Professional Documents
Culture Documents
7-Feb-2000
Worley
Resources & Energy
ACN 001 279 812
Worley Limited
Level 2, 80 Albert Street
Brisbane Queensland 4000 Australia
PO Box 81, Albert Street
Brisbane Queensland 4002 Australia
Tel: +61 7 3221 7444
Fax: +61 7 3221 7791
Web: http://www.worleylimited.com
© Copyright
2000 Worley Limited
Appendices
Separators play an important role in the chemical industry and are critical to the success of almost all
processes. The usage of phase separators range from functions as diverse as ensuring that final
product quality meets often stringent standards to protecting downstream equipment from undesirable
impurities. In the petrochemical industry the most common uses include:
• Separation of liquid hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon vapour (2-phase vapour – liquid separation)
• Separation of a two liquids differing in their respective densities (2-phase, liquid – liquid
separation)
• Separation of a feed stream consisting of vapour, liquid hydrocarbon and water into 3 separate
components. (3-phase separation).
This design guide presents the basic principles and methods involved with sizing vertical and
horizontal separators for both 2-phase and 3-phase separation. It is important to note, however, that
this guide does not cover the separation of solids from either liquids or vapour.
Whilst theoretically, it may be important to take into consideration dynamic operating conditions of
the separation process, such as variation in fluid properties with time; and the transient start-up and
shut-down characteristics of separation operation when undertaking the design, this presents a near
impossible task in reality. As such, this design guide uses steady-state operation of the separator as its
basis.
As is the case with the design of any vessel, the associated system properties and process
requirements must first be defined. In the case of separator design, these may include:
System Properties
• Flow rates of each phase to be separated.
• Physical properties of each phase (viscosity, density, etc.)
• Identification of continuous phase(s) (see following table)
.
System Continuous / discontinuous phase distinction
Vapour – Liquid The vapour is the continuous “light” phase, with liquid being the heavy,
discontinuous phase which settles out as droplets.
HC liquid – Water. The HC liquid is the continuous phase, with water settling out as droplets
Water – HC liquid The water is the continuous, “heavy” phase, with HC liquid being the light
discontinuous phase rising up through the water as droplets.
Process Requirements
• The required throughput and composition of feed mixture to be purified will ultimately determine
the size and type of separator selected.
• Degree of separation required. The minimum droplet sizes required to be separated from each
phase need to be specified. This is generally set by factors such as purity of product required for
sale or purity required to avoid upsets to downstream equipment / processes. For example:
• In HC liquid – vapour separation, efficient liquid separation from vapour is needed, particularly in
situations where the vapour subsequently flows downstream to a compressor. Separators for this
purpose often include mist eliminators to enhance their separation performance.
• In water – HC liquid separation, efficient separation of water from the HC is needed to avoid
over-loading downstream water treatment facilities. This is particularly important if the liquid
HC is then fed to a downstream distillation column.
Before a judgement is made regarding the type of separator most suitable for use in a specific
application, there are number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. The following
sections outline the general characteristics of both horizontal and vertical separators and where they
are most useful. It is important to note, however, there are exceptions to these recommendations and
each specific case should be evaluated before any decision is made.
For ease of reading, when comparing the performances of vertical and horizontal separators in this
section, the light phase will be referred to as “vapour” and the heavy phase as “liquid”, even in the
case of liquid-liquid systems.
If the residence time1 of the vapour is greater than the time taken for the liquid droplets to reach the
liquid surface, then the liquid will undergo satisfactory disengagement from the vapour. It is this
relationship which ultimately determines the maximum allowable vapour velocity through the
separator, as follows:
v s .L
vmax Equation 3.1
H
Thus, for horizontal separators with a L/H ratio greater than 1, the maximum velocity can exceed the
liquid settling velocity without affecting the vessel’s ability to achieve satisfactory separation. As will
be shown in section 3.2, however, this is not the case with vertical separators.
1
The vapour residence time refers to the time taken for vapour to flow from the feed inlet to vapour outlet
nozzle.
Despite the fact that vertical separators are a less efficient alternative than horizontal ones with an
appropriate L/H ratio, they do offer some distinct advantages which have seen them favoured for
applications as fuel gas and compressor suction KO drums. Such advantages are detailed in section
3.4.
( l − v )
vmax = K Equation 3.3
v
Where vmax = Maximum allowable vapour velocity, m/s
K = Empirical constant, m/s
l = Density of liquid phase, kg/m3
v = Density of vapour phase, kg/m3
A range of values for K are available for use in the above equation, as illustrated in the following
table (Table-3.1) taken from figure 7-9 of GPSA (SI units) Volume 1, Section 7, page 7-7.
