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Separator sizing

Considerations in separator sizes is important during design. The liquid capacity of most separators is
sized to provide enough retention time to allow gas bubbles to form and separate out.

Contents
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 1 Separator design basics


 2 Settling theory
o 2.1 Horizontal separators
o 2.2 Vertical vessels
o 2.3 Drop/bubble sizes
 3 Retention time
o 3.1 Horizontal vessels
o 3.2 Vertical vessels
 4 Demister sizing
 5 Seam to seam length
o 5.1 Horizontal Vessels
o 5.2 Vertical vessels
 6 Nozzle sizing
 7 Examples of separator sizing
o 7.1 Example 1: vertical two-phase separator with a mesh pad demister given values
o 7.2 Example 2: Horizontal two phase separator
o 7.3 Example 3: Vertical three phase separator
 8 Drag coefficients
 9 Nomenclature
 10 Subscripts
 11 References
 12 Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
 13 External links
 14 See also
 15 Category

Separator design basics


Separators are typically sized by the droplet settling theory or retention time for the liquid phase. For
illustration purpose, a general procedure based on retention time appraoch is as follows

1. Estimate overall volume based on the retention time and expected separation performance for each
phase, and the major factors needed to be considered include:

 Expected perforamance
 Overall through put
 Composition of incoming fluids
 Intensity of emulsion
 Retention time of each individal phase
 Types of vessel and internals
 levels and alarms

2. Determination of gas cross-sectional area based on settling theory or empirical correlations, and the
other factors include

 Expected liquid carry-over rate


 Avialable mist eliminator
 Mean velocity of gas flow

3. Determine oil cross-sectional area based on settling theory or empirical correlations by following
similar procedure in Steps 1 and 2.

4. Determine water cross-sectional area based on settling theory or empirical correlations by following
similar procedure in Steps 1 and 2.

5. Determine vessel diameter based on cross-sectional area for each phase

6. Determine vessel length to meet the required retention time for all phases

7. Select inlet device and iterate.

8. Evaluation of separation performance for a specific applocation. .

Settling theory
In gravity settling, the dispersed drops/bubbles will settle at a velocity determined by equating the gravity
force on the drop/bubble with the drag force caused by its motion relative to the continuous phase.

In horizontal vessels, a simple ballistic model can be used to determine a relationship between vessel
length and diameter. In vertical vessels, settling theory results in a relation for the vessel diameter.

Horizontal separators
Droplet settling theory, using a ballistic model, results in the relationship shown in Eq. 1. For liquid drops
in gas phase

................(1)

where

 d = vessel internal diameter, in.


 dm = drop diameter, μm
 hg = gas-phase space height, in.
 Fg = fractional gas cross-sectional area
 Leff = effective length of the vessel where separation occurs, ft
 T = operating temperature, °R
 Qg = gas flow rate, MMscf/D
 P = operating pressure, psia
 Z = gas compressibility
 ρl = liquid density, lbm/ft3
 ρg = gas density, lbm/ft3
 CD = drag coefficient. (See below for calculation)

For bubbles or liquid drops in liquid phase:

................(2)
where

 dm = bubble or drop diameter, μm


 hc = continuous liquid-phase space height, in.
 Fc = fractional continuous-phase cross-sectional area
 ρd = dispersed liquid-phase density, lbm/ft3
 ρc = continuous liquid-phase density, lbm/ft3
 Qc = continuous liquid-phase flow rate, B/D.

For low Reynolds number flow, Eq. 3 can be further reduced to

................(3)

where

 trc = continuous-phase retention time, minutes


 μc = continuous-phase dynamic viscosity, cp
 Δγ = specific gravity difference (heavy/light) of continuous and dispersed phases.

Vertical vessels
Settling theory results in the following relationship. For liquid drops in gas phase,

................(4)

For bubbles or liquid drops in liquid phase,

................(5)

Assuming low Reynolds number flow, Eq. 5 can be further reduced to

................(6)

Drop/bubble sizes
If drop or bubble removal is being used for sizing, consult Table 1 for guidelines. Sizing the water phase
by oil-drop removal is usually not effective. The water effluent quality is more likely dictated by the added
chemicals. Hence, the water-phase volume is typically determined by a retention time, based on
experience.

Table 1

The oil drops to be removed from the gas stream also depend upon the downstream equipment. Flare
scrubbers are typically designed for removal of drops that are a few hundred microns in size.

Retention time

Horizontal vessels
The relationship of vessel diameter and length is given by Eq. 7.

................(7)

where

 tro = oil retention time, minutes


 trw = water-retention time, minutes
 Qo = oil flow rate, B/D
 Qw = water flow rate, B/D
 Fl = fraction of vessel cross-sectional area filled by liquid.

Vertical vessels
Similarly for vertical vessels, the relationship of vessel diameter and liquid pad heights is given by Eq. 8.

................(8)

where

 ho = oil pad height, in.


 hw = water pad height, in.

Demister sizing
As discussed previously, many types of demisters are limited by a maximum velocity given by
................(9)

where

 Kd = demister capacity factor, ft/sec and depends upon the demister type
 Vm = maximum velocity, ft/sec
 ρL = liquid density, lbm/ft3
 ρg = gas density, lbm/ft3

For horizontal vessels, the required demister area (Ad) is given by

................(10)

................(11)

For vertical vessels, Eq. 11 is also valid. The vessel diameter is then obtained as

................(12)

For demisters (horizontal or vertical vessels) sealed in a gas box, in addition to the demister area, some
height must be maintained between the bottom of the demister and the highest liquid level for the
demister to drain. A pressure drop exists across the demister. If the liquid level is too high, the demister
will not drain, and liquid siphoning can occur. A small hole is sometimes drilled into the drainpipe as a
siphon breaker.

When using settling theory or demister sizing in horizontal vessels, one should also consider the gas
velocity for re-entrainment. Too high of a gas velocity will result in liquid re-entrainment from the liquid
surface, which may flood the demister and cause carryover. Typical gas velocities for re-entrainment are
shown in Table 2.

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