High Pressure Gas Liquid Separation - II

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Fundamental understanding of high and medium pressure separation of liquids from gas is currently limited. This is due to the fact that most experimental studies have been performed on model systems at low pressures. Thus they are unsuited to account for the behaviour of real systems at elevated pressures. Existing high pressure facilities elsewhere are not suited for detailed studies such as those performed in the preceeding HiPGaS/HIPGLS projects. The combination of small scale cells covering low to m edium pressure at NTNU/SINTEF combined with the intermediate scale separation rig at Statoil which can handle medium to high pressures offers a unique research combination into the detailed dynamics of droplet dynamics. A literature survey in HiPGLS [L. Patruno OTC 2010] showed that high pressure data mainly consisted of nitrogen/air-water observations. However, this data cannot reliably be used to guide separation equipment for hydrocarbon systems since it does not cover the realistic range of density and viscosity ratios as well as surface tension ranges of hydrocarbon systems. Thus there is a need for fundamental studies of fluid properties, droplet sizes and size distributions, entrainment and deposition mechanisms in intermediate to high pressure s. What physical and process parameters influence coalescense? What is the liquid dynamics inside a flooded meshpad look like? Can new guidlines be developed for NORSOK design rules of gas scrubbers? Can engineering correlations, point models and CFD tool s be improved with respect to design of separators and their internals? These are the questions this project sets out to find data and models to answer.