https://pdf4pro.

com/download/gas-liquid-separators-sizing-parameter-petroskills-
9a2f5.html

https://checalc.com/calc/horizsep.html

http://www.jmcampbell.com/tip-of-the-month/2015/09/gas-liquid-separators-sizing-
parameter/

http://oilgasprocessing.com/Separator%20Sizing.htm

Filter permeability is a significant term used to measure the endothelial permeability to

fluid. There exist permeable sheath in the walls of the filter that allows the fluid (oil, fuel,
water) to get in and out. Amongst the numerous methods of measuring micro vascular
permeability to fluids infiltration, filter permeability aces.

What Is The Need For Filter Permeability?

In simple language, filtering the solid particles and microorganisms from the fluid by
depositing them on the filter’s septum is what filter permeability does. A study of the
correlation of the air permeability of the filter paper and rate of filtration is studied to get
the active relationship and speed of the filtration. Through filter permeability process,
the resistance is understood. Lower the permeability represents a high resistance and
higher the permeability states a low resistance.

How Is Filter Permeability Expressed?

 There are some factors that the permeability is directly proportional to-
Flow rate, fluid viscosity, filter medium thickness

 On the other hand, permeability is inversely proportionate to –

Filter area & fluid density.

 The permeability is expressed by permeability coefficient. It is represented by

series of curves. These curves related to pressure drop comprising of the filter medium,
flow rate, fluid through it, fluid temperature, filtration time, filter size etc.
 It is seen that with flow rate, there is an increase in filter area, with the reduction
in the pressure drop across the filter. It is so because the amount of fluid flowing of
 filtration area is dropped. As stated pressure drop is inversely proportional to the filter
area.
 On the other hand, if the medium thickness is increased along with the filter area,
the result will be different due to the medium imposing restriction on the flow of the
liquid.
 Therefore permeability in fluid mechanics is symbolized by K that measures the
ability of a porous material to allow fluids to pass through it. The standard Unit of
measurement for permeability is m3/(h.m2).
The Real World of Filter Permeability
In a real scenario of micros vascular system, there is the redistribution of solutes such
as the starling forces and liquid filtration that are influenced by such solute.

The combination of the solute permeability, in this case, can be computed as –

Pa = Pd + Lp (1 – σ) △P
Where,

 Lp measuring the fluid filtration coefficient

 Pa measuring the apparent permeability
 Pd is the diffusive component of solute permeability
 σ is the solute reflection coefficient.
 ΔP The hydrostatic pressure
Key Elements of Filter Permeability
 The pressure drop –flow rate curve of every individual filter element depends
upon the area, thickness and permeability.
 Due to the change in the fluid viscosity, the operating temperature of the fluid will
see a pressure drop. This means a less viscous fluid will have less resistance to flow
through the medium. As a result, will have a lesser pressure drop. It brings it to the
conclusion that states pressure drop is inversely proportionate to temperature. Besides
the rise in pressure drop can be the witness with every decrease in temperature.
 It must be kept in mind that the temperature effect is higher for liquids than
gases. As it may be stated blockage can be experienced as well as an abnormal rise in
pressure drop when the water or wax contained in the oil freezes due to low
temperatures. Therefore proper precautions may thereby be taken for aircrafts flying
high or ships sailing onto Polar Regions.
 Some of the controlling parameters for filter permeability are – pressure drop,
time for filtration, the concentration of slurry etc.
 Performance indicators are the filtrate flow rate, the rate of the cake formation
and so on.
Final Thoughts                                                
Porosity is related to the permeability of a medium. It also depends upon the shapes of
the pores in the medium. Filter permeability aids in deciding the flow component of
hydrocarbons in oil, or gas and groundwater.

Separator Sizing

Gas/Liquid Separation

This paper will discuss gas/liquid separation, and will for the most part be focused on
vertical separators, where there is a large amount of gas and a relatively low amount
of liquid.

