Separation Characteristics in a Novel Gas–Liquid Vortex Separator

Abstract

Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis is an essential way to achieve the cleanliness of oil products. A novel gas–liquid vortex separator (GLVS) was put forward to use in the FT synthesis. GLVS has four symmetry vortex arms set inside the separator body. The characteristics of pressure drop and separation efficiency of the GLVS were investigated through a large-scale cold model. The influences of the inlet gas velocity and the inlet liquid concentration on the separator were analyzed. An improved weighting method to calculate the droplet separation efficiency was proposed. The experimental results indicated that the GLVS fits the aerodynamic design and can be operated stably. The dimensionless standard deviation of the pressure drop is maintained within 2%. The “roof skimmers” is not suitable for the GLVS based on visual observation and analysis of the segmental pressure drop, which exacerbates the entrainment. The improved GLVS-2 removes the roof skimmers and increases the diameter of the outlet pipe (vertical) by 0.1 m. These changes reduced the total pressure drop by about 50% compared with the GLVS-1. A model was proposed to predict the pressure drop, wherein the Eu number is 8.08. The pressure drop of the GLVS is mainly affected by the gas velocity, and the liquid concentration has less effect on the pressure drop. The Sauter mean diameter of the droplets initially entering the GLVS is 15.27 μm. It is found that the separation efficiency of the GLVS-2 is about 10% higher than that of the GLVS-1. The liquid critical concentration of the GLVS-2 is related to the gas velocity. Although the entrainment above the vortex arms formed the water bath at a high gas velocity in GLVS-2, it has a positive effect on the separation. The combination of the empirical droplet size model and equilibrium-orbit model can be used to predict the separation efficiency of GLVS-2 with an average deviation of 1.95%.

Performance Investigation and Optimization of the Primary Separation Part of the Oil-Gas Separator

“…30 Other researchers have proposed structural innovations in cyclone separators. 11,31,32 It can be seen from the literature review that the cyclone separator is a commonly used primary separation structure in the industry and has been widely concerned by researchers.…”

“…When it is applied to the compressor system, the cyclone separator is often used. , Some researchers have studied the effect of the structural parameters of the cyclone separator, − including the height of cyclone, , the length and diameter of the inner cylinder, the number and angle of inlet pipes, , and the surface roughness parameters . Other researchers have proposed structural innovations in cyclone separators. ,, It can be seen from the literature review that the cyclone separator is a commonly used primary separation structure in the industry and has been widely concerned by researchers.…”

Numerical simulation and experimental study of two-phase flow in downhole spiral gas-liquid separator

“…The spiral structure was used to generate centrifugal force to separate gas and liquid, which solved the blockage and segmented plugging flow phenomenon in the process of oil and gas gathering and transportation (Rosa et al, 2001). Zhou et al (2020) proposed a new gas-liquid vortex separator (GLVS), which symmetrically arranged multiple swirl arms within the separator. Dries and Hoffmann, (2019) found that the vane mist eliminator was a highefficiency droplet separator because it was durable and had certain stain resistance, and the separation efficiency was still high at higher working pressures.…”