Horizontal x Vertical liquid-gas separators

[User2000]

Folks

I would like to know the differences between vertical and horizontal liquid-gas separators. Which is better?
Someone told me that is just a matter of how much is the gas/liquid ratio. It seems to me there are much more reasons to choose between them.

Faleiros

 

[Montemayor]

Faleiros:

Vertical liquid-vapor separators are used primarily to disengage a liquid from a vapor when the volume of liquid is small compared with the vapor volume.

Horizontal vessels are used for substantial vapor-liquid separations where the liquid holdup space must be large. Maximum vapor velocity and minimum vapor space are determined as explained in the GPSA Engineering Data Book (which I have indicated how to obtain in another of your threads).

If you are interested in reading other references, look into:

1) “Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants”, Volume I; Ernest E. Ludwig; Gulf Publishing Co.
2) “Gas Conditioning and Processing”, Volume I; John M. Campbell; Campbell Petroleum Series;
3) “Chemical Process Design on a Programmable Calculator”; W. Wayne Blackwell; McGraw-Hill Co.

The basic theory and equation behind the design is the Brown-Souders relationship which has been around since the late 1930’s.

 

[User2000]

Montemayor:

Thanks for your answer. I think I understand it. Let me say my problem.
I need do dry a oil with 1% of water. So I heat it up to 120 C with a 0,1 bar(a). The gas/liquid mass ratio is low, but the volumetric ratio is high. What matter is the volume, so the vertical is the best choice.
As I don't want to loose oil, a demister is imperative.
Is it OK?

Faleiros

 

[Homayun]

Faleiros,
I think another important factor in choosing a horizontal vs. vertical separator, is the available plot space. You can imagin that a vertical drum takes a lot lesser space whereas a horizontal, requires more space.

But to be hounest, I am not sure whether you can dry your 1% water containing oil by using a separator! Even heating won't probabely help getting rid of the water.
Why don't you consider using just mol-sieves dryers?

 

[25362]

I've seen hydrotreating units where the hydrotreated and stripped paraffinic-type base mineral oils are "dried" in columns (with internals) under an absolute pressure of just about 0.1 atm, and at ~180^oC.

The designers claimed to reduce 1,500 ppm moisture down to ~10 ppm. Liquid: 9 m³/h; column diameter: 1.0 m, column length ~ 5.5 m.