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Book No EPS004-E-1
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Published by: Alfa Laval Tumba AB
Competance Development
SE - 147 80 Tumba
Sweden
Copyright Alfa Laval Tumba AB 2010.
Original instructions
Contents
EPS002-E-1
DNVPS / ALFA LAVAL FUEL OIL TREATMENT
5 Summary .......................................................................... 43
5.1 Optimum interface ........................................ ..........43
5.2 Temperature ................................................... ..........43
5.3 Stokes law. ..................................................... ..........44
5.4 Separator limitations .................................... .........45
5.4.1 Density limits........................................................ ..........45
4 EPS002-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
1 Fundamental concepts
P0 01 1 10 A
lead us to the formulation of Stokes' law.
P0 01 11 0B
Lets start to look at a batch tank with a liquid
that contains solid particles, i.e. sludge.
What is the root cause to the fact that the
sludge particles settle?
The settling is due to the difference in density The heavier particles sink because of the
between the particles and the liquid. Density is force of gravitation.
denominated (rho). The heavier particles sink
to the bottom of the tank because of the force of
gravitation.
We can also identify two important parameters
P0 0 11 10 C
in this simple setup. The longer the time, the
greater the separation. We can also see that
different particles settle at different speeds.
The smaller the particles, the more time
required before they settle. This important
phenomenon is a part of Stokes' law, which will The longer the time, the greater separation
be discussed later on.
The smaller the particles , the more time
required to settle
EPS004-E-1 5
1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
P0 01 11 0 E
relatively slow and steady flow. (Fig. 1.4)
The tank to the right illustrates a much higher Fig.1.5. Turbulent flow
flow rate. When the flow rate is increased to a
certain level, turbulent flow arises. (Fig. 1.5)
In a turbulent flow, the liquid constantly sweeps
the particles along due to the quite fierce liquid
movement throughout the tank.
Summing up
One of the things to be understood from this is
that we have to limit the flow in a continuous
separator so that the flow stays laminar.
Laminar flow will allow the sludge to settle in
the tank.
6 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
Qc = vg A
Inlet
Qc = vg A
Outlet
Qc= Flow= throughput
capacity (m/s)
Vg =Gravitational settling
velocity (m /s)
A= Settling area ( l x w) ( m)
W
L
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1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
8 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
1.4.3 Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the flow resistance of a
fluid. As an example, we can feel the flow
resistance in a viscous liquid (e.g. a bucket with
fuel oil) when we stir it. The flow resistance due
to viscosity is higher in fuel oil compared to
water and this will affect the settling velocity.
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1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
10 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
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1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
12 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
P 00 11 11 A
In this case we look at the tilted alternative.
The greatest improvement with baffle plates
can be described as that the settling distance
for particles in the sludge is shortened.
To sort this out, we need to go back to the Fig. 2.1 Continuous gravity separation vessel
discussion concerning particle movement and
how the liquid flows that we had in the
beginning.
P0 01 11 1 B
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2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
2.1.1 Why baffle plates matter a The upwards directed arrows represents the
velocity portion that the particle gets from
In Fig. 2.2 we will look at the flow between the the surrounding liquids motion. For the three
baffle plates a bit closer in order to see how particles, you can see that this flow velocity
they can improve the separation efficiency. The differs depending on where they are in the
key concept behind this design change is that laminar flow.
the flow between the baffle plates will vary b The downwards directed arrows represent
depending on how close to the plates the liquid the velocity portion that the particle gets due
passes. to gravity. This is the same for the three
particles.
1 This is the liquid flow profile showing how quickly 4 For the particle in the middle of the stream, the
different portions of liquid move between the resulting movement at this specific moment is
plates. Long arrows indicate high liquid flow rate according to the length and direction of the red
and short arrows indicate low liquid flow rate. arrow. This particle will at this moment follow the
This kind of flow profile yields for laminar flow. flow upwards, but not entirely parallel to the flow
2 Near the baffle plate surfaces, the liquid flow direction.
diminishes and the shear force on settled 5 For the second particle, the movement at this
particles is small. Lets review this stepwise: moment is directed almost horizontal due to the
3 Here we have three particles. The resulting fact that the liquid flow is slower around this
velocity for each particle will be a sum of two particle.
contributing velocities, represented by each pair 6 The particle near the wall will fall downwards.
of arrows: The movement of this particle is almost entirely
determined by gravity. As you remember, the
liquid movement upwards is almost zero in the
vicinity of the plate. And when the particle
reaches the baffle, it follows the baffle wall
downwards.
