Fox Ejectors for

Vapor Recovery
Methane, Sour Gas
and Natural Gas
Compression

for Eliminating:
emissions, flares and waste
of hydrocarbons
in gas production FOX VALVE
DEVELOPMENT CORP
Dover, NJ 07801 USA
973.328.1011
Fax 973.328-3651
email: info@foxvalve.com
Bulletin 206
Website: www.foxvalve.com

Fox Venturi
Ejectors
for Vapor Recovery:
Methane
Sour Gas
Flash Gas
Eliminate the maintenance,
bulk, and cost of mechanical
compressors. Replace them
with maintenance-free Fox
Venturi Ejectors.
Oil and gas production and process- Responsive Engineering
ing facilities are now taking aggres- Support
sive steps to reduce emissions. Gas are high performance venturi jets and are,
that previously would have been
flared or released must now be
reclaimed. The remote
location of both on-
shore and off-shore
production sites
mandates that vapor
recovery systems must
be extremely reliable and
maintenance-free. Fox
venturi ejectors, using
available high pressure
gas, can be used to
recompress these vapor
streams , boosting pres-
sure and enabling their
return to production
pipelines.
Fig. 1
Fox Gas Jet Compressors
A typical gas production ejector application: Fig. 2
High
Pressure
Gas at
300 - 1000
psig
Waste Gas at Compressed
0 psig to 50 psig
With no moving parts, a Fox ejector can use the plentiful high pressure gas
available at production and processing sites to entrain and compress vapors
and waste gases that would otherwise be released. Ejectors can often
eliminate the clunky vapor recovery units used as the first stage in recom-
pressing waste gas for return to pipelines and production streams.
Why Fox Venturi Ejectors? Ejector Hardware
Since 1961, Fox Valve has supplied the Fox manufactures hardware of the
highest quality, a legacy of our
petroleum industry with rugged, high
origins as a supplier of flight-
performance venturi products ranging
qualified venturies for spacecraft.
from sampling mini-eductors to five-stage
Ejectors under 2 line sizes (50 mm)
vacuum systems.
are built at Foxs own manufacturing
facility (See Fig.3) Larger ejectors are
fabricated (See Fig 1, lower left)
Fabrication to B31.1, ASME, and
Ejectors for gas production vapor recovery other codes is available, as are
radiographic weld inspection, NDT,
at this time, custom-built using standard and hydrotests up to 10,000 psig.
Fox designs. Our powerful computer We build ejectors ranging in size
models enable us to very quickly supply from 1/2 (12 mm) to 96 ( 2400
you with detailed technical data regarding mm). Pressure ratings of 1500 - 5000
all flow rates at your operating pressures, psig are no problem. Any end con-
MWs, and temps. This data can often be nections can be specified to facilitate
provided in two working days. Complet- installation at your site. Standard
ing our Ejector Application Data Sheet, materials of construction include 304
available at www.foxvalve.com, expedites and 316 stainless, titanium, Hastel-
the quoting process. loy, nickel alloys, and any commer-
cially available alloy.
Fig. 3
This ejector typifies the standard
of workmanship at Fox Valves
in-house manufacturing facility.
The Five Most Commonly Asked 8

MCFD of HP gas required to boost/

0 psig; (Motive/Suction Gas Ratio)

Questions about Fox Vapor

compress one MCFD of LP Gas at

Fig. 4
7 HP Gas at
Recovery Venturi Ejectors 350 - 450 psig;
25 - 30 barg
Q) How much High Pressure (HP) gas do we 6
need to use?
A) Fox will be happy to run your specific applica- 5
tion through our proprietary computer model
and supply technical data promptly. There
are, however, no easy rules of thumb. For the 4
HP Gas at
common application of boosting gasses from
850 - 950 psig;
0 to 40 - 70 psig, Fig 6 shows, in a generalized 3
60 - 65 barg
performance curve, approximate motive/
suction flow ratios for compressing methane.
The red curve is for High Pressure (HP) gas at 2
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
about 400 psig; the green curve for motive gas at 900 psig.
Q) Would staging ejectors reduce the amount of HP ( High Ejector Discharge Pressure, psig,
Pressure) gas we must use?
A) No. Staging ejectors works well with steam ejectors be-
cause the steam from each stage can be condensed and High Pressure (HP) Gas Fig. 5
drained away. By contrast, staging ejectors handling non-
condensables ( like natural gas) means that each subsequent
stage must get much larger to handle all the motive flow
used in previous stages. It is not a solution.
Q) The availability of high pressure gas at our site will fluctuate.
Will an ejector still compress Low Pressure (LP ) gas, and
at what ratio, as the HP gas supply dwindles to 75%, Shaft position Spindle Operated Ejectors,
50%, or even 25% of the maximum flow ? adjusted by which can rarely be used in gas
A) Ejectors have very limited ability to operate with motive flow actuator production applications, enable
Low Pressure
moderate savings in HP gas use
rates lower than the design flow. Even at 90% of the design (LP) Gas
over a limited range of LP flow
motive flow, the ejectors suitable for these applications will rates.
barely be able to operate at all. See Fig 6 for a way to operate
with a broad range of high pressure gas flow
rates. Compressing Waste Gas When Flow Rate Varies Fig. 6
Q) Wed like to use as little HP gas as possible Over a Wide Range
as the LP gas flow rate varies. Whats the
best way to do this?
A) There are two approaches: Spindle-operated

