Design Of Vertical Knock-Out

Vessel With No Internals

• Favorable Inlet 2 phase flow regime
• Particle Dynamics – Separation of
Liquid Droplets in Vapor Stream
• Chem Eng Handbook, Perry VI
Eq 5-263, page 5-66
• Liquid Retention Time
• Pressure Vessel Economics
Types of Vertical KO Vessels
• Vertical – No Internals

• Vertical – With Demister Mesh

Types Of Horizontal KO Pots

• API-521 Horizontal With No Internals

• API-521 Horizontal With Mesh Pad

 Problem Statement
• Design a KO Pot to separate 100,000 lb/hr
of vapor from 500,000 lb/hr of liquid.
• Working Range liquid level holdup shall be
+/- 2 minutes on normal liquid level.
• Provide 2 minutes liquid holdup from high
opg LL to Max LL.
• Provide 2 minutes liquid holdup from low
opg LL to Min. LL.
• Total Liquid Retention time = 8 minutes.
First Design Consideration
• As the liquid rate is high (382,290
lb/hr), liquid volume will probably be
the controlling design factor.
• Consider using a Standard Vertical
KO Pot with No Internals.
 Problem Statement Cont’d
• Vapor Destination – centrifugal compressor.
• Liquid Destination – C2 Splitter reflux.
• Compressor Spec – To prevent damage to the
compressor, the liquid droplet size in the inlet
vapor stream shall not exceed a particle
diameter, Dp, of 150 to 300 microns.
• Design Spec – To achieve a goal of 150
microns, design the KO Pot for a particle
diameter, Dp = 100 microns (or smaller).
Summary Of All Req’d Input
Inle t Va por Flow Ra te , Wv = 49,243 lb/hr
Va por De ns ity, Dv = 0.8399 lb/cf
Va por Mol Wt, MW = 28.05
Va por Vis cos ity, cP 0.0078 Ce ntipois e
P a rticle Dia ., Dp, Microns = 100 Mis t S ize
Inle t Line Liquid Flow Ra te , WL = 382,290 lb/hr
Liquid De ns ity, DL = 31.29 lb/cf
S urfa ce Te ns ion = 9 Dyne s /cm
Min. Liq Re te ntion Time , Ø min, = 8.00 minute s
Inle t Noz Nomina l Dia m, Øn in. = 20 Inche s
Ope ra ting Te mp = -77 °F
Ope ra ting P re s s ure = 107.5 ps ia
De s ign P re s s ure = 230 ps ig
 Step (1): Calc CFS Of Vapor

• CFS = Vapor cubic feet per second.

• CFS Vapor = Wv / 3600 / Dv.
• CFS Vapor = 16.29 cubic ft. per sec.
 Step (2): Calc ( C )( Re^2 )
• CRe^2 from Perry VI - Eq 5-263
• CRe^2 = (A)( Constant)
• A = (Dp/304800)^3 (DL - Dv)(Dv) / cP^2
• Constant = (4*32.2/3/0.00067197^2)
• CRe^2 = 1,411.49

Where C = Drag Coefficient

Re = Particle Reynolds Number
Step (3): Calc Drag Coefficient, C

• Table 5-22, Perry VI, Page 5-67, gives C

values versus CRe^2. These values have
been curve fitted to a polynomial for the
Re range 0.1 to 2,000 as follows:
• C = EXP(6.496-1.1478*LN(CRe^2)
+0.058065*LN(CRe^2)^2
-0.00097081*LN(CRe^2)^3)
• C = 2.35 for the example presented
Step (4): Calc Particle
Reynolds Number, Re

