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“Conventional” separators
Vertical / Horizontal English TOTM Home
Scrubbers (i.e. Compressor Suction Scrubbers)
Gas “polishers” Spanish TOTM Home
Coalescing Filters / Filter Separators
Underperforming separators generally result from either: 1. the wrong type of equipment was selected for the application, Archives
or 2. the correct type of equipment was selected, but the sizing methodology was inadequate. The type of separator
required for an application depends largely on the gas-liquid ratio of the stream to be treated, and the flow variability of the
process, as shown in Figure 1. As the flow variability increases with low to moderate gas-liquid ratios, the separator March 2019
selection will move from a conventional separator to a slug catcher. For applications where there is a high gas-liquid ratio
(i.e. very low liquid content), and the flow variability is moderately low, scrubbers and gas polishers would be the February 2019
appropriate equipment selection depending upon the gas quality requirement for the treated stream.
January 2019
December 2018
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October 2018
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Figure 1. Gas-Liquid Separation Equipment Selection Map [1]
October 2017
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January 2017
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December 2015
November 2015
Figure 2. Troubleshooting Methodology [1]
October 2015
Unfortunately, once the equipment has been selected and installed, it is very costly to replace if the separator was not
specified properly. Common separator performance issues are: too much liquid in the separated gas, inadequate September 2015
slug/surge capacity, and too much gas in the separated liquid.
August 2015
This paper is focused on troubleshooting inadequate liquid removal from the gas for conventional separators (moderate to
high liquid loads) and scrubbers (very low liquid loads).
July 2015
June 2015
A troubleshooting methodology is provided in Figure 2 [Reference No]. The problem, in this case, is too much liquid in the
separated gas stream. In order to effectively troubleshoot separator performance, it is required to understand the metrics May 2015
of good performance, and the functions and analysis of the various components of the separation equipment.
April 2015
Typical performance metrics for separators are provided in Table 1. The specific performance requirements for a given
separator are set by the sensitivity of the downstream process / equipment to the presence of liquids. For example, the March 2015
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product gas (sales gas) off of the cold separator in an NGL Extraction facility is sensitive to the presence of entrained
February 2015
liquids. The product gas can go off specification if there is too much carryover of liquids from the cold separator. On the
other hand, the sensitivity of the downstream equipment from the facility inlet separator is much less, and the amount of January 2015
liquids entrained in the gas is more tolerable.Table 1. Example separator performance metrics [1]
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
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April 2014
March 2014
Separator Components February 2014
The main components of a separator, shown in Figure 3, are the feed pipe, inlet device, gas gravity separation section, January 2014
mist extractor and the liquid gravity separation section. The gas/liquid separator components will be briefly discussed in December 2013
regards to their effects on gas/liquid separation performance. These effects need to be understood and quantified in order
to troubleshoot separator operations, and to identify modifications that can be made to improve performance. The liquid November 2013
gravity separation section will not be discussed.
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
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June 2013
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April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
Figure 3. Parts of a Conventional Separator [2]
September 2012
Inlet Feed Pipe August 2012
July 2012
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The inlet feed pipe sizing and geometry is important as it is desired to keep the multiphase flow pattern “stabilized” in the
June 2012
piping to minimize the production of small liquid droplets, and liquid entrainment into the gas phase. Figure 4 [2] shows the
effect of feed pipe velocity on liquid entrainment. Figure 5 [2] demonstrates how quickly the liquid entrainment increases May 2012
once the entrainment inception point is reached.
April 2012
March 2012
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Figure 4. Effect of feed pipe velocity on liquid entrainment [2]
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December 2009
Figure 5. Example of liquid entrainment behavior in a gas-liquid system [2] November 2009
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Some general guidelines for inlet piping to minimize liquid entrainment are: October 2009
Provide 10 diameters of straight pipe upstream of the inlet nozzle without valves, expansions/contractions or September 2009
elbows.
If a valve is required, only use full port gate or ball valves. August 2009
Inlet Device July 2009
The main purpose of an inlet device is to improve separation performance. This is achieved by maximizing the amount of June 2009
gas-liquid separation occurring in the feed pipe, minimizing droplet shearing, and optimizing the downstream velocity
distributions of the separated phases into the separator. Schematics for inlet devices are shown in Figure 6. In large
May 2009
capacity, more critical separation applications, the vane-type and cyclonic inlet devices are commonly used. The simpler, April 2009
and less expensive, impact (or diverter plates) are often used where the separation performance is less critical.