D0 01 01 3 A
14 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
2.1.2 Summing up
By means of the baffle plates, the settling
distance for the particles is reduced. Take your
time to try to see this from the all arrows in the
slide.
Each pair of black arrows represent the velocity
contributions from
a the force of gravity and
b the liquid movement.
The red arrows represent the direction and
speed that the particles have at this specific
moment the red arrows explain why the
particles move so differently depending on where
they are in the flow between the plates they are.
The smooth and simple shape of the laminar
flow profile in this example is valid for relatively
low flow rates and simple designs. In a high
speed separator, the laminar flow profile will be
much more complicated and it will also vary
throughout the disk stack. Nevertheless, the
underlying principle we have discussed here is
the same.
D0 01 01 3 B
EPS004-E-1 15
2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
So far we have looked at a settling tank where Rotating speed. In the formula, the rotating
the separation is only influenced by gravity, i.e. speed is expressed as angular speed (). Angular
1g, which of course is constant (9,81 m/s2). speed is measured in (radians)/sec.
The angular speed is as high near the centre as
To get a higher settling speed, we can create a
it is in the periphery.
centrifugal force acting on the particles by
spinning the vessel. The heavier particle will As angular speed is represented as 2 in the
then move towards the periphery instead of formula, doubling the rotating speed will give
downwards (the gravitation force is still four times higher settling speed. Three times
present but is quite minute compared to the the angular speed gives nine times higher
high centrifugal force we can get due to the settling speed, etc.
high rotating speed. High Speed Separators
Here it is useful to know that energy
create centrifugal forces corresponding to 5000
consumption for getting the separator up to
-15000 g.
speed is also rising exponentially with the
The magnitude of the driving force acting angular speed.
during centrifugal separation depends on the
r2 is measured in [m(radians)2/s2]. As radians
rotating speed and the radius. This is shown in
is defined without dimension, the dimension
the formula. Compared to Stokes' law for
for vc turns out to be m/s, which, as we would
gravity separation, gravity g is replaced with
have expected, is the dimension for velocity.
the term r2.
Radius, r
In gravity separation, the settling speed is the
same throughout the volume of the vessel. But
when it comes to centrifugal separation, the
settling speed varies with the distance to the
periphery a particle has at each moment. The
greater the radius, i.e. the closer to the periphery,
the higher the settling speed for the particles.
D0 0 10 14 A
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BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
D0 0 10 14 B
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BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
D0 0 10 14 C
18 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
Bowl
Disc- stack
I 00 10 8 3
I 0 01 06 2
I0 01 08 2
EPS004-E-1 19
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
I0 0 10 59
This is the same effect we find in a pipe or in a
river. The flow in the middle of the river can be
Fig. 2.9. Parabolic velocity profile.Friction close to
very high, but near the banks the flow can be wall causes lower velocity. Friction close to centre of
very low and in some cases actually go in the tube causes higher velocity.
opposite direction. We use this difference in flow
to maximize the separation process.
20 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
I0 01 0 36 A
When we fill the bowl with water we still have
only the small natural g-force acting on the
particles. (Fig. 2.12) Fig. 2.11. Tank
G-force
When we look at the shape of the bowl the
particles have a long way to travel in the deep
end and a short way to travel in the shallow
end. This means that it will take longer time for
the particles in the deep end to settle. (Fig. 2.13)
I 00 1 03 6B
We are only able to separate particles from one
Fig. 2.12. Tank with liquid
liquid when we have a separator/vessel in this
configuration.( Fig. 2.14) How can we separate
two liquids and particles? Long
settling
If we try to add more than one liquid into the distance
separator now with a different density, the
heaviest liquid will settle at the bottom and Short
eventually fill the tank and flow out. We need to settling
control both the light and heavy liquid when we distance
have continuous separation, but how?
I 00 10 36 C
EPS004-E-1 21
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
I 00 10 36 D
discharge of the liquids through different
outlets.
Fig. 2.15. Install baffle plates
In fig. 2.16 we can see the water level filling up
until it flows over in the heavy outlet. We have
now set the water seal in the separator and
made sure the oil is not coming through the U-tube
wrong outlet.
We introduce the U-tube to follow the hydraulic
balance in the bowl. We have the same level in
the U-tube as we have in the separator and you
I 00 1 03 6E
can see the water is up to the water outlet, we
now have the maximum water level in the U-
tube and the bowl. Fig. 2.16. Water sealed filled
If we add more water into the bowl ( Fig. 2.17),
the water starts to flow out of the water outlet/
heavy phase outlet.
We can see that the level in the U-tube is not
rising; all the water we add will just flow out of U-tube
the water outlet.
