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The Effectof
inlet geometries
ON FLOW DISTRIBUTION
Robert Chin, Padden Engineering
basic assumption in separator design is uniform to use as much of the vessel space as possible, installed a
flow. The fluid velocities are assumed to be the reverse elbow to direct the flow toward the head.
flow rate divided by cross-sectional area. In reality, However, depending upon the inlet conditions, loss of
maldistribution and jetting may lead to loss of retention time may occur. As shown in Fig. 2, the curved
retention time, foaming, re-entrainment, and high-velocity vessel head directs the flow downward into the liquid level.
hot spots on demisting devices causing carry-over. The liquid follows the bottom of the vessel, resulting in a
The real-world examples in this article highlight recirculation cell. The gas phase also has such a cell.
how some inlet geometries may cause poor flow Foaming and gas entrainment into the liquid are also
distribution, which leads to separation problems and loss of downsides of the design. A potential solution is to install
separationefficiency. one or more perforated baffles to redistribute the flow more
The three main parts of a separator are the inlet quickly. A vane inlet to decrease velocities may also improve
region,gravity separation region, and outlet polishing the flow distribution (Bothamley 2013).
region (Fig. 1). The inlet region prepares the rest of the However, elbow inlets are still commonly used in
vessel for good separation performance by performing bulk flare knockout drums in which internals of any kind are
separation, mitigating droplet/bubble breakup and foam generally not permitted. Design of flare knockout drums
formation, and straightening out fluid flows (Arnold 2007). is typically based on a droplet separation of 450 m. But
The latter is the most important because while as previously mentioned, most designers assume uniform
designing a separator, a uniform flow is typically assumed plugflow.
in order to calculate a fluid velocity that may be used in a Another common error is that designers sometimes
sizing equation. For example, in the gravity section, droplet forget to calculate the liquid level during high liquid-flow
settling is calculated by using Stokes law (Arnold 2007; events, which results in liquid going up the flare stack
Bothamley 2013). In the outlet region, the area of a mesh orvent.
or vane packdemisting device is estimated using a K-factor
(Arnold2007). A Baffled Inlet
Figs. 3a through 3c show a typically encountered
A Reverse Elbow Inlet compressor scrubber. The inlet and outlet nozzles are at the
Fig. 2 shows a horizontal separator with a reverse elbow same elevation and diagonally opposite to each other. A
inlet. Because of piping requirements, the inlet nozzle is demisting device such as mesh or vanes is located between
placed on the vessel shell. The separator designer, aiming the nozzles. A solid baffle surrounds the inlet, directing
Unprotected
Fig. 2Loss of retention time due to recirculation zones created
pressure tap
by reverse elbow inlet flow.
Droplet
breakup
Re-entrainment
Fig. 4aSimple scrubber with an unbaffled inlet.
(b)
(a) (c)
Fig. 5aThe effect of jetting from a flush nozzle in a vertical Fig. 5bThe effect of a vane-type inlet device in a vertical
vessel. Only air is flowing. The liquid seen on the wall of the vessel. Only air is flowing and at the same rate as in Fig. 5a.
vessel is what is dragged up from the liquid surface because of Though the liquid surface is disturbed, no liquid is seen being
the flow pattern developed from air impacting and being deflected dragged up because of the reduced velocities achieved by the
downward by the vessel wall opposite the nozzle. inlet device.
Gas Summary
diverter Separation problems resulting from flow maldistribution
caused by inlet geometries have been discussed. The
Straightening Mesh
vanes examples, using typically encountered vessel inlets, will be
useful in troubleshooting or debottlenecking separators.
This knowledge may also be applied to the design of
separators for new facilities, thus avoiding operational
Fig. 7aA dish deflector leads to droplet breakup, poor flow problems after startup.
distribution, and liquid carry-over.
I would like to thank Ed Grave and Victor van Asperen
for their valuable contributions to this article. OGF
High velocities
over liquid
surface
Robert Chin is a cofounder and past
chair of the SPE Separations Technol-
ogy Technical Section, past chair of the
Image courtesy of FMC Technologies
SPE Gulf Coast Sections Projects,
Fig. 7bA downward half-open pipe leads to re-entrainment and Facilities, and Construction study
poor distribution over the demisting device. group, a member of the SPE Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibitions
Projects, Facilities, and Construction
paper selection committees, and the author of Chapter 3,
Other Inlet Geometries Oil and Gas Separators, in the SPE Petroleum Engineer-
Two other encountered inlet geometries are shown in Figs. ing Handbook, Volume III, Facilities and Construction
7a and 7b. It is left to the reader to contemplate the flow Engineering. He has more than 30 years experience in the
distribution without the aid of CFD or directional arrows. oil and gas industry, mainly with Shell. Chin joined Shell in
Fig. 7a shows a dish-shaped plate deflecting the fluids 1981 and advanced research on multiphase flow, leak
entering from a nozzle located in the head of a horizontal detection, and separations. He left in 1999 to form a
separator. The dish plate was evaluated to create small separator design and supply company. He returned to Shell
droplets plus poor flow distribution over the mesh pad in 2006 and led teams on facilities for enhanced oil
despite the straightening vanes. recovery and subsea processing research and development.
Fig. 7b shows a vertical scrubber with a half-open Chin retired from Shell last year. He is a cofounder of
downward-facing pipe inlet. The flow stirs up the liquid Padden Engineering and a consultant in the industry. He
surface leading to liquid and gas entrainment and foaming. may be reached at r.w.chin@sbcglobal.net.