Separator Fundamentals

Process Engineering Lunch and Learn Session (1 April 2008)

Overview

Safety Moment: Aerosol Cans in Cars

Basic Principles of Separation
Separator Components
Types of Separator
Separator Specifications
Separator Sizing will be discussed in another session

Safety Moment: Aerosol Cans in Cars

This information has been reprinted from a published

newsletter on August 12, 2003 for the San Antonio Works
EHS Department:
Do you keep WD-40, hair spray, etc. in your vehicle? If so,
you might want to reconsider.
The incident pictured happened at a refinery in Beaumont,
Texas.
A deodorant spray can was left in the back of the vehicle that
was parked in an open space in the middle of a hot, sunny
day.
Without warning, the can exploded inside the car.
Fortunately, no one was inside or near the car when it
happened.

Safety Moment: Aerosol Cans in Cars

Basic Principles of Separation

Three basic principles are used to achieve physical

separation of gas, liquids and solids:
Momentum
Gravity
Coalescing (a subset of momentum)

Any separator may employ one or more of these principles

to achieve separation.
Fluid phases must be immiscible and have different
densities for separation to occur.

Momentum

Fluid phases with different densities will have different

momentum.
If a two phase stream changes direction sharply, greater
momentum will not allow particles of the heavier phase to
turn as rapidly as the lighter fluid, so separation occurs.
Momentum is usually employed for bulk separation of the
two phases in a stream.

Gravity

Liquid droplets will settle out

if the gravitational force
acting on the droplet is
greater than the drag force
of the gas flowing around
the droplet.
Droplet attains terminal
velocity (Vt) when
gravitational force = drag
force
Vt is directly proportional to
Dp

Figure 7.2 GPSA Databook (11th Edition)

Coalescing

Very small droplets such as fog or mists cannot be

separated practically by gravity.
These droplets can be coalesced to form large droplets that
will settle by gravity.
Coalescing/demister devices in separator force droplets to
follow a tortuous path.
Droplets collide with other droplets on the coalescing device,
forming larger droplets which can then settle out by gravity.

Components of Separator

Inlet Piping (outside of

separator)
Primary Separation (A)
Gravity Settling (B)
Coalescing/Demister (C)
Liquid Collecting (D)

Figure 7.5 GPSA Databook (11th Edition)

Separator Inlet Piping

Minimises turbulence and velocity of fluid flowing into separator

Common specifications:
Straight length of pipe for 10 pipe diameters from separator
Avoid horizontal bends, elbows and control valves on inlet line immediately
upstream of separator (source of shear, turbulence and causes small
droplets)
Larger size of pipe to match separator inlet nozzle size for 10 pipe diameters
from separator

If inlet piping size cannot be modified (e.g. retrofit, space restriction):

Install guiding vanes or cyclone in inlet piping

Above specifications can minimise the amount of entrained liquid (mist)

therefore assisting separation
By providing piping data and process data, vendor can quantify amount
of bulk liquid, entrained liquid (mist) and particle size distribution to
greatly improve separator design

Primary Separation

Separates bulk liquid from gas

Uses inlet device to break the momentum and distribute the
flow

Figure 11.5 Campbells Volume 2

Half Pipe Inlet Device

Half Pipe Inlet Device

www.cdsengineering.com

Gas shoots towards the back of the wall

Maldistribution of gas
Sends both gas and liquid downwards
Liquid entrainment in vapour flowing onto demister

Vane Inlet Device

Distributes the fluid along the

vanes
Fluid (gas and liquid)
changes direction
Liquid follows the vane wall
and drops off
Gas follows the vane wall
and flows up

www.prosep.com

www.prosep.com

Cyclone Inlet Device

Fluid is directed by a swirl

element to spin along the
cyclone wall
Liquid flows downwards
along the cyclone wall
Gas flows downwards
together with liquid then
upwards
Liquid outlet can be
submerged in liquid phase
to minimise foaming

www.prosep.com

www.prosep.com

Gravity Settling

Utilises the force of gravity to enhance the separation of

entrained droplets.
Gas moves through the barrel at low velocity
D

L
Lg

Vgas
Vgas
Fgravity

Fgravity
D

Gravity Settling

Vertical vessel: specify diameter so that Vgas < Vterminal

Horizontal vessel: specify length of vessel to allow droplet to
settle
Straightening vanes are sometimes used to reduce
turbulence

Demister Section

Removes small droplets by coalescing small droplets to form

larger droplets so they can settle by gravity

Figure 11.5 Campbells Volume 2

Vane Pack and Wire Mesh

Vane Pack

Mist Mat/Wire Mesh

www.natcogroup.com

Figure 7-13 GPSA Databook 11th Edition

Gas and liquid droplets forced

to change direction
Droplets absorbed by wet
surface and collected in pockets
Can handle higher flow than
wire mesh