Perhaps the most important criterion used in sizing phase separators is the velocities at which
entrained droplets of a discontinuous, dispersed phase settle out in a continuous medium. The settling
velocity of such droplets is dependent upon factors such as droplet size and shape, phase densities and
the droplets’ resistance to settling. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the droplet’s resistance to
settling is in fact a function of the settling velocity itself, various approximations are required in any
solution method and a precise determination of the settling velocity is not possible. In order to
minimise the errors associated with any approximations made, however, two independent approaches
to calculating the settling velocity are used in this design guide.
1000 * g * D p ( l − v )
2
Vt =
18
Stokes Law (Equation 4.1)
( l − v ) 0.71
1.14
3.54 * g 0.71 * D p
Vt =
v 0.29 0.43
Intermediate Law (Equation 4.2)
g * D p * (l − v )
Vt = 1.74 Newton’s Law
v (Equation 4.3)
1
2
3
D p , max = K CR (Equation 4.4)
g * v * ( l − v
)
Where: Dp,max is the maximum droplet size for which each respective law applies (metres).
KCR is a dimensionless constant.
It is seen then from the above equation that KCR is in fact the quantity which determines which of the
three laws is applicable. Values for KCR are as follows:
The law to be used is then selected by substituting the KCR values shown above sequentially into
equation 4.4 for each law and determining for which law the actual droplet size is lower than the value
of Dp,max calculated.
1
v 2 3
ut = ut
*
( − )g (Equation 4.6)
l v
For the direct evaluation of ut*, Haider & Levenspiel present the following approximation (valid for
spherical droplets), which expresses ut* as a function of dp*.
d *
p ( ) ( ) 2
dp
* 0.5
(Equation 4.7)
Given the appropriate physical properties of the system under consideration, dp* is first calculated
(using equation 4.5) followed by ut (using back substitution in equation 4.8), as follows:
−1 1
18 0.591 v 2
−3
ut = +
*2
d p( ) ( )
d p
* 0.5
( − )g
l v
(Equation 4.8)
Due to the fact that the “conventional” methods described in section 4.1 are more widely used and
trusted by industry world-wide than the “alternative” method, it is the method of choice used in the
calculation of droplet settling velocities for the purposes of actually sizing the separator in this design
guide. While the droplet settling velocities are calculated using both methods, this is merely to ensure
that the values calculated for the settling velocities do not differ substantially from one another. This
is designed to ensure that the potential errors associated with the approximations made in each method
are reduced.
For a vertical separator, the vessel diameter required is determined by first calculating the maximum
allowable vapour velocity, (using equation 3.3) before using the following equation:
4.Q
d min =
.vmax Equation 5.1
The vessel diameter should be selected as the next largest pipe/drum size to the dmin value calculated,
where deemed practical.
Amongst the most important factors required for consideration when designing the length of a
proposed vertical separator, are:
• The location of various liquid levels inside the vessel (LLSD, LLL, NLL, HLL, HLSD, etc.)
• The location of inlet and outlet nozzles
• The surge volume required to permit corrective action to be taken by plant operators in times of
unsatisfactory plant operation. Such information is usually provided by the vendor, or based upon
experience gained in sizing similar vessels in the past.
• Whether or not a demister pad is to be installed.
The following recommendations can be made regarding vessel shell lengths which will assist the
process engineer in addressing the important issues listed above.
• The low liquid level (LLL) should be a minimum of 300 mm above the bottom vessel tangent
line. The precise level height may depend on the nature of level control instruments available.
• The high liquid shutdown (HLSD) level should be no less than 300 mm below the inlet feed
distributor / nozzle.
Following figure-5.1, adapted from GPSA (SI Units) Volume 1, Section 7, depicts an example of a
typical vertical separator containing a wire mesh mist extractor, in which the above-mentioned
recommendations have been adhered to.
Figure – 5.1
150 mm
Dv or 600 mm (min)
Inlet Di 2 Di
300 mm (min)
LSH (S/D)
Dv 300 mm (min)
LG/LC
As reported by GPSA (SI) volume 1, most installations use a 150 mm thick pad with the minimum
recommended thickness being 100 mm. In order to size the diameter of a demister pad, the following
correlation may be used:
1
−
4.Q l − v 2
d= (Equation 5.4)
.K v
The diameter of the mist extractor is usually substantially less than the diameter of the separator. In
the case of vertical separators with diameters less than 1000 mm, a mesh diameter equivalent to the
vessel diameter should be used. In addition, the demister pads are typically located 300 mm below
the vapour outlet nozzle of a horizontal separator.
