Transportation

Oil&Gas Journal April 23, 2001 www.ogj.pennnet.com

New design improves performance of gas-pipeline drip separators

By:
Hussein Alboudwarej University of Calgary, Calgary Miles Haukeness Innovative Pipeline Technology Inc., Estevan, Sask.

Canadian gas-plant tests of a new design for in-line gas pipeline liquid separators ("drips") have shown that efficienc of free liquid separation in a pipeline can !e increased ! a factor of close to ten" #he newl developed drip also allows passage of pipeline inspection gauges ($%&) while wor'ing at higher separation efficienc " (rips are co))onl used to separate free liquid in natural gas trans)ission pipelines" A li)itation of availa!le current drips is that, in order to allow free passage of pipeline inspection and cleaning pigs, the drips are not designed to reduce the velocit of the gas as in scru!!ers or separators" And drips have not !een efficient at the high gas flow rates (annular flow) e*perienced ! )ost gas pipelines" #he field test progra) investigated perfor)ances of co))on drips as well as the recentl developed one" T reat to operations +iquid )a for) during transportation of natural gas in pipelines due to pressure loss, te)perature change, or retrograde condensation of heavier h drocar!ons in the gas phase" Co)pressor or deliver stations should !e protected against the liquid !ecause large quantities )a interrupt process operations" # picall , free liquids are separated fro) a gas strea) ! a well strea) separator that )ust ensure that the gas and liquid flow rates are low enough to per)it gravit segregation" ,or gas trans)ission pipelines, conventional separators are i)practical !ecause the require gas-velocit reduction ! use of a su!stantiall larger vessel than the pipeline dia)eter" A pipeline drip is a relativel ine*pensive )ethod of re)oving liquids for pipelines in which pigging is a require)ent" #he design of )ost conventional drips is !ased on the concept of liquid flow to a pipe !ranch" +iquid flow into pipe !ranches results fro) the centrifugal action of gas strea)

flowing into the !ranch"1 2 -ow )uch liquid flows into a !ranch depends on the flow regi)e and !ranch orientation a)ong other factors" .ne stud showed that under a stratified flow regi)e, no liquid enters the !ranch for less than 20/ gas flow into the !ranch" %n case of )ore than 30/ gas flow to the !ranch, practicall all of the liquid will flow to the !ranch"3 1nder annular flow conditions, liquid flows as a fil) inside the pipe and so)e of the liquid is ato)i2ed to the core section" As a result, the liquid strea) tends to divide itself proportionall into the two directions of the !ranch" ,urther studies confir)ed these o!servations and showed that, in annular flow, increasing liquid flow rate decreases the fraction of liquid re)oved for a given gas ta'e off" %t was also found that decreasing the pipe dia)eter increases liquid flow to the !ranch due to an increase in the thic'ness of the liquid fil) traveling along the pipe wall" .rientation of the !ranch in the pipe onl affects the liquid split if there is stratified flow in the pipe leading to the 3unction"4 %n annular or se)iannular flow regi)e, orientation of the !ranch has little effect on the liquid split" An A&A pipeline research co))ittee gathered data fro) various natural gas trans)ission co)panies and concluded that )ost were e*periencing annular flow in their pipelines"5 6ost in-line separators fail to separate enough liquid under annular flow7 the ones designed to wor' under annular flow prevent passage of pipeline pigs" #he goal of this pro3ect was to evaluate the perfor)ance of industr standard in-line pigga!le separators under annular flow and to co)pare the efficienc of these drips with a newl developed drip, the %nnopipe $igga!le (rip (%$()" #he perfor)ance of these pigga!le drips was also co)pared with an unpigga!le in-line separator, the %nnopipe 8eparator" !rip designs %n a standard drip (,ig" 1a), onl liquid traveling at the !otto) of the pipe can !e re)oved" +iquid is separated ! gravit , and there is no gas flow to the !ranch" #he advantage of this drip is that it is !oth pigga!le and eas to install and operate" ,ig" 1! shows )odified standard drip that wor's li'e a standard drip e*cept for a s)all secondar gas flow to the !ranch, which increases liquid flow to the !ranch due to centrifugal action of the flowing gas" #he %nnopipe 8eparator (,ig" 1c) is an unpigga!le drip that is particularl designed to stop flowing of liquid slugs along the pipeline" #his design utili2es the cleansing action of annular flow separation with )ini)u) pipe dia)eter" #he %$( (,ig" 1d) utili2es a patented process in which an annular gas strea) separation technique is used to re)ove )ost of the liquid with the least a)ount of gas at all gas velocities"9 %t has two parts: a flow separator and a collection reservoir" #he flow separator consists of a pipe the sa)e si2e as the natural gas pipeline surrounded ! a shell to for) an annular cha)!er" #he annular cha)!er is divided into two halves ! a pressure-tight !affle with inlet-outlet flow through slotted apertures" #he slots are !arred to provide support for pigging tools"

