30
30, 2009
Presenter: Dag Kvamsdal

Overview todays presentation

Quick overview of demisters
Typical separation performance requirement of
demisters
Operational envelope for scrubbers today
Testing of demisters in laboratory
What will affect the demister performance
Status on CFD calculations
Natco Norway focus for new development of
demisters and scrubber internals

Demisters in a process system

Primary Separators
Gas scrubbers
Contactor towers

Demisters used in scrubbers and separators

E
Examples
l

Vanepack

Demisting cyclones

Separators

Demisting cyclones

Scrubber

Single stage scrubber

Two types of demisters discussed

Axial flow cyclones and vane packs

Vane pack
Suited for low-mid
pressure
p
essu e application
app ca o
and low gas loading

Axial flow
cyclones
Suited for high
pressure demisting

Separation efficiency scrubber

Sep eff [%]

Using
g Natco Norway
y correlations

0%

20 %

40 %

60 %

80 %

100 %

120 %

Relative flow rate

Efficiency demister

Se
ep eff [%]

k = u gas

K-value [m/s]

Efficiency bulk separation vessel

gas
liquid
li id gas

Required separation efficency

Example; Achieve 0.1 gal/MMSCF

Example case
Demister
section
99.73 %

IInlet
l t section
ti
and vessel
combined
88.97 %

Overall efficiency: 99.97 %

Process conditions
Operating pressure
Operating temperature
Gas actual flow rate
Gas actual density
Gas actual viscosity
y
Hydrocarbon liquid flow rate
Oil actual density
Hydrocarbon surface tension
Oil actual viscosity
Water flow rate
Water actual density
Water actual viscosity
Liquid fraction

Year 2011
[bara]
[C]
[Am/h]
[kg/m]
[[cP]]
[Am/h]
[kg/m]
[N/m]
[cP]
[Am/h]
[kg/m]
[cP]
[vol%]

25.1
25
1
105
25263
22.5
0.01
22.71
881
0.021
13.0200
0.0
991.5
0.6
0.09 %

Efficiency limitations for scrubbers

Operational envelope LCO<0.1 gal/MMSCF

The scrubbers using inlet vanes will have a limitation around

k=0.15 m/s to 0.20 m/s due to the rapid increase in liquid to
the demister section from the bulk section of the vessel

2 0%
2.0%

Liquidvolu
umefraction
n

> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

1 5%
1.5%

1.0%
Increasing
Pressure

0.5%
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0%

kkvalue
value[m/s]
[m/s]

Options for demister testing

The Natco axial flow cyclone has been tested at the following labs

Ai water
Air
t laboratory
l b
t
Functional testing of a
full axial flow cyclone
box

Test pressure 1-5 barg

N t L
Natco
Laboratory
b
t
Testing of individual
demisters and
demister sections
Model fluids and
possibility to run gas
densities of 60 kg/m3

R l fluid
Real
fl id laboratory
l b
t
For instance StatoilHydro Klab.
Real fluids,, Full size test
sections and up to 150 bar

Testing high pressure demisters

Real world vs laboratory conditions

Real world

Gas density [kg/m3]

10

100

Real world

S rface tension [kg/m3]

Surface

10

100

Demisters
10-3

10-2

10-1

Scrubbers
100

Ai water
Air
t
Natco Norway
y Laboratoryy

101

Diameter [m]

Separation efficiency for a demister

Differences from lab to real conditions axial flow cyclones

Test data

100.0%
99.5%
99.0%

Test data from air water gives 100%

separation efficiency, nothing to
learn!

Efficiency

98.5%
98.0%
97.5%
Realfluids

97.0 %
97.0%

Modelfluids

96.5%

Airwater

96.0%
95.5%
50%

70%

90%
Flow[]

110%

Model fluids gives reduced efficiency

and it is possible to evaluate the
geometry
g
y
Real fluids gives considerably lower
efficiency

Flow mechanisms in a demister

Affecting the separation

Droplet break up

Droplet transportation

Wall interaction
Collisions / Coalescence

CFD challenge
g for demister equipment
q p

Why cannot CFD replace testing all together

Limited computer capacity allows sets an upper limitation of the length scales
that can be resolved
CFD can only resolve the length < 1000 nodes in 3 dimension total nodes 10003
= 109

The challenge of CFD; it is all about scales

Equipment
Turbulence

Droplets
10-6

10-5

Length
g [[m]]
10-4
CFD resolved

10-3

10-2

10-1
CFD resolved

10-0

CFD ability to capture the flow field

RANS calculations
Time averaged solution
y ways
y do
that in many
not visualize the real
flow pattern in the
vanepack

LES calculations
Able to calculate the
main flow structures
and the general flow
pattern qualitative
correct
Calculation 15 000
CPU h
hours using
i
7 000 000 cells

Multiphase flow

Including; droplet break up, coalescence and wall film model

Flow in a vanepack
p
as filmed in the laboratory
y

G
Gas
density
d
it 60 k
kg/m
/ 3

Flow in the vanepack slow motion

Gas density 60 kg/m3

Efficiency vane pack

As tested in the Natco laboratory
100%
99 %
99%

Vane pack efficiency

98%

Efficiency

97%
96%

High efficiency for k < 0.1

0 1 m/s for all
gas densities up to 60 kg/m3

95%
94%
93%

Increasing
density

92%

Falls below 99% when k>0

k>0.15
15 m/s

91%
90%

Kvalue[m/s]
100%
98%

Separat ionefficiency

96%
94%

Vanepack

92%

Cyclones

Vane pack efficiency

compared to axial flow
cyclones

90%
88%

The axial flow cyclones can handle

considerably higher flow without loss
of performance

86%
84%
82 %
82%
80%

Kvalue[m/s]

Development of scrubber internals

Under development
New generation of axial flow cyclones
Should achive 10 times or more better performance than the
existing axial flow cyclones
Important
I
t t for
f one stage
t
inline
i li solutions
l ti
as wellll as hi
high
h
pressure scrubbers

New scrubber inlet section

Should give 99% or better efficiency for a k-value in the
vessel of 0
0.25
25 m/s
m/s.

Next generation axial flow cyclones

Operational envelope LCO<0.1 gal/MMSCF

Improved axial flow cyclones where the efficiency

is improved with a factor of 10 compared with
existing cyclones
The maximum k value to achieve 0.1 gal/MMSCF
will be as shown

Liquidvolu
umefraction
n

2.0%

> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

1.5%

1.0%
Increasing
Pressure

0.5%
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0%

kvalue[m/s]

Design
g of Gas Scrubbers
Inlet devices

Inlet Vane Diffuser

Inlet Cyclone Distributor

Swirl Inlet

Statoils SPINLET

Efficiency for new type inlet

Key for further scrubber development is to
manage to remove 99% or more of the droplet in
the vessel before demister up to k ~ 0
0.25
25

2.0%

Liquidvollumefraction
n

> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

1.5 %
1.5%

1.0%
Increasing
Pressure

0.5%
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0%

kvalue[m/s]