• Re = (CRe^2 / C)^0.5
• Re = 24.5
• Re falls within range 0.1 < Re < 2,000
OK to proceed to Step (5)
Step (5): Calc Drop Out Velocity
• Drop Out velocity, ut, from Perry VI -
Eq 5-264.
• Ut = [Re / C*4*32.2 *cP* 0.00067197
*(DL-Dv) / 3 / Dv^2]^0.333333.
• Ut = 0.4659 ft./sec.
Step (6): Calc Vessel Diameter
• Area = (CFS / ut) = (3.14 / 4 )(D)^2.
• KO Dia = (CFS / ut /0.785)^0.5.
• KO Dia = 6.67 ft.
• Round Diameter to Nearest 3.”
• Rounded Diameter = 7’ 0.”
Step (7): Calc Ht. Above C.L.
Of Inlet Nozzle, L1
• L1 Vapor ht. Referenced to C.L. Of
inlet nozzle.
• L1 Vapor ht. = 3 ft. + 0.5(Noz Diam.).
• L1 Vapor ht. = 3.83 ft. (C.L. to top t-L).
• See Design Uncertainty at end of this
report for future addition of a
demister pad, if required.
Step (8): Calc Liquid Vol, L3,
For Specified Retention Time
• Cubic Ft. Of Liquid = Vol L3.
• Vol L3 = (WL)(Ø min.) / DL / 60 cu. ft.
• Vol L3 = 1,629.02 cu. Ft.
Step (9): Calc Liq Vol for
minimum of 2 ft. Liquid.
• Liq Vol For 2 Ft. Minimum Liq Vol =
Vol L2 ft. = ()(2)(Dia)^2 / 4.
• Vol L2 ft. = 76.97 cu. Ft.
Step (10): Select Maximum
of L3 Vol or L2 ft. Vol.
• Vol L3 = 1,629.02 cu. Ft.
• Vol L2 = 76.97 ft. cu. Ft. = cu. Ft.
• Max Liquid Vol = 1,629.02 cu. Ft.
 Step (11): calculate L3, ft.
• L3 = (Vol L3)(4) / ()(Vessel Dia)^2.
• L3 = 42.33 ft.
• This makes the vessel roughly 7 ft. in
diam with an unusually high liquid
level (L3).
Step (12): Document Liquid
Retention Time
• Stated Liquid Retention Time
Required from Max to Min Liquid
Level = 8 minutes.
 Step (13): Calculate L2
• L2 is the height from the C.L. of the inlet
nozzle to the max Liquid level.
• L2 = 0.25(L3) + 0.5(Inlet Nozzle dia.).
• L2 = (0.25)(42.33) + (0.5)(20/12) =11.42 ft.
Step (14): Calculate t-t Length
• L total t-t = L1 + L2 + L3.
• L total t-t = 3.83 + 11.42 + 42.33.
• L total t-t = 57.58.
• L/D = 57.58 / 6.67 = 8.63.
• Economic L/D range between 3 to 4.
• Repeat Process with lower Dp to increase
dia and lower t-t length.
• Second Pass. Try Dp = 50 microns.
 Summary
1s t pa s s 2nd pa s s fina l pa s s
Dp, microns 100 50 54
Re t Minute s 8 8 8.3

S te p 6 Ve s Dia ft. 6.67 10.51 9.95

S te p 7 L1, ft. 3.83 3.83 3.83
S te p 11 L3, ft. 42.33 17.14 21.52
S te p 13 L2, ft. 11.42 5.12 6.21
S te p 14 t-t le ngth, ft. 57.58 26.09 31.57
L/D 8.63 2.48 3.17
Vertical KO
Pot with
Demister
Pad
 Design Basis
• Design is vapor liquid systems with lower
liquid rates.
• The particl size is usually set at a default
value of 500 microns, which is rain drop
sized particles.
• The wire mesh demister pad is usually 6 to
12 inches thick.
• The vapor stream will exit with liquid
drops no greater than 3 microns.
 Design Procedure
• The design procedure is exactly the
same as for KO Pots without
internals.
• Set the particle size at 500 microns
and proceed as before till an
economic vessel with and L/D range
of 3 to 4 is found.
 Design Uncertainty
• If the design is based on a vertical
vessel with no internals and there is
some uncertainty that the KO Pot will
achieve the desired liquid particle
size, provision can be made to add a
wire mesh demister pad at a later
date.
 Future Demister Pad

• Make L1 a minimum of 3 ft. + 0.5(inlet

nozzle dia.) for vessel diameters 4 ft.
and smaller.
• For vessels larger than 4 ft. in dia.,
make L 1 = 0.75(Vessel dia.).
• This will allow room to add a
demister at a later date, if needed.