Much of the discussion which follows is based on rV2 and K. The following defines
these parameters:

K value

This K value is used to define the maximum allowable velocity for a mist elimination
system. This has been traditionally used in calculations for mesh pads. The mesh
pads are generally designed with K values between 0.15 and 0.35 . The mesh pad is
an impact device. The mist is suppose to hit a strand of wire and coalesce with other
small droplets to form big droplets, with eventual drainage out of the mesh pad and
falling down into the liquid section of the vessel. If the K is too low the mist can dodge
the wire mesh strands. If the K becomes too high, then the mesh pad floods. The
traditional limit for K was 0.35. However this simple limit is affected by operating
pressure, type of fluids being handled and mesh pad construction (very dense mesh
pads will be more efficient, but have lower capacity). The formulae for K value is:

K=U/√[(rL-rV )/rV ]
rL=Liquid density, lb/ft³
rV=Vapor density, lb/ft³
U= Maximum Allowable vapor velocity, ft/sec

rV2

rV2 is generally used to size vane units. The allowable values as specified by
manufactures has varied considerable. The values have ranged from 20 to 150. The
following defines rV2:

r = Vapor Density, lb/ft�

V=Vapor Velocity, ft/sec
M=lb/sec
Area = Vane area, ft²
rV2 = (M/Area)²/r

The advantage of calculating rV2 using lb/sec is that it makes it clear the dependence

on gas density and on flowrate. Once rV2 has been calculated, it can be converted into
a K value by the following formulae:

K=U/√[(rL-rV )/rV ]

Separation methods for gas and liquid can be separated into the following major
areas:

Gravity Separation

This technique is generally used for flare ko drums where no separator internals are
tolerated. It results in large vessels as the result of low allowable velocities. I don’t plan
on discussing this method any further at this time.

Centrifugal Separation

This technique spins the gas in an attempt at causing the denser material (liquid) to
separate. This technique results in relatively small vessels. The draw backs are
relatively high pressure drop and low turndown capability. Also this technique is not
good for small particles. I don’t recall the break point for particle diameter. The
“Portatest Separator” is an example of this technique

Mesh Pads

This technique utilizes mesh pad . Mesh pads are typically made up of 0.011 inch
diameter wire, woven into pads. The pads are stacked on top of each other to a
thickness of 6 inches. Grids are placed on both sides of the wire mesh pads and
separated by wire rods. This provides some structural integrity to the pad. The pads
are woven in different densities for different applications. In the oil and gas industry we
typically use a 6 inch thick pad of 9 lb/ft3 (type 431). A high efficiency, lower capacity
pad frequently used is a type 326 (8 lb/ft3, .006 dia wire). The more targets the mesh
pad has the more efficient it is. Pads can be made thicker to get more efficiency
without a decrease in capacity. I have attached several graphs depicting the effect of
surface area and wire diameter.

In glycol dehydration service we use 16 inch thick York-Reid Mesh pads. These are a
coknit of 316SS and dacron. It works real well in this service. The coknit doesn’t work
well in dirty oily services. This tends to plug the coknit and make it flood.

Mesh pads are also referred to as wire mesh pads, demisters and mist elimination
systems. It should be noted that demister is a registered trade mark of Otto York.

Mesh pads are designed to work in a velocity range. Too low of a velocity allows the
liquid particles to dodge the wires and escape. Too high of a velocity floods the mesh
pad and allows the liquid particles to escape. The allowable velocity is calculated using
a “K” value. The allowable K value at low pressure (100 psig) is between 0.15 to 0.35.
The K value gets derated as the operating pressure increases, for every 100 psi over
100 psi subtract .01 from the allowable maximum K value.

K max=0.35-0.01*(Operating Press-100)/100.

If two liquid phases are present the lowest density liquid should be used when
calculating the allowable velocity.

Gas distribution is an important consideration in designing then mist elimination

system. The gas inlet and outlet nozzles cannot be located close to the mesh pad, or
localized high velocity will result. If you have no chose and have to locate the mesh
pad close to the outlet nozzle, some of the maledistribution can be over come by
installing a perforated plate above the mesh pad. The perforated plate must be above
the mesh pad to avoid problems with maldistribution (it will take several hole diameters
downstream of the hole to get uniform flow, while upstream is not effected by the local
hole velocity, and the high velocities in the perforated holes will shatter droplets into
smaller diameters – downstream of the mesh pad this doesn’t matter). The perforated
plate causes pressure drop, which help maintain even flow across the mesh pad.
Typical problems with mesh pads are that they fail as a result of not being carefully
held into place. I prefer to have a support ring top and bottom for them and to wire
them into place. With the support ring above the pad, it would be very difficult for the
pad to get lose, even if the tie down wires were to get lose, or break.

