Design av demistere for hytrykksanvendelse

S Separasjonsteknologi j t k l i 2009 September 30 30, 2009 Presenter: Dag Kvamsdal

Overview todays presentation

Quick overview of demisters Typical separation performance requirement of demisters Operational envelope for scrubbers today Testing of demisters in laboratory What will affect the demister performance Status on CFD calculations Natco Norway focus for new development of demisters and scrubber internals

Demisters in a process system

Primary Separators Gas scrubbers Contactor towers

Demisters used in scrubbers and separators

E Examples l
Vanepack

Demisting cyclones

Separators

Demisting cyclones

Scrubber

Single stage scrubber

Two types of demisters discussed

Axial flow cyclones and vane packs

Vane pack Suited for low-mid pressure p essu e application app ca o and low gas loading

Axial flow cyclones Suited for high pressure demisting

Separation efficiency scrubber

Using g Natco Norway y correlations

Sep eff [%]

0%

20 %

40 %

60 %

80 %

100 %

120 %

Relative flow rate

Efficiency demister

Se ep eff [%]

k = u gas

gas liquid li id gas

K-value [m/s]

Efficiency bulk separation vessel

Required separation efficency

Example; Achieve 0.1 gal/MMSCF

Example case
Demister section 99.73 %
Process conditions Operating pressure Operating temperature Gas actual flow rate Gas actual density Gas actual viscosity y Hydrocarbon liquid flow rate Oil actual density Hydrocarbon surface tension Oil actual viscosity Water flow rate Water actual density Water actual viscosity Liquid fraction [bara] [C] [Am/h] [kg/m] [cP] [ ] [Am/h] [kg/m] [N/m] [cP] [Am/h] [kg/m] [cP] [vol%] Year 2011 25.1 25 1 105 25263 22.5 0.01 22.71 881 0.021 13.0200 0.0 991.5 0.6 0.09 %

Inlet I l t section ti and vessel combined 88.97 %

Overall efficiency: 99.97 %

Efficiency limitations for scrubbers

Operational envelope LCO<0.1 gal/MMSCF The scrubbers using inlet vanes will have a limitation around k=0.15 m/s to 0.20 m/s due to the rapid increase in liquid to the demister section from the bulk section of the vessel

2 0 % 2.0
> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

Liquidvolu ume fraction n

1 5 % 1.5

1.0 %
Increasing Pressure

0.5 %
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0 %

kvalue [m/s]

Options for demister testing

The Natco axial flow cyclone has been tested at the following labs

Ai water Air t laboratory l b t Functional testing of a full axial flow cyclone box

N t L Natco Laboratory b t Testing of individual demisters and demister sections Model fluids and possibility to run gas densities of 60 kg/m3

R l fluid Real fl id laboratory l b t For instance StatoilHydro Klab. , Full size test Real fluids, sections and up to 150 bar

Test pressure 1-5 barg

Testing high pressure demisters

Real world vs laboratory conditions

Real world
1 10 100

Gas density [kg/m3]

Real world
1 10 100

S rface tension [kg/m3] Surface

Demisters
10-3 10-2 10-1

Scrubbers
100 101

Diameter [m]

Ai water Air t Natco Norway y Laboratory y

Separation efficiency for a demister

Differences from lab to real conditions axial flow cyclones

100.0% 99.5% 99.0% 98.5%

Test data Test data from air water gives 100% separation efficiency, nothing to learn!
Realfluids Modelfluids Air water

Efficiency

98.0% 97.5% 97.0% 96.5% 96.0% 95.5% 50% 70 % Flow[] 90% 110%

Model fluids gives reduced efficiency and it is possible to evaluate the geometry g y Real fluids gives considerably lower efficiency

Flow mechanisms in a demister

Affecting the separation

Droplet break up

Droplet transportation

Wall interaction Collisions / Coalescence

CFD challenge g for demister equipment q p

Why cannot CFD replace testing all together
Limited computer capacity allows sets an upper limitation of the length scales that can be resolved CFD can only resolve the length < 1000 nodes in 3 dimension total nodes 10003 = 109

The challenge of CFD; it is all about scales Equipment Droplets

10-6 10-5 10-4 CFD resolved

Turbulence Length g [ [m] ]

10-3 10-2 10-1 CFD resolved 10-0

CFD ability to capture the flow field

RANS calculations Time averaged solution y ways y do that in many not visualize the real flow pattern in the vanepack

LES calculations Able to calculate the main flow structures and the general flow pattern qualitative correct Calculation 15 000 CPU h hours using i 7 000 000 cells

Multiphase flow

Including; droplet break up, coalescence and wall film model

Flow in a vanepack p as filmed in the laboratory y

G Gas density d it 60 k kg/m / 3

Flow in the vanepack slow motion

Gas density 60 kg/m3

Efficiency vane pack

As tested in the Natco laboratory
100 % 99 % 98 % 97 %

Vane pack efficiency High efficiency for k < 0.1 0 1 m/s for all gas densities up to 60 kg/m3 Falls below 99% when k>0 k>0.15 15 m/s
Kvalue[m/s]

Efficiency

96 % 95 % 94 % 93 % 92 % 91 % 90 %

Increasing density

100 % 98 % 96 %

Separat ionefficiency

94 % 92 % 90 % 88 % 86 % 84 % 82 % 80 % Kvalue [m/s]

Vanepack Cyclones

Vane pack efficiency compared to axial flow cyclones The axial flow cyclones can handle considerably higher flow without loss of performance

Development of scrubber internals

Under development
New generation of axial flow cyclones
Should achive 10 times or more better performance than the existing axial flow cyclones Important I t t for f one stage t inline i li solutions l ti as well ll as hi high h pressure scrubbers

New scrubber inlet section

Should give 99% or better efficiency for a k-value in the vessel of 0 0.25 25 m/s m/s.

Next generation axial flow cyclones

Operational envelope LCO<0.1 gal/MMSCF

Improved axial flow cyclones where the efficiency is improved with a factor of 10 compared with existing cyclones The maximum k value to achieve 0.1 gal/MMSCF will be as shown
2.0 %
Liquidvolu ume fraction n
> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

1.5 %

1.0 %
Increasing Pressure

0.5 %
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0 %

kvalue [m/s]

Design g of Gas Scrubbers

Inlet devices

Inlet Vane Diffuser

Inlet Cyclone Distributor

Swirl Inlet

Statoils SPINLET

Efficiency for new type inlet

Key for further scrubber development is to manage to remove 99% or more of the droplet in the vessel before demister up to k ~ 0 0.25 25

2.0 %
> 0.1 gal/MMSCF

Liquidvol lume fraction n

1.5 %

1.0 %
Increasing Pressure

0.5 %
< 0.1 gal/MMSCF

0.0 %

kvalue [m/s]