Calculating settle-out pressure in compressor loops Simple procedure can be used to help determine piping and equipment design pressures into process loops A. HEYDAR! GORJ} 1] Fh Jten a compresor compresses gus from one system at P, Vit { and 7; to another system at P, and T; and stops during FW che maximum: pressure drop case, a differential pressure is developed. After a compresior shutdown, the g2s i wapped between the upstream and downstream discharge check valve and the pesture is equalized out This equalized presere thoughout, compressor loops i called setl-out pressure. The maximum sectle-our pressure is calculaced from coincident high-trip pres- sures on bath suction and discharge sides ofthe compresor Ta some sation, a single presuresfey valve is desirable to protect equipment in «proces loup. In this regard, and also to Establish the design pressure for piping and equipment insalled in the process loop, the setele-out pressure is required. Therefore, itis deste vo rece the sere-our pressure as much as possible Sertle-out pressure will decrease if the discharge-side volume of ceatifugal compresors is minimized, for instance gas precooling is preferable ro compresor discharge cooling A simple procedure hs been developed co derermine the set dle-out presi into compresior loop (or instance a reaction recyle ga loop in which a compresor continuously recycles the ‘process gas) or centrifugal compressor stations including knock- Out drums, inter coolers and anisuge Fines. Calculation procedure. iy calculate the sere-our pressure isobar sections ofthe system should be identified. The system vol. lume and confined masses nced to be determined and the lumped ‘mass and enthalpy should be disuibuted in the secle-our situation, «co calculate the Final pressure. Arsettle-out pressure, there is sil the same mass of gas and system total volume equals.che initial mass af gas If some sys- em components are fled with liquid-and theie volume doesn’ change, then liquid volume is not considered. The calculation, procedure is summarized as: 1. Estimate the equipment volume a each pressure level, Oper- ating pressure and temperature ae used to estimate the mass. [n this regard, the following assumptions can be considered asa rule of thumb if there are not enough data * Assume 60% occupation of catalyst/adsorbent inside + Assume 40% and 90% vapor phase inside separator and knock-out drums, respectively Assame 50% vapor phase inside piping, heaters and exchang- crs For two-phase services Gaara rafal 9821 BSS 0821 and H. KALAT JARI, Saz Tehran, Iran + The compressor incernal volume normally wouldsit be con- sidered. 2, Settle-out temperature should be caleulated based on «i volume of each isothermal section, since it will change at mo: locations than pressure. In tis regard, all gas masses i the system at che various pressures and temperatures ae added to estimate the ‘oral system mass and Finally, equalized temperature. 3. Then, setle-out pressure is calculated based on: BY, _ Bal To Ty : where: P= Serle-our pressure, bara Vs=TToral actual volume, m? Ty= Settle-out temperature, °K Py Atmospheric pressure, bara Viv= Total normal volume, Nm? T0273," “To determine the settle-our pressure of the compressor tains for which there ae not enough data to calculate the system mass or the temperature difference throughout compressor loop is, nor significant, a rough estimation procedure is proposed. In this procedure, the serle-our pressure is calculated based on th average value of system volumes and operating pressures. This, estimation method is Further explained in case study.2 Sertle-out pressure in compressor trains is used as a basis for determining equipment and piping design pressures. 'n this regard, design pressure of the lowest-pressure part should be calculated as 1.05 times the setie-out pressure co minimize unnecessary flaring during compressor trips or shutdowns. Vhis, will provide an adequate basis for calculating design pressure of higher-pressure parts, Thus, design pressure of other equipment is obtained by summation ofthis base design pressure plus oper- ating pressure difference berween cach piece of equipment and the lowest operating pressure in the system. Case study 1: Reaction recycle-gas loop. A sample reaction loop (Fig. 1) is considered for calculating sele-out pres- sure, Reactor liquid feed, after combination with the recycled gs feed, is preheated by the reactor feed/effluenc exchanger and {urcher heated by the fred heater up co che reaction temperature and supplied o the eeacror. The reactor effluent gas is cooled by a feed/effluent exchanger and two coolers. The cooled effluent VOROCARECH FROCESSNG NOVEMBER 2006 | 63recycle-gas loop Ree eae Molectar Normal volume, Mass, Mole, ‘Temp. xmole, Design pressure, weight ti kg" kmol__ kmolre barg inet 18 aaa 5 39 ee Ta2 a5 Separaoe dm 7 aa ry Sr 7008 Tis ine2 t S 550s az Cooker 5 & 38a Fr] ines 2 = 73105 ‘cooler 7 @ EE) ined 3 ae To 3 3a fi exchorger V6 27 10 EE) Reo. Be & 3 ies ines 35 0 30155 Fed heater a2 aes ao CT ined’ 2 ws a EE Feechange 16 303 a0 Tea 3a ine? a 308 & os 8S Total az 17958 11386 B0.16 (0131,795.8x492.6 =2196°C _Settle-out pressure: P, ene ttr eee enters the product separator and separated gas is recycled to d 2, Settle-out pressure calculation for a ico: ecg ogee tbe oeeshe TASER 2 Stet Sewlecous presure should be calculated when the compresion Volume, Pesue, Value x presse Dean pense Lay TE ately ees | Sta a Ree} Select 170 at www HydrocarbonProcessing.com/RS SS Eee me barg rm bara arg thet a 8 0 a ———— 2 Dam z 3 co ine? of 9 “207 thes 3 [a PS See) a) ined 5s a Drum? 33 i thes e873 Sntsurgeine 1 02373 Dum’ Ba thee 072i ine? a aD a6 7 Antisuage ne? 03 70 ie aaa Tol 37 1065.3 Settle-out pressure: p, = 1065.3 _ ette-out pressure: A, = WEBS 10 is in. maximum pressure drop shutdowns. The system should be assumed to beat normal operating presse before compressor stoppage with all purge gs lines closed ‘The example with typical conditions in Table 1 setce-our pressure calculation for the reaction loop to explain the procedure more clearly illuserates & Case study 2: two-stage compressor station. A sample ‘se0-stage compressor (Fig, 2) is considered for calculating setle- lS,‘Antisurge ‘out pressure, The example in Table 2 illustrates a setle-out pres sure calculation for a cwo-stage centrifugal compressor station to ‘explain the rough estimation procedure more clearly. Wr LITERATURE CITED Guide for Pres Raing and Deprnarng Spems Sth Editon, Sanda 521, American Peuoleum Insieate (APD, Washington, DC, 1997 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors would like wo thank the board of directs and proces division diver of Sach Consulants Company for thei suppore, D) Aiatsar Heydar cor sssnec nose ngen a ea {nth nae Uneraye ances tenen oe Siluecicial ane tecarecaieattenareheaomarea Hamid Reza Kalat Jari: 3 sanier access engcees inthe IR] recess deosrant of SAZEH Contre eva, kan Ne Fat J hasten wth the SAZEH Process Depart fr fous years. Prevaus Re works forfour yas total Fina and ght years th Natal raion Gas Compary a races engest and process contol engineer He ais 285 degre n chemi engnerna fom he Shae Urey of eno.) and an MS degre chercal engineering rom Tara Modes Urey. 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