IN-LINE FREE VORTEX SEPARATOR USED FOR GAS/LIQUID SEPARATION WITHIN A NOVEL TWO-PHASE PUMPING SYSTEM Dr EG Arato and Dr N D Bares BHR Group Limited Cranfield, Bedford, U.K. SUMMARY ‘An In-line Free Vortex Separator was designed to separate various quantities of pure liquid from a gas/liquid mixture, ‘Tis device was installed downstream ofa rotodynamic pump and its function was to facilitate recirculation of a certain proportion of the liguid through the ‘pump, via an ejector or jet pump located in the suction pipe. The increase inthe liquid flow rate through the pump combined wit the action of the ejector in dispersing and compressing the gas phase at the pump entry allowed the rotodynamic pump to operate efficiently up to ‘an observed volumetric gas void fraction of 37% (ie based on the suction side). This limit ‘was imposed by the pressure rating of the experimental facility rather than by the overall, performance of the arrangement. Efficient operation ofthe two-phase pumping system could only be achieved ifthe separator functioned efficiently, so that the return fluid passing through the ejector was essentially pure liquid. This fact was confirmed by visual observations through the transparent return pipe. ‘The “straight” (or axial) pressure losses produced by the device amounted to about 35 times dynamic pressure (or velocity head) at the inlet and were not considered excessive for the initial stage of development of the separator. The pressure losses however from the inlet to the tangential outlet were much smaller than the "straight" pressure losses, reflecting the effect of the centrifugal pressure gradient inside the separator. 377378 INTRODUCTION Pumping gas/liquid mixtures isa frequent requirement in offshore oil production. Here, the liquid phase generally contains both oil and water, while the gas phase includes a varity of hydrocarbons and impurities. In addition to the above, the mixture to be pumped also Contains a small amount of a third phase inthe form of highly abrasive silt or sand. Clearly, positive displacement pumps would not be ideal for the above application, as they would require frequent maintenance and possibly suffer breakdowns caused by the presence of abrasive material. Rotodynamic pumps however, are more flexible and less susceptible to abrasive damage or failure, although they are only capable of handling a relatively small proportion of gas inthe mixture, beyond which the pump will suddenly de-prime. ‘Typically, the gas handling capability of a centrifugal pump can vary between about 57% and an upper limit of about 15% concentration by volume, just upstream of the pump. The actual proportion of gas in the mixture which can be handled by a given pump without de-priming however, can be increased (within the above limits) by increasing the speed of rotation, and/or the flow rate and improving the homogeneity of the mixture. ‘A collaborative research project is being undertaken at BHR Group withthe specific objective ‘of improving the gas handling capability of conventional centrifugal pumps by means of liquid recirculation via an ejector o jet pump located in the suction line of the pump. This system, {n addition to increased liquid flow rate through the pump is also instrumental in reducing the ‘volumetne concentration of gas (due to pressure rise) and improving the homogeneity of the mixture (due to momentum exchange). ‘The in-line free vortex separator discussed inthe paper forms a major pat of this multi-phase pumping system. Its function isto separate part of the liquid from the bulk of the gas/iquid ‘mixture at the discharge side of the pump and return it via an ejector to the suction line. In order to ensure efficient operation of the ejector and ultimately the whole pumping system, the recirculated liquid needs to be practically free of the gas fraction.379 2. "THE TWO PHASE PUMPING SYSTEM 2.1 Description of the arrangement The liquid recirculation system, which is a novel method of pumping gaslquié mixtures consists of an in-line fee vortex separator just downstream of the pump, ajet pump or ejector located in the suction line ofthe main centrifugal pump anda return line from the separator to the ejector supplying the high pressure primary or drive Muid to the later. A diagrammaticarrangementof the pumping system, showing the location of measuring points, is iusrated in Fig. 1. [By recirculating part ofthe liquid through the pump the volumetric proportion of the gas (ie {gs fraction) in the minture entering and leaving the pumping loop is reduced. In addition, by passing the liquid through the ejector the gas fraction is further reduced atthe pump inet, in proportion to the pressure rise produced by the ejector. ‘The intense mixing (or momentum exchange) which takes place in the mixing chamber of the ejector will create a practically homogeneous gas/iquid mixture and this aspect will further improve the gas handling capability ofthe centrifugal pump. 2.2 Operational features (On the experimental facility the increase in the quantity of air injected in the suction side was ‘accompanied by an increase In the low rate of water recirculated via the ejector, ‘The later was achieved by throtling the valve near the outlet of the test rig. (See Fig. 1.) Typical static pressure profiles at key positions along the rig are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. These graphs clearly show the substantial increase in the static pressure jus upstream of the pump (ie from 1.4 102.2 bar abs.) due tothe increased rate of recirculation through the ejector, necessitated by increasing the gas void fraction (GVF) from 20.8 to 30.7%, ‘The variation of flow rates ofthe mixture and individual phases within the pumping loop are shown in Fig. 4, Here, the recycled liquid flow rate increases with gas fraction, while the suetion liquid upstream of the ejector reduces with the same, ‘The cross over point between the two flow rates occurs at about 30% gas fraction, beyond which the recirculated liquid flow will be greater than the liquid delivery down the pipeline. ‘The graphs in Figs. 210 4 serve to illustrate the overall operation ofthe proposed two-phase flow pumping system of which the IFV Separator is a major constituent,