March 2009
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December 2007
November 2007
Figure 6. Various separation equipment inlet devices [2]
October 2007
Table 2 provides a comparison of the performance of various inlet devices. September 2007
Table 2. Comparison of inlet devices [2] August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
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February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
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March 2006
The inlet momentum (ρmV2m – density*velocity2 of the mixture) of the feed stream is typically used to select and size inlet February 2006
devices. Table 3 provides the suggested upper limits of inlet momentum values. For conditions where it is not practical to
avoid higher feed pipe velocities, it must be recognized that failure to do so will result in higher entrainment loads, smaller January 2006
droplet sizes, and more difficult separation conditions.
December 2005
Table 3. Inlet device ρV2 upper limits [3] November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
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Gas Processing
The quality of the flow distribution downstream of the inlet device is critical to mist extractor performance. Historically,
tracer surveys have been used to provide an approximate indication of the continuous phase velocity within separators. In Mechanical
more recent years, the use of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) has provided insight into the flow behavior of fluids,
and has resulted in significant improvement in separator internals design. Separator performance is to a large degree
Pipeline
dependent on the removal of droplets/ bubbles from the continuous phase. The efficiency of this removal is a function of Process Facilities
the continuous phase velocity, thus the importance of understanding the factors that affect velocity profiles. Figure 7
provides an example of ideal versus actual gas velocity profiles within a separator. Process Safety
Refining
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The gas gravity separation section of a separator has two main functions: 1) reduction of entrained liquid load not removed
by the inlet device, 2) improvement / straightening of the gas velocity profile.
Most mist extractors have limitations on the amount of entrained liquid droplets that can be efficiently removed from the
gas, thus the importance of the gas gravity section to remove the liquids to an acceptable level upstream of the mist
extractor. This is particularly important for separators handling higher liquid loads. For scrubber applications with low liquid
loadings, the Ks value will be primarily dependent on the mist extractor type, and the gas gravity separation section
becomes less important.
For the higher liquid load applications, there are two approaches for sizing the gravity separation section to remove liquid
droplets from the gas: 1) Ks method, 2) Droplet settling theory.
Historically the Ks method has been employed as it can provide reasonable results and is easy to use, but has
shortcomings in terms of quantifying separator performance. References 3-5 provide the details on the droplet settling
theory methods which can be used to more accurately quantify separator performance. The Ks approach is limited in that it
only informs of the average droplet size, but cannot quantify the amount of liquid droplets exiting the gas gravity section.
The Ks method (Equation 1) is an empirical approach to estimate the maximum allowable gas velocity to achieve a desired
droplet separation.
Where:
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3 3
ρg = gas density kg/m (lbm/ft )
Figure 8 provides the relationship of Ks values for various droplet sizes and separator operating pressures for the gas
gravity section. Typically, a Ks value is selected that will achieve removal of all entrained droplets larger than a specified
target droplet diameter in the original design of the separator. For conventional separators the target droplet diameter is
typically 150 microns, and for scrubbers the target droplet size should not exceed ~500 microns. This correlation can also
be used to determine the performance of the gas gravity section based upon current operating conditions. The separator
Ks value can be estimated from the actual velocity and fluid conditions, and the droplet size removed in the gas gravity
section can be estimated from Figure 8.
Figure 8. Ks vs. pressure and droplet size for empty vessels [2]
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The mist extractor is the final gas cleaning device in a conventional separator. The selection, and design to a large degree,
determine the amount of liquid carryover remaining in the gas phase. The most common types include wire mesh pads
(“mesh pads”), vane-type (vane “packs”) and axial flow demisting cyclones. Figure 9 shows the location and function of a
typical mist extractor in a vertical separator.
Mist extractor capacity is defined by the gas velocity at which re-entrainment of the liquid collected in the device becomes
appreciable. This is typically characterized by a Ks value, as shown in Equation 1. Mesh pads are the most common type
of mist extractors used in vertical separator applications. The primary separation mechanism is liquid impingement onto
the wires, followed by coalescence into droplets large enough to disengage from the mesh pad. Figure 10 provides some
mesh pad examples. Table 4 provides a summary of mesh pad characteristics and performance parameters.