At the inlet to the flow separator, the natural gas strea) is separated into two strea)s: A pri)ar flow continues down the internal pipe of the separator7 a secondar flow of gas containing the liquid is drawn into the annular cha)!er" #his secondar gas strea) flow rate can !e designed to range fro) 1/ to 10/ or )ore of the pri)ar flow and is directed to a collection reservoir where final separation occurs" #he gas is reco)!ined with the )ain strea) at the downstrea) slotted aperture" #he secondar flow through the reservoir piping is )aintained ! the low-pressure venturi created ! the pri)ar gas flow at the downstrea) edge of the aperture" #he re)ainder of the pri)ar gas strea) that is inherentl liquid free (e*cept for the ato)i2ed liquid in the )iddle core) passes through the drip" #he %$( uses the .ran3e principal initiall to separate the flowing liquids fro) the pipeline"3 %nstead of a !ranch connection into which 20-30/ of the gas strea) )ust flow to re)ove the liquids, the annular space requires onl 1-10/ of the gas to re)ove all of the liquids" %n effect, the annular cha)!er acts as a !ranch connection that co)pletel surrounds the pipe" #he distinct advantage of annular flow separation is that onl a relativel s)all secondar flow is required and )ost of the free liquid in a gas strea) is re)oved" #his allows %$( to )aintain a high separation efficienc even at )a*i)u) gas flow rates (when liquid is )ore li'el to !e carried up fro) low spots)" As a pipeline e*periences higher flow rates, traditional drips are ! passed and conventional separators cannot slow the pri)ar gas strea) velocities sufficientl " %$( design eli)inates the need to reduce the flow rate of the pri)ar gas flow, and the result is significant savings in piping and vessel si2e require)ents" Also significant is

that the pressure loss of %$( is negligi!le, with 90/ or )ore of the pri)ar gas flow seeing pri)aril straight pipe, saving considera!le co)pressor horsepower" %$( is also easil pigga!le when the secondar flow is interrupted and is full !idirectional" ,or over-flow conditions, it can perfor) the initial separation of free liquid fro) a gas strea) as efficientl as )ost gas separators used in the natural gas trans)ission industr " #he )isting found in produced gas is usuall not evident in trans)ission lines, and separator filters are nor)all fouled ! the )isting caused ! the violent action and pressure losses that conventional separators i)part on the gas strea)" %$( is designed to )ini)i2e the volu)e of gas e*posed to the liquid interface and prevent )isting or re-entertain)ent" "ield e#periments A field e*peri)ental setup was used to investigate the perfor)ance of the four drips under various operating conditions" (rips were !uilt separatel and installed on a s'id at the ;ast Crossfield gas plant, Crossfield, Alta", owned and operated ! $ri)e <est ;nerg +td", Calgar "

,ig" 2 shows the e*peri)ental setup" -igh-pressure fuel gas is )i*ed with h drocar!on condensate in a )i*ing cha)!er !efore entering the test section" (rip asse)!l consists of 1-in" car!on steel pipes

(8chedule 50), =-in" car!on steel pipes (8chedule =0) as !oth shell and collection vessel and necessar valves" After passing through the drip, the gas strea) enters a filter-coalescer in which all the re)aining liquid is separated !efore venting" A filter-coalescer vessel re)oves 100/ of liquid droplets larger than 0 ))" +iquid fro) !oth drip and filter-coalescer can !e drained with hand-operated valves" %n a t pical test run, a fi*ed gas flow rate is esta!lished with a valve at the inlet and a gas flow )eter at the e*it of the filter-coalescer" A control valve at the e*it of the filtercoalescer controls the pressure" #he s ste) runs until stead state is reached" %n a t pical test, the volu)e of collected liquid in !oth drip and filter-coalescer is )easured over ti)e" <ith a 'nown fi*ed liquid flow rate, separation efficienc of the drip can easil !e calculated as the ratio of liquid volu)e collected in the drip to the total liquid volu)e ti)es 100" %f !oth liquid and gas flow rates are varied, the efficienc of various configurations can !e evaluated under different flow conditions" #he focus of the tests was the effect of flow regi)e on the separation efficienc of the drips" >o atte)pt was )ade to investigate the effect of pressure or te)perature" $erformance All the tests were carried out at 24"? !arg (=00 psig) and an average te)perature of a!out 15@ C" (?="=@ ,")" -igh-pressure gas was supplied fro) a high-pressure fuel gas header at a!out 01"4 !arg with an average gravit of a!out 0"?0" #he liquid was a sta!ili2ed gas condensate with a specific gravit of 0"?9 at 9"4 !arg" ,ig" 3a shows the perfor)ance of various drip configurations for a range of gas velocities (2-10 )Asec7 or, ?"0-00 fps) in the pipeline at an average superficial liquid ve locit of a!out 0"01? )Asec (0"132 gp))" ,or !oth standard and )odified standard drips (,igs" 1a and 1!, respectivel ), separation efficienc changes drasticall as flow regi)e changes fro) stratified flow to wave flow and then to annular flow" ,or these configurations, separation efficienc drops to less than 0/ of the )a*i)u) attaina!le efficienc (90/)" #his results fro) the fact that at higher gas velocities, liquid )oves as a fil) inside the pipe and less liquid will !e availa!le to )ove to the side !ranch" 6odified standard drip wor's !etter than standard drip, particularl at lower velocities, !ecause a s)all secondar flow through the side ar) directs )ore liquid into the !ranch" >ote that at onl a!out 3 )Asec superficial gas velocit , the stratified flow changes to annular flow" ,or %$( (,ig" 1d), the separation efficienc was )aintained through the annular flow regi)e and then graduall decreased to a )ini)u) of a!out =0/ at 10 )Asec gas velocit " #he %$( configuration can !e )odified for higher velocities ! designing with less secondar flow in future tests" %t can !e seen that %$( outperfor)s !oth standard and )odified standard drips (the )ost co))on drips in the industr ) ! a factor of close to ten" #he %nnopipe 8eparator (,ig" 1c) is the )ost efficient in ter)s of liquid separation" ,or the high velocit annular flow, it re)oves )ore than 40/ of the liquid" And under low velocit annular flow and stratified flow conditions, efficienc is )aintained at 100/ (0 )) and larger)"