Surface %Voids Wire Mesh Styles

Density Area
Dia
   
Lb/Ft³ Ft²/Ft³   inch Koch Otto ACS Description
York
12.0 115 97.6 .011 4120   4BA  
 10.8 110 97.7 .011 4210 421   All Around, Heavy Duty
10.0 163 94.0 .006 3710 371   Liq-Liq Coalescer, Fog
9.0 86 98.2 .011 4310 431 4CA Standard, good all around
8.0 140 98.4 .006 3260 326 3BF Super High Eff, fine mist
7.3 65 98.5 .011 6440 644   High Eff - anti fouling
7.0 65 98.6 .011 5310 531 5CA Economy Performance
5.0 48 99.0 .011 9310 931 7CA High Thruput
20.0 450 96.0   5520   X200  
27.0 610 94.6   5540 333 X100  
4.0 125 97.0   2212 221 8T Fluoropolymer for
corrosive serv
4.0 150 97.0   2414 241 8P Polypropylene corrosive
serv
Separation efficiency

Separation efficiency for mesh pads can be estimated by:

Calculating the target efficiency, by using the attached graph. The x axis consists of

K=D1²Vel(rL-rV )/18mDWire

=Droplet diameter, ft
D1
Vel =Gas Velocity, ft/sec
rL =Liquid density, lb/ft³
rV =Vapor density, lb/ft³
m =Gas viscosity, lb m/ft-sec
D =Diameter of mesh wire, ft
wire
 

Using the attached graph and the separation number, the target efficiency can be
read.

The target (impact) efficiency is then used with the following formulae to predict the
overall mesh pad efficiency:

Separation Efficiency=100-100/e 0.21STE

Check out the separation efficiency graph and the impact of mesh pad thickness
 

= Pad surface area, ft²/ft³

S
T = Pad Thickness, feet
E = Impaction efficiency
     
Vanes

Vanes are another method used to separate gas and liquid. While they can be
oriented in either the horizontal or vertical (or even in a V-Bank, frequently used in
horizontal vessels), the preferred orientation is vertical, with the gas flow horizontal.
The vanes operate at higher velocities than the mesh pads. They also are generally
used in combination with the mesh pads. The mesh pads precede the vanes and
coalesce the small particles into large particles. The mesh pads are generally operated
in a flooded condition, with the liquid exiting the mesh pads being removed by the
downstream vane unit. The liquid impacts the vane and flows along it, until it hits a
pocket. The liquid then flows down the pocket to a trough and is routed to a drain pipe
and into the liquid portion of the separator. The drains are either routed to below the
low level shut down point, or have pee traps. The drains must have some form of liquid
seal, or entrainment laden gas will flow up the drain. I prefer to have both a pee trap
and route the drain to below the low liquid level. Also note the pee traps should be
liquid filled before the vessel is started up, if possible. The traps should eventually fill
with liquid, but you are better off started with them full. The operating staff should be
made aware that a liquid level must be maintained in the vessel for it to function
correctly.

The vanes operate with a pressure drop. The pressure drop for the vane is about 1
inch water column, the associated mesh pad will have a much higher pressure drop (3
to 10 inch water column). If the pressure drop is too high, liquid will be sucked up the
drains and drawn off with the exiting gas. This will result in your separator failing. The
vanes systems are good, but they are not idiot proof. Many of the problems with this
type of separator can be in the drain system, so it is worthwhile to carefully review the
drains and seals during the design phase. Also you should calculate the pressure drop
that the liquid will incur in the drain system. If the pressure drop is too high, the liquid is
again carried out with the exiting gas. Other problems are the drain lines are not well
restrained, and are in the path of the incoming gas. This can result in setting up a
harmonic vibration, which can eventually cause the drain system to fail.

The mesh pad is generally 4 inches thick and a type 431. I have used a thicker pad for
more difficult (small particles) separations. Vanes are sized based on a rV2. I use
a rV2 of 32 (normal flow, 40 for design rate) for sizing Peerless P8X vanes.

 
 Typical Vane Installation