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Notes:
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If liquid loads reaching the mesh pad exceed the values given in Table 4, assume capacity (Ks) decreases by 10%
per 42 L/min/m2 (10% per gal/min/ft2). [3-5].
These parameters are approximate.
Vane packs, like mesh pads, capture droplets primarily by inertial impaction. The vane bend angles force the gas to
change direction while the higher density liquid droplets tend to travel in a straight-line path, and impact the surface of the
vane where they are collected and removed from the gas flow. Figure 11 shows a schematic of a single-pocket vane mist
extractor. Table 6 provides vane pack performance characteristics.
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Notes:
In the case of demisting cyclones, the vendor should be consulted in regards to performance for the current operations of
interest.
Troubleshooting
When troubleshooting a separator, one needs to quantify the acceptable performance of the separator in terms of the
amount of liquids in the separated gas. The separator physical condition and design is then assessed to determine the
liquid removal capability of the separation equipment installed. Each separator component should be analyzed in terms of
the current operating conditions versus the original design specifications.
Table 7 provides a few common causes of inadequate liquid removal performance of a separator. The separator
components that need to be reviewed are identified to determine the specific limitation. This table can serve as a road
map for the calculations to work through when doing this type of analysis.
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There are numerous options available to improve the performance of a separator depending upon what the cause for the
poor performance is. Depending upon the size and construction of the separator, it may be possible to retro-fit the
separator internals. Another option may be modification of the inlet feed piping geometry and number of fittings upstream
of the vessel if this is found to be less than ideal. The inlet device may be damaged, or in the bottom of the vessel. Higher
efficiency inlet devices may be an option for consideration. Frequently, different mist extraction equipment can be selected
to improve performance. For example, if the mist extractor Ks value is greater than the original design, a different mist
extraction device could improve performance. The separator internals modifications may or may not be possible without
welding on the vessel (which adds additional complications and cost to the project).
The operating liquid levels should also be reviewed in terms of the distance of the normal operating liquid level in relation
to the inlet feed device. If the liquid level is too high, the gas velocity from the inlet could be re-entraining liquids that were
previously separated in the feed piping / inlet device. Unfortunately, in some cases the only way to improve performance is
to cut rate (i.e. gas velocity) through the separator.
To learn more about troubleshooting separators and other production equipment, we suggest attending our PF-49
(Troubleshooting Oil and Gas Processing Facilities), or PF-42 (Separation Equipment Selection and Sizing) for
more details on the selection and specification of separators.
Reference:
1. PF-49, Troubleshooting Oil and Gas Processing Facilities, Bothamley, M., 2014, © PetroSkills, LLC. All Rights
reserved.
2. Campbell, J.M., Gas Conditioning and Processing, Volume 2: The Equipment Modules, 9th Edition, 2nd Printing,
Editors Hubbard, R. and Snow–McGregor, K., Campbell Petroleum Series, Norman, Oklahoma, 2014.
3. Bothamley, M. 2013. Gas-Liquid Separators – Quantifying Separation Performance Part 1. SPE Oil and Gas
Facilities, Aug. (22 – 29).
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4. Bothamley, M. 2013. Gas-Liquid Separators – Quantifying Separation Performance Part 2. SPE Oil and Gas
Facilities, Oct. (35 – 47)
5. Bothamley, M. 2013. Gas-Liquid Separators – Quantifying Separation Performance Part 2. SPE Oil and Gas
Facilities, Dec. (34 – 47)
6. Fabian, P., Cusack, R., Hennessey, P., Neuman, M. 1993. Demystifying the Selection of Mist Eliminators, Part
1: The Basics. Chem Eng 11 (11): 148 – 156.
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2. M. H. says:
December 15, 2014 at 3:50 am
3. melbaseer says:
December 21, 2014 at 8:11 pm
Thanks a lot
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5. Korsten says:
April 1, 2015 at 12:03 pm
Interesting.
BTW, (rho) v^2 is called momentum criterion, not momemtum, which is (rho) v.
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September 1, 2015 at 10:54 am
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June 6, 2016 at 4:13 pm
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