We can now have continuous separation of one
liquid and particles, but we are interested in
separation of two liquids, water and oil and
I0 01 0 36 F
particles.
Lets see what happens when we add oil to the
separator. Fig. 2.16. Water sealed filled. More water
added.
22 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
Density
difference
EPS004-E-1 23
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
oil
surface
level
weir
Fixed I0 01 03 6 G
24 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
D 00 10 1 6E
EPS004-E-1 25
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 2 IMPROVING SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
I 00 10 36 I
the separator. ( Fig. 2.21) G-force
This will increase the efficiency and thereby the
production, but we need to increase production. Fig. 2.21. Adding Buffer plates (discs)
How can we increase production further?
Thousands of G
replacing 1G
Rotation of the
tank
D0 01 01 6 F
26 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
feed to separator
Gravity disc
Level Ring
Solids out
I0 01 03 6I
EPS004-E-1 27
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
3.2.1 Separator
First a separator set up as a purifier ( Fig. 4.2);
dirty oil and water is come in one end, go
through the separator, and clean oil comes out
through the clean oil outlet. Here we find the
back pressure valve, pressure gauge, and
pressure sensors. Water comes out of the open
water outlet and down into the sludge outlet
where the ejected sludge and water also end up.
This process, removing water and solids from the
oil is called Dewatering of oil
Water outlet
28 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
S0 01 00 5
We call the separation process in a clarifier
polishing the oil.
Fig. 4.3. Separator for clarification
There are some limitations as to the type of oil
the separators can handle.The purifier has a
density limit of 991kg/m and a viscosity limit of
600 cSt. Clarifiers have no density limit due to
the use of the clarifier disc closing the water
outlet.
Lets look at the applications where we can use
the conventional separators;
We use the purifier for:
fuel oil cleaning
lube oil cleaning
hydraulic oil cleaning
We use the clarifier for :
fuel oil polishing
hydraulic oil polishing
As you can see here we are not using the
clarifier in lube oil systems! And there is a good
reason for that! There is one thing missing in a
clarifier that we have in a purifier - a water
seal. There is no water added to the bowl in a
clarifier which would keep the sludge in a liquid
state making it easy to discharge.
EPS004-E-1 29
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
S0 01 0 06
carbon dioxide. Gypsum is a hydrated form of
calcium sulphate, CaSO4*2H2O, and there is
Fig. 4.4. Lube oil contamination sources
usually a fare amount of water in the oil.
This gypsum will dry out due to the lack of
water in a clarifier (no water seal , therefore no
water is added into the bowl at start-up) and
will subsequently create a risk for only partial
removal smudge during a sludge discharge
sequence.
If only a part of the sludge cake is discharged,
the remainder of the sludge in the bowl can
create an uneven distribution of this sludge in
the bowl and the result will be a severe
unbalance of the bowl, a heavy side unbalance.
This heavy side unbalance can lead to severe
damage to the separator and to injury of
personnel operating the separator.
30 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
Oil inlet
Clean outlet
Gravity Disc
Top Disc
Interface
Sludge outlet
I0 01 0 35 B
EPS004-E-1 31
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
Oil inlet
Clean outlet
Closed water outlet
Gravity Disc
Top Disc
Sludge outlet
I0 0 10 35 D
32 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
I0 01 03 5B
What happens when the interface is too far into
the disc stack?
On the discs we have distribution holes which
Fig.4.7. Interface moving inwards
are used to distribute the oil evenly through the
disc stack. If the interface reaches these holes it
will block the holes and interrupt the oil
distribution through the disc stack! Only a
small part of the disc stack will be open for the
oil to pass thru and what happens with the flow
if we have the same flow but through a much
smaller area! The flow through the open discs
will be so high that the separation efficiency
will be zero! Oil is flowing thru so fast that even
the high g-forces inside the separator cant
make a difference.
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34 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
3.7 How to find the right 3 To make sure we have the interface as close to
the end of the top disc as possible, start with the
gravity disc largest suggested gravity disc. We mount the
55,5 and start the separator to test if the water
The gravity disc is important for the operation seal will hold.
and efficiency of the separation process .
4 To make sure we dont have any problems with
To keep the interface in the correct position we the interface later we have to make sure that the
need the correct gravity disc. To find this we oil temperature is correct, separation
have to consider the density of the oil, the temperature is correct and the flow is correct
temperature of the oil and the flow in the bowl. during this test. We will never be able to find the
All conventional separators have a full setup of right size gravity disc if the temperature or flow
varies.
gravity discs that are specific for their type and
size. They have also a specific nomogram, a 5 If all the operational parameters are ok and the
diagram to help us choose the right gravity disc water seal is holding we try an even larger
gravity disc. We do this until we find the gravity
(Fig. 4.9). First we look at the density of the oil,
disc where the water seal is breaking.We then go
this is stated in the bunker delivery note or the back one size. This is the optimum gravity disc
bunker test answer from the laboratory. for this oil at this temperature and flow.