For any variety of service, the material of construction for the mesh pad should be at least 304 ss. For
application in corrosive service, either 316 ss or Monel mesh pads should be used.
In the sections that follow, a brief outline is given for each type of separator on each of the following
topics:
• Inputs required by the spreadsheet,
• Final outputs provided by the spreadsheet,
• Warnings provided by the spreadsheet, and
• A chronological procedure for using the spreadsheet.
In addition to the required inputs described above, there are also inputs whose values are more or less
standard for the vast majority of vertical vapour-liquid designs, including:
1. Fluid Properties
• Feed mixture density
• Maximum allowable vapour velocity
• Actual maximum vapour velocity
• Liquid droplet settling velocity & the settling law used in the calculation
• Liquid residence times between specified liquid levels.
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
1. The calculated vapour velocity exceeds the maximum allowable vapour velocity calculated by the
K-factor method.
2. The specified liquid level heights are inadequate to provide the required liquid residence times.
3. The vessel height / diameter ratio does not fall in the range of 2 – 5.
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm.
The following lists outline the input data required by the spreadsheet. Many such inputs are highly
sensitive on the precise process requirements of the separator, and include:
In addition to the required inputs described above, there are also inputs whose values are more or less
standard for the vast majority of vertical vapour-liquid designs, including:
Once all required input values have been entered, the spreadsheet calculates values for the following:
1. Fluid Properties
• Feed mixture density
• Maximum allowable light liquid velocity (assumed equal to 0.85 * settling velocity of heavy
liquid droplets in the light liquid phase)
• Actual maximum light liquid velocity
• Light liquid droplet settling velocity & the settling law used in the calculation
• Heavy liquid droplet settling velocity & the settling law used in the calculation
• Liquid residence times between specified liquid levels.
2. Vessel Dimensions
• Minimum vessel diameter
• Vessel height (T/T) – taken as a minimum of 2500 mm.
• Minimum inlet nozzle ID
• Minimum light liquid outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum heavy liquid outlet nozzle ID
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm.
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
1. The calculated light liquid velocity exceeds the maximum allowable light liquid velocity.
2. The residence time of the heavy liquid between the vessel bottom and the NIL is less than the
light liquid droplet “fall” time in the heavy liquid medium.
3. The specified liquid level heights are inadequate to provide the required liquid residence times.
4. The vessel height / diameter ratio does not fall in the range of 2 – 5.
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
The warnings provided as outlined in the previous section represent one of the most important and
user-friendly tools possessed by the excel spreadsheet file to assist the user in sequentially entering all
data required for a successful design. A suggested procedure is as follows:
1. Enter all the required input data listed in A.2.1, except for the vessel ID and elevations of LILSD,
LIL, NIL, HIL and HILSD.
2. Set the vessel diameter to the calculated value for the “minimum vessel diameter” as a starting
point.
3. Enter arbitrary values for the various liquid level elevations (i.e. LILSD, LIL, NIL, HIL and
HILSD) and vary them to meet the required liquid residence times. Also ensure in specifying
these levels that the residence time of the heavy liquid between the vessel bottom and the NIL is
less than the light liquid droplet “fall” time in the heavy liquid medium.
4. Examine the vessel height / diameter ratio to ensure that it lies between 2 – 5.
(i) If the ratio is greater than 5, a more economical ratio can be achieved by gradually
increasing the vessel ID from the value selected in step 2, while decreasing one or all of
the LILSD, LIL, NIL, HIL and HILSD elevations specified in step 3. If this approach
is taken, it must be ensured that all required liquid residence times remain satisfied and
that the LILSD elevation is a minimum of 150 mm above the bottom tangent line.
(ii) If the ratio is less than 2, on the other hand, the elevations of the LILSD, LIL, NIL,
HILSD may be increased to extend the height of the vessel and increase the ratio. In
doing so, it is again vital to ensure that the light liquid droplet fall time is less than the
In addition to the required inputs described above, there are also inputs whose values are more or less
standard for the vast majority of vertical vapour-liquid designs, including:
1. Fluid Properties
• Feed mixture density
• Maximum allowable vapour velocity
• Actual maximum vapour velocity
• Liquid droplet settling velocity & the settling law used in the calculation
• Liquid droplet fall time (from top of vessel to NLL)
• Vapour residence time (from top of vessel to NLL)
• Liquid residence times between specified liquid levels.