,ig" 3! shows the perfor)ance of various drip separators for different superficial liquid velocities at a constant gas flow rate" +iquid velocit changed !etween 0"01-0"0? )Asec (0"04-0"=? gp)), while superficial gas velocit was constant at a!out ?"1 )Asec" ;*cept for the %nnopipe 8eparator, the efficienc of liquid separation decreases with increasing liquid flow rate" #his results fro) the fact that the thic'ness of the liquid fil) inside the pipe increases as liquid flow rate increases" As a result, )ore liquid can !e carried along with the gas strea), while the sa)e a)ount of liquid goes into the side strea) as !efore" ,or the %nnopipe 8eparator, separation efficienc re)ains practicall constant at 100/ for all liquid rates" #he liquid-gas flow rates as tested ranged fro) 3=-309 cu )A66 std" cu ) (00 !!lA 66scf) as t picall encountered in gas production and field gathering s ste)s" Besults show that a two-phase annular flow develops at a gas velocit a!out 3"2 )Asec for the s ste) under consideration" #est results also show that the perfor)ance of conventional drips is inadequate at gas velocit greater than 3 )Asec at all liquid flow rates" %$( outperfor)s co))onl used pigga!le drips ! several orders of )agnitude and is relativel efficient at velocities as high as 12 )Asec and liquid rates as high as 309 cu )A66 std" cu )" #he %nnopipe 8eparator has the highest separation efficienc a)ong all the tested configurations !ut is not pigga!le" #hese field o!servations suggest that %$( would !e a suita!le candidate when !oth separation efficienc and a!ilit to pig are i)portant" C the sa)e to'en, the %nnopipe 8eparator is suita!le as a well strea) separator or liquid 'noc' out in flare gas lines where pigging is not a require)ent" #o date, )ore than 20 %$(s have !een installed in Canadian natural gas trans)ission lines over the last 0 ears" +ine si2es range fro) 10 to =5 in" and operating pressures of up to 100 !arg" Acknowledgments #he authors ac'nowledge the assistance of Cill 8vrce', 1niversit of Calgar 7 <a ne 6onner , Che)-$et $rocess #echnolog +td, Calgar 7 and Cill ,oose, .il$ro, Calgar "

%eferences 1" Cerg)an, (",", #e', 6"B", and Dat2, ("+", "Betrograde Condensation in >atural &as $ipelines," $ro3ect $B 2?-?9 of the A&A $ipeline Besearch Co))ittee, 1niv" of 6ichigan, Ann Ar!or, 1940" 2" 8hoha), .", Crill, E"$", and #aitel, F", "#wo-$hase ,low 8plitting in #ee Eunctions-;*peri)ent and 6odeling," Che)ical ;ngineering 8cience, Gol" 1=, pp" 2??4-4?, 1954" 3" .ran3e, +", "Condensate !ehavior in gas pipelines is predicta!le," .&E, Eul 2, 1943, p" 39" =" ,ortuin, E"6"-", -a)ers)a, $"E", -art, E", 8)it, -"E", and Caan, <"p", "Calculations predict condensate )ove)ent at H#H 3unctions," .&E, Ean" 21, 1991, p" 34" 0" ,ortuin, E"6"-", -a)ers)a, $"E", -art, E", 8)it, -"E", and Caan, <"p", ";*peri)ents verif predictions of condensate )ove)