1 Take the density and match it with the density in If any of these parameters changes we may
the left side of the left graph. Now follow the have to change the gravity disc again. Having
curved graph to the right separation
the separator in the most efficient operation
temperature, normally 98C for HFO and 90-
95C for lube oil. mode all the time demands a lot of attention
from the operators.
2 The next step is to draw a horizontal line to the
flow through the separator, found on the bottom In many cases they choose to fit a small gravity
of the right diagram. Now we have a starting disc to avoid alarms from the separator but
point, a suggestion for the size of the gravity this can create the situation where the
disc.In this case we end up in the border
interface is inside the disc stack and all the
between 53,3 and 55,5.
problems that come with that scenario .
2 S0 0 10 07
Fig. 4.10. A Nomogram which makes us able to choose the correct gravity disc.
EPS004-E-1 35
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 3 BOWL AND APPLICATION
36 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 4 SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
4 Separation efficiency
In this section we look at separator vs filter,
we talk about what we are removing from the
oil and what we not remove from the oil. We
look at into ISO 8217, the standardization of
fuel purchase and we look at cat fines.
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BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 4 SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
38 EPS004-E-1
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EPS004-E-1 39
4 SEPARATION EFFICIENCY BASIC SEPARATION THEORY
4.3 ISO standard 8217 Another big trouble maker is the Al/Si content
allowed in the delivery. They are allowed
We can blame the ISO 8217 that we are using 80ppm cat fines, and can give you this amount
for fuel purchase for much of the problems we every time you buy fuel. The engine
have on board the ships regarding HFO, and manufacturers demand not higher than 15 to
also thank it for needing the separator to clean 20ppm cat-fines maximum entering the engine.
the oil after it is delivered on board the ship. This means that the separator plant has to be
If we take a look at the values the supplier is in a good condition to remove enough cat fines
allowed to include in the oil when we buy the to reach the engine manufacturers
HFO, we can see the potential for huge specification. It is impossible to day to find the
problems and costs. First look at the water, actual size of the particles through fuel testing.
they are allowed to give us 0,5% water in the
delivery. This may not look like a big problem, A fuel test will only reveal the level of
water is water and there is usually a fuel plant contamination and not the actual size of the
on board with separators to take care of the particles. Smaller particles, smaller than 4-5
water. But, you are paying 500$ + per ton of micron are not as harmful to the engine as
water (bunkering 2000t of oil gives 10t of water larger particles due to the thickness of the oil
to a cost of 5000$), you dont know if it is sea film. It could be that if the particles are small,
water including salt, and the problems with less than 4 micron and smaller, we could
high temp corrosion, or fresh water with less deliver 80ppm after the separator without
impact on the process. If the separators are not damaging the engine. We are working on a
maintained and operated correctly the water is solution to make sure the particle size living
still in the oil when it reaches the engine. We the separator is so small that they cant harm
come back to this later in the presentation. the engine.
40 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 4 SEPARATION EFFICIENCY
4.4 Catfines
EPS004-E-1 41
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42 EPS004-E-1
BASIC SEPARATION THEORY 5 SUMMARY
5 Summary
5.1 Optimum interface
In order to get the optimum separation result:
Water must never enter the disc stack! It
should be kept in-between the end of the top
disc and outside the disc stack. Otherwise
operational problems can result.
Use the Correct gravity disc!
Keep the disc-stack clean!
Keep the oil properties constant!
If the density or the viscosity is changed most
likely the gravity disc has to be changed too.
Keep a constant flow rate!
If the flow is changed the interface is changes
accordingly and we have to change the
gravity disc also.
Keep a constant separation temperature!
Fluctuations in the separation temperature can
move the interface inwards or outwards
depending on the change. What we actually
are changing with the temperature is the
viscosity of the oil. A little change in the
temperature can have a large impact on the
separation efficiency. Lets look at some
examples regarding temperature changes.
5.2 Temperature
If we have HFO 380cSt oil and we change the
temperature from 98C to 95C, this doesnt
sound so bad only 3C.
If we look at the change in viscosity on the oil
with a 3C change, the viscosity changes from
26cSt to 29cSt. This doesnt look like much but it
is actually a 10% change in viscosity.
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44 EPS004-E-1
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46 EPS004-E-1
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