2. Vessel Dimensions
• Minimum vessel diameter
• Minimum inlet nozzle ID
• Minimum vapour outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum liquid outlet nozzle ID
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm.
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
1. The calculated vapour velocity exceeds the maximum allowable vapour velocity calculated by the
K-factor method.
2. The liquid droplet fall time (from top of vessel to NLL) exceeds the vapour residence time (also
from top of vessel to NLL).
3. The specified liquid level heights are inadequate to provide the required liquid residence times.
4. The vessel length / diameter ratio does not fall in the range of 2 – 4.
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
In addition to the required inputs described above, there are also inputs whose values are more or less
standard for the vast majority of vertical vapour-liquid designs, including:
1. Fluid Properties
• Feed mixture density
• Maximum allowable light liquid velocity
• Actual maximum light liquid velocity.
• Light liquid droplet settling velocity in heavy liquid medium & the settling law used in the
calculation
• Light liquid droplet fall time (from bottom of vessel to NL)
• Heavy liquid droplet settling velocity in light liquid medium & the settling law used in the
calculation.
• Heavy liquid droplet fall time (from top of vessel to NIL).
• Liquid residence times between specified liquid levels.
3. Vessel Dimensions
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
1. The calculated light liquid velocity exceeds the maximum allowable light liquid velocity.
2. The heavy liquid droplet fall time (from top of vessel to NIL) exceeds the light liquid residence
time (also from top of vessel to NIL).
3. The heavy liquid residence time is less than the light liquid droplet fall time (from bottom of
vessel to NIL).
5. The specified liquid level heights are inadequate to provide the required liquid residence times.
6. The vessel length / diameter ratio does not fall in the range of 2 – 4.
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm.
In addition to the required inputs described above, there are also inputs whose values are more or less
standard for the vast majority of vertical vapour-liquid designs, including:
2. Vessel Dimensions
• Minimum vessel diameter
• Minimum inlet nozzle ID
• Minimum vapour outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum light liquid outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum heavy liquid outlet nozzle ID
• Clearance between inlet feed nozzle and bottom of demister pad (if fitted) – shall be taken as
the greater of 0.7D or 750 mm.
• Clearance between top of demister pad (if fitted) and upper tangent line – taken as the greater
of 0.1D or 300 mm.
A.5.3 Warnings Provided
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm. (REF)
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
Once all required input values have been entered, the spreadsheet calculates values for the following:
1. Fluid Properties
• Feed mixture density
• Maximum allowable vapour velocity
• Actual maximum vapour velocity
• Light liquid droplet settling velocity in vapour & the settling law used in the calculation.
2. Vessel Dimensions
• Minimum vessel diameter
• Minimum inlet nozzle ID
• Minimum vapour outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum light liquid outlet nozzle ID
• Minimum heavy liquid outlet nozzle ID
• Clearance between inlet feed nozzle and bottom of demister pad (if fitted) – shall be taken as
the greater of 0.7D or 750 mm.
• Clearance between top of demister pad (if fitted) and upper tangent line – taken as the greater
of 0.1D or 300 mm.
The spreadsheet issues various warnings to help ensure that the design of the separator is adequate for
its desired purpose. These warnings are issued if the following conditions result:
1. The specified liquid level heights are inadequate to provide the required liquid residence times.
2. The calculated vapour velocity exceeds the maximum allowable vapour velocity calculated by the
K-factor method.
3. The calculated light liquid droplet fall time (in vapour from top of vessel to NLL) exceeds the
vapour residence time (also from top of vessel to NLL).
The minimum value for any nozzle diameter is considered to be 50 mm.
An overall status box that is viewable at the top of the spreadsheet at all times is included which
displays warning messages if any of the above conditions occur. When this status box displays an
“OK, No Warnings Present” message, all spreadsheet calculations have been completed without any
warnings.
1) Reflux to tower 5
2) Product to off-plot tankage or other unit
feed drum (direct)
a) without pump 2
b) with pump 5
3) Product to off-plot tankage or other unit 3 to 5
feed drum (via feed-bottom exchanger)
4) Distillate / liquid feed to subsequent tower or furnace
a) drum diameter less than 1.2 m 20
b) drum diameter 1.2 to 2 m 15
c) drum diameter more than 2 m 10
5) Compressor interstage knockout drums 5
5) Refrigeration system
a) intermediate stage drums 5
b) main accumulators 10
6) HP separator followed by LP separator 4
7) Other general services 3 to 10