Gas and liquid droplets

forced to change direction
Droplets strike surface
then flow downwards
More effective at
separating smaller
particles than vane pack

Cyclone Demister Device

Uses centrifugal forces to separate

liquid droplets from a gas stream.
Gas and liquid enter the cyclone tube
and is set into rotation by vanes
mounted on a central body.
Gas flows axially along the tube.
The heavier liquid droplets are thrown
to the wall due to the centrifugal
action.
The liquid is then transported through
slits at the cyclone wall into a liquid
collecting chamber and drained back
to the vessel through downcomers.
Not effective below certain velocity.
www.prosep.com

Liquid Collection

Provides enough residence time:

to allow vapour to be released from the liquid.
to allow 2 liquid phase to separate

Contains volume to handle sudden surge in inlet liquid flow.

One of liquid collection issues is foaming.
Presence of chemicals such as corrosion inhibitor and glycol can
increase the likelihood of foaming.
Foaming can be minimised by reducing shearing, turbulence and
velocity of fluids into separator.
Foaming can be dealt with by increasing the height of the separator to
allow foams to settle.

Liquid Levels Definition

NLL

Normal Liquid Level

Liquid level maintained by controls during operation

HLL

High Liquid Level

First liquid level above NLL to trigger an alarm

HHLL

High High Liquid Level

Second liquid level above NLL to trigger a shutdown

LLL

Low Liquid Level

First liquid level below NLL to trigger an alarm

LLLL

Low Low Liquid Level

Second liquid level below NLL to trigger a shutdown

Hold-up time
Time to fill separator from empty to NLL at design
(Residence Time) liquid feed rate.
Surge Time

Time to fill separator from NLL to HLL at design

liquid feed rate.

Liquid Collection Devices

Calming baffle reduces turbulence, creates uniform velocity.

Coalescing pack causes discontinuous phase to form larger droplets.
Weir separates different liquid phases.

Liquid Collection Devices

Vortex breaker prevents vortex formation and gas

carryunder.

Figure 11.10 Campbells 7th Edition Volume 2.

Separator Types

Basic types: Vertical Separator and Horizontal Separator

Vertical Separator
Gas flows vertically upwards against liquid
settling. Therefore, gas velocity must be less
than the liquid droplet terminal velocity for
effective separation.

Horizontal Separator
Gas flows horizontally and hence
perpendicular to droplet setting.
Therefore, the gas velocity can be
larger than the liquid droplet velocity

For the same application, vertical separator is Horizontal separator is generally more
generally less efficient than horizontal
effective in separating vapour and liquid
separator.
due to a larger surface area for vapour
to be released from liquid.
Vapour flow area is constant therefore
performance of separator is not sensitive to
changing liquid level.

Vapour flow area depends on liquid

level therefore the performance of
horizontal separator can deteriorate as
liquid level rises.

Separator Types

Basic types: Vertical Separator and Horizontal Separator

Vertical Separator
For the same application, vertical separator
generally takes less plot space.

Horizontal Separator
For the same application, horizontal
separator generally takes more plot
space but less height.

Vertical separator is generally used when gas Horizontal separator is generally used
is the dominant phase.
when gas and liquids are of equal
proportions or liquid is the dominant
phase.

Separator Specifications

What separator vendor requires:

Process data:

Max. liquid, max vapour and max Rho V (momentum) cases

Inlet flow rate, density and viscosity
Liquid surface tension
Presence of solids
Presence of corrosive materials
Required separation efficiency carryover, particle size removed

Separator Specifications

What separator vendor requires:

Inlet piping data (optional):
Length of straight run into vessel
Pipe size
Presence of bends, elbows, control valves

Specifications:
Applicable industry standards
Applicable client standards

Separator Specifications

What performance guarantee is required from vendor:

Vapour and liquid flow capacity
Liquid carryover:
total liquid carryover (e.g. 0.1 US gallon liquid carryover/MMSCF gas)
particle size carryover (e.g. 99.9% of 30 microns and above removed)

Beware of particle size carryover, this does not reflect the total
amount of liquid carryover.
On some separators, particle size carryover is important (e.g. flare
scrubber, compressor scrubber and filter coalescer).
On some separators, particle size carryover is not important (e.g.
production separators). In this case, total liquid carryover is more
important.

Future Topic: Separator Sizing

Some of the topics which can be covered:

Separator Sizing Formula (K-Factor)

Cautions about using K-Factor (GPSA extract)
Nozzle sizing
WorleyParsons Standard Spreadsheet
Design Guides and Standards
Case Study

Question Time

Questions?