INLET RECEIVING

Gas and liquids that enter the gas plant pass emergency shutdown valves, which
isolate the plant from incoming streams and pig receivers, and then go to inlet
receiving, where condensed phases drop out. Gas from inlet receiving goes to inl
et
critical because downstream gas processing units rely on a continuous gas stream
free of liquids, even when surges of liquid enter the plant. A slug catcher is a
gasliquid separator sized to hold the biggest slug a plant will experience. Dependi
ng
upon slug catcher design, inlet receiving handles just slugs or combines slug ca
tching
with liquid storage. Kimmitt et al.(2001) detail the process to properly size an
d
design a slug catcher, and the Engineering Data Book (2004b) provides details on
separator design. This section provides an overview of separator principles and
then
discusses two slug catcher configurations.
3.4.1 SEPARATOR PRINCIPLES
Called scrubbers, knockout pots, inlet receivers, and just separators, effective
phase separators protect downstream equipment designed to process a single
phase. It is the critical first step in most processes in gas plants and typical
ly is
a simple vessel with internal components to enhance separation. Bacon (2001)
provides an extensive discussion on designing separators and provides four desig
n
examples. (Bacon (2001) provides a spread sheet which includes the design
Xi =
+
= 24 62
24 62 2235
0.40
compression (if necessary), and the liquids go to storage for processing (see Ch
apter
10). The initial gas-liquid separation occurs in a slug catcher. Slug catchers a
re
2006 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
50 Fundamentals of Natural Gas Processing
calculations on the conference proceedings CD.) In this section, the emphasis is
on gas-liquid separation. Because of its importance in gas processing, a short
section on liquid-liquid separation is included. Finally, typical residence time
s
are given for both gas-liquid and liquid-liquid separators in various types of
service to check vessel sizing.
3.4.1.1 Gas-Liquid Separation
Separator vessel orientation can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical separators
are
most commonly used when the liquid-to-gas ratio is low or gas flow rates are
low. They are preferred offshore because they occupy less platform area. However
,
gas flow is upwards and opposes the flow of liquid droplets. Therefore,
vertical separators can be bigger and, thus, more costly than horizontal separat
ors.
Inlet suction scrubbers at compressor stations are usually vertical. Horizontal
separators are favored for large liquid volumes or if the liquid-to-gas ratio
is high. Lower gas flow rates and increased residence times offer better liquid
dropout. The larger surface area provides better degassing and more stable
indicates the four areas or types of separation:
Primary separation
Gravity settling

Coalescing
Liquid collecting
Primary Separation Primary separation is accomplished by utilizing the
difference in momentum between gas and liquid. Larger liquid droplets fail
to make the sharp turn and impinge on the inlet wall. This action coalesces
finer droplets so that they drop out quickly. Although inlet geometries vary,
most separators use this approach to knock out a major portion of the incoming
liquid.
Gravity Settling Gravity settling requires low gas velocities with minimal
turbulence to permit droplet fallout. The Engineering Data Book (2004b)
provides detailed information for settling calculations. This section summarizes
useful equations for quick estimation of separator performance. The
calculations assume the droplets to be rigid spheres. The terminal-settling
velocity, VT , for a sphere falling through a stagnant fluid is governed by part
icle
diameter, density differences, gas viscosity, and a drag coefficient that is a
function of both droplet shape and Reynolds number. Here the Reynolds
number is defined as
NRe = DPVT rg /mg, (3.4)
where DP is particle diameter, rg is the density, and mg is the viscosity. Thus,
calculations for VT are an iterative process