ps
ejectors ( Fig 5) use a remotely actuated

Pum
needle to adjust the motive nozzle flow rate.
Hig tive) G

50% Max. Flow

(Mo

However, this approach can only be used for

e to
h Pr

low compression ejectors and are therefore

not suitable for most gas production appli-
harg
essu s

cations, which require high compression

a

jets. When usable, they may provide some

re

Disc

30% Max. Flow

reduction in motive gas consumption, but
dont expect HP gas flow to drop 50% when
the LP flow rate drops 50%. Their efficiency
drops dramatically as the suction flow drops 20% Max. Flow
below 2/3 of max flow. Moreover, seals and A carefully sized set of ejectors, installed in parallel and controlled with on/off valves, can
moving parts make them unattractive for use provide high efficiency gas recompression across a broad range of low pressure flow rates.
off-shore or in remote, on-shore sites.
In Fig 6, a set of ejectors are installed in parallel, The advtages of this approach are:
enabling compression at maximum efficiency over a fixed set Best ejector efficiency ( lowest use of HP gas) across the entire
of motive flow rates in this example, 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, range of LP flow rates.
80%, and 100%. Standard on/off valves select ejectors for No seals or spares needed; just conventional on/off valves
operation. Can be used with high compression ejectors
 Gas Jet Compressors: A Rule of Thumb or
Feasibility Test Can An Ejector Work?
To check whether a Fox gas jet ejector can
compress gasses in your application, refer to the Can an Ejector Work in My Gas Application? Fig. 7
rule of thumb below and the example at right.
This feasibility test reveals whether an ejector
can function in this application. The mass flow High
ratio (how much motive, or HP gas is needed for Pressure
each SCFD of suction gas) can then be deter- (HP)
mined by Fox Valves computer models. Email Gas at
us at info@foxvalve.com Note! Convert all
300 psig pressures to
Discharge:
Motive Pres.
> 1.3 x
Discharge Waste (LP) Gas at psia or bara!
30 psig = 44.7 psia
Discharge Pres. Suction 0 psig = 14.7 psia
The simple rule of thumb shown at left can be applied to evaluate whether there is
Whether a Fox ejector is a practical solution in
enough HP gas pressure available to use of a Fox ejector. This does not indicate how
your application can only be determined by a
more detailed evaluation by Fox. However, this
much HP gas will be necessary, only what pressures can, and cannot, work.
quick rule of thumb can help during preliminary Motive Pres. (44.7) Discharge
process evaluations to determine if the HP gas > 1.3 x
pressure is adequate to perform the required
Discharge Pres. (14.7) LP Gas Pres.
compression. Pressures that reveal a marginal
Motive /Discharge = 314.7/44.7 = 7. Is this higher than 1.3 times (44.7/14.7) =1.3 x 3 = 3.9?
result per the above test may have HP gas flow
rates that are 4 - 6 times the LP gas flow. This 7>3.9, so the answer is Yes, and therefore an ejector CAN be used in this application.
may be unattractive.

About Fox Valve

Fox Valve Development Corp. was founded in 1961 to build high-
performance venturi products for the new aerospace and liquid
rocket industry. Fox has been developing, engineering, and manu-
facturing specialized venturi products for industrial needs ever
since. Our recognition of the urgent requirement of gas producers
to recover vapors is simply a recent example. In the last few decades,
similar Fox developments have included our supply of venturies for
high-energy gas lasers, biomedical equipment, high-efficiency re-
frigeration systems, and fuel cell prototypes. Our problem-solving
skills, familiarity with diverse materials, and reputation for
building hardware of outstanding workmanship often leads
us to emerging technologies where are invited to apply our
forty years of expertise.
Major product lines include:
Steam and Air Jet Ejectors and Vacuum Systems
Liquid Eductors
P Venturi Flowmeters and Sonic Chokes

To Receive a Quotation:
Complete our Ejector Application Data Sheet. This can be faxed
upon request or downloaded at www.foxvalve.com
Additional Technical Literature
Most Fox literature can be downloaded from our website.
Bulletins:
203 Steam Jet Ejectors and Vacuum Systems
205 Thermocompressors and Gas Jet Compressors FOX VALVE
280 Air Jet Ejectors DEVELOPMENT CORP
301 Solids Conveying Venturi Eductors Hamilton Business Park
401 Mini-Eductors Dover, NJ 07801 USA
551 Plastic-Lined Ejectors for Corrosive Applications 973.328.1011
102 Fox Liquid Eductors Fax 973.328.3651
161 Liquid In-Tank Mixers email: info@foxvalve.com
261 Steam Spargers and Tank Heaters Website: www.foxvalve.com