UTILIZATION OF GAS-LIQUID CYLINDRICAL CYCLONE (GLCC©) COMPACT SEPARATOR FOR SOLIDS REMOVAL: PART 2-OPERATIONAL ENVELOPE FOR CARRY-OVER

The operational envelope for particle (solid and liquid) carry-over (OPEN-CO) in the GLCC (c) has been studied experimentally and theoretically. The experimental data were acquired for a wide range of flow conditions, including: inlet superficial gas and liquid velocities between 15-35 ft/s and 0.1-1.2 ft/s, respectively, solid particle sizes of 5, 25 and 50 microns, and solid mass flow rates between 6.61 lbm/min and 15.43 lbm/min. An uncertainty analysis of the experimental data revealed uncertainties less than 1% and less that 8.5% for the superficial liquid velocity and the superficial gas velocity measurements, respectively. Results from the experimental data show that as the density of the slurry increases (higher solid mass flow rates), the OPEN-CO shifts up. A mechanistic model was developed for the prediction of OPEN-CO, based on particle trajectory. The model assumes that the particle (liquid and solid) density is the same as the slurry density. Model predictions agree well with the experimental data. The developed model can be used for design and efficient operation of the GLCC (c) for gas-liquid-solid flow (gas slurry separation).