Part-2

Separation Process
Separator Introduction
By – Anand Patel
What is a separator?
A separator is a pressure vessel designed to separate a combined
Liquid-gas system into individual components that are relatively free of
each other for subsequent processing or disposition
Why separators are needed?
Downstream equipment cannot handle gas-liquid
mixtures

▪ Pumps require gas-free liquid

▪ Compressor/ dehydration equipment requires

liquid-free gas

➢ Product specifications has limits on impurities

➢ Measurement devices (metering) for
gases/liquids highly inaccurate when the other phase
is present.
 Basic Separator Construction
Regardless of the size/shape of a separator, each gas-liquid separator contains four major sections

Inlet
Diverter
Section

Horizontal Separator Vertical Separator

 Inlet Diverter section
• Due to the high velocity, the fluids enter the separator with high momentum.
• Fluid phase at different densities have different momentum.

• The Inlet Diverter abruptly changes the direction of flow by absorbing the
The inlet stream to the separator is
momentum of the liquid and allowing the liquid and gas to separate.
typically a high-velocity turbulent
mixture of gas and liquid
• Results in the initial “gross” separation of liquid and gas. Initial separation of
gas phase from the free liquid phase.
Liquid Collection Section
In three-phase separation applications, the liquid gravity
section also provides residence time to allow for
separation of water droplets from a lighter hydrocarbon
liquid phase and vice-versa. Due to the smaller difference
in gravity between crude oil and water, compared to gas
and liquid in two-phase separation, Liquid-liquid
separation requires longer retention times than gas-
liquid separation.

• Located at the bottom of the vessel.

• Provides the required retention time necessary for any entrained gas in the liquid to escape to the gravity settling section.

• Also provide a surge volume to handle intermittent slugs.

• After a certain period of retention time, phases become equilibrium with each other and separated ‘naturally’ due to density
differences.

• Degree of separation is dependent on the retention time available.

• Retention time is affected by the amount of liquid the separator can hold, the rate at which the fluids enter the vessel, and the
differential density of the fluids.
Gravity Settling Section
As the gas stream enters the gravity settling section, its
velocity drops.

Small liquid droplets that were entrained in the gas and not separated by the inlet
diverter are separated out by gravity and fall to the gas liquid interface.

• The gravity settling section is sized so that liquid droplets

greater than 100 to 140 microns fall to the gas-liquid
interface while smaller liquid droplets remain with the gas.

• Liquid droplets greater than 100 to 140 microns are

undesirable as they can overload the mist extractor at the
separator outlet.
Mist Extractor Section
wire mesh, vanes, centrifugal force devices, or packing

Gas leaving the gravity settling

section contains small liquid
droplets, 100- 140 microns

• This section uses coalescing elements that provide a large amount of

surface area used to coalesce and remove the small droplets of liquid.
• As the gas flows through the coalescing elements, it must make numerous
directional changes.
• Due to their greater mass, the liquid droplets cannot follow the rapid
changes in direction of flow. These droplets impinge and collect on the
coalescing elements, where they fall to the liquid collection section.
Mesh Pad

The most widely applicable type of mist eliminator is made of metal or

plastic wire with a typical diameter of 0.006 to 0.011 inch, loosely knitted in
a form resembling a cylindrical net.
Such mesh can efficiently capture mist droplets as small as 5 microns (micrometers).
To eliminate droplets down to 1 micron in diameter, multifilament yarns of various
plastics or glass are knitted into the mesh. The result is called a composite or co-knit
mesh
Vane Pack
Vane eliminators force the gas flow to be laminar between parallel plates
that contain directional changes.

A vane mist extractor made from angle iron. In vane eliminators, droplets
impinge on the plate surface where they coalesce and fall to a liquid collecting
spot. They are routed to the liquid collection section of the vessel. Vane-type
eliminators are sized by their manufacturers to assure both laminar flow and a
certain minimum pressure drop.
Factor Affecting Separation
▪ The following factors must be determined before separator design :

• Gas and liquid flow rates

• Operating & design pressures and temperatures
• Surging or slugging tendencies of the feed streams
• Fluid physical properties (density, compressibility)
• Desired phase separation (gas-liquid or liquid-liquid)
• Desired degree of separation
• Presence of impurities (paraffin, sand, scale)
• Foaming tendencies of the crude oil
• Corrosive tendencies of the liquids or gas