Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations

By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Purpose:
Vertical Separator Calculation
This example shows a difficult to size separator due to the very high liquid flow rates

Method:
The method follows that presented in "Applied Process Design, Vol 1" by Ernest Ludwig for
impingment separators

L v
vallow = k
v

Assumptions:

Per the method, droplet sizes of less than about 10 microns will be captured. There is a
curve of droplet size vs efficiency in the book.

Unit Definition (for Mathcad use):

none used

Page 1 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Data:
kg
L := 1033
Liquid Density 3
m
kg
v := 12.12
Vapour Density 3
m

m
k for demister k := 1260 with a demister
hr

3
m
Vapour Flow Rate volflow := 558
hr

3
m
Liquid Flow Rate flowliquid := 237
hr

L v
vallow := k 4m
v vallow = 1.156 10
hr

m
vdesign := 0.75 vallow vdesign = 2.409
s

volflow
Area :=
vdesign 2
Area = 0.064 m

2
Area =
dia

2

Vessel Diameter for adequate vapour/liquid separation

Area
dia := 2

dia = 0.286 m dia = 0.939 ft

Calculate the Liquid holdup requirements

holdup time := 10 min
3
m
flowliquid := 237
hr
Page 2 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

volholdup := holdup time flowliquid 3

volholdup = 39.5 m

Calculate the vessel height for just the liquid holdup portion

volholdup
heightliquid_holdup := heightliquid_holdup = 613.947 m
Area

This is not a feasible solution. If our diameter were larger more the same amount of liquid
could be held in a shorter vessel. We'll remove the demister and calculate the maximum
diameter
10% of velocity allowable is a typcial minimum velocity (when using a demister) that
ensures droplets impact the wire mesh.

m
vdesign := 0.1 vallow vdesign = 0.321
s
3
m
volflow := 558
hr
volflow
Area :=
vdesign 2
Area = 0.483 m

2
Area =
dia

2
Area
dia := 2

dia = 0.784 m dia = 2.572 ft

Now Calculate the Liquid holdup requirements

3
holdup time := 10 min m
flowliquid = 237
hr

volholdup := holdup time flowliquid 3

volholdup = 39.5 m

Calculate the vessel height for just the liquid holdup portion

volholdup
heightliquid_holdup := heightliquid_holdup = 81.86 m
Area

Page 3 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Still not feasible; Remove the demister and use 10% of Vel allowable
m
k := 576 without a demister
hr

L v
vallow := k 3m
v vallow = 5.286 10
hr

m 3
vdesign := 0.1 vallow vdesign = 0.147 m
s volflow = 558
hr

volflow 2
Area := Area = 1.056 m
vdesign

2 Area
Area =
dia therefore dia := 2 dia = 1.159 m

2 dia = 3.803 ft

Now Calculate the Liquid holdup requirements

3
m
holdup time := 2 min flowliquid = 237
hr

volholdup := holdup time flowliquid 3

volholdup = 7.9 m

Calculate the vessel height for just the liquid holdup portion

volholdup
heightliquid_holdup := heightliquid_holdup = 7.484 m
Area

heightliquid_holdup = 24.555 ft

This liquid height is to the normal liquid level. The maximum liquid height is
usually twice the normal, therefore total height for the liquid holdup is:
heightliquid_holdup := 2 heightliquid_holdup
heightliquid_holdup = 14.969 m

heightliquid_holdup = 49.11 ft

Still extremely tall, should be split into two vessels, or we need to go below Vmin and we
need to check our correlations (Stokes Law & Impingment separators) to see if
separation is still going to work.

For illustration purposes of the method, we'll go with this design for now.

Add in the Vapour Liquid disengagement space

Page 4 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Size the Nozzle at 50% of errosional velocity: kg

2phase := 316
3
100 ft m
velnozzle := 50 %
2phase sec

lb
3
ft

ft m
velnozzle = 11.257 velnozzle = 3.431
sec s

5 kg
Inlet_massflow := 2.515 10
hr
kg
Inlet_massdensity := 316 this is the density of the 2phase flow stream
3
m
Inlet_massflow 3
Inlet_volflow := m
Inlet_massdensity Inlet_volflow = 0.221
s
Inlet_volflow
Nozzlearea :=
velnozzle 2
Nozzlearea = 0.064 m

Nozzlearea
dianozzle := 2 say 12 inch
dianozzle = 0.94 ft
nozzle
dianozzle := 12 in

Page 5 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Distance from nozzle to high liquid level

1
heightLL_to_nozzle := 12in + dianozzle heightLL_to_nozzle = 0.457 m
2
Distance from nozzle to top of separator

1
heightnozzle_to_top := 36in + dianozzle heightnozzle_to_top = 1.067 m
2

Overall height
Heightoverall := heightnozzle_to_top + heightLL_to_nozzle + heightliquid_holdup

Heightoverall = 16.5 m Heightoverall = 54.11 ft

L / D ratio is:

Heightoverall
= 14.226
dia

If we examine splitting this into two vessels, we would have a small separator that
discharges liquid into a holding tank that we'll assume has an L/D of about 3

Page 6 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Two Vessels:
Separator Dimensions will be per the first iteration of calculations

Separator

Liquid Holdup

m
k for demister k := 1260 with a demister
hr
L v
vallow := k 4m
v vallow = 1.156 10
hr

m
vdesign := 0.75 vallow vdesign = 2.409
s

volflow
Area :=
vdesign 2
Area = 0.064 m

2
Area =
dia

2

Vessel Diameter for adequate vapour/liquid separation

Area
dia := 2

dia = 0.286 m dia = 0.939 ft

Separator height
1
heightLL_to_nozzle := 12in + dianozzle heightLL_to_nozzle = 0.457 m
2
Distance from nozzle to top of separator

1
heightnozzle_to_top := 36in + dianozzle heightnozzle_to_top = 1.067 m
2

Page 7 of 8
Project: 3rd year design Engineering Calculations
By: D. Mody
Date: Nov 25 2008

Heightoverall := heightnozzle_to_top + heightLL_to_nozzle

Separator dimensions:

Heightoverall = 1.5 m Heightoverall = 5 ft

Should check this against industrially available units - see spirax sarco

Dimensions for liquid holdup

3
volholdup = 7.9 m
this is to the normal liquid level

volholdup_full := volholdup 2 3
volholdup_full = 15.8 m this is full

2
vol = vessel_length
dia
vessel_length = 3 dia
2
1
3
2
volholdup
vol = 3 dia
dia
dia := 2
2 3

dia = 1.886 m vessel_length := 3 dia dia = 6.187 ft

check the volume calculation

2
volumecalc := vessel_length
dia

2

3
volumecalc = 15.8 m
All okay!

Summary,
The holdup vessel should be 1.89 m dia (rounded up to nearest 6") = 6.5 ft. The vessel
should be 3x that length, 19.5 ft long.

Separator dimensions 1ft dia x 5 ft high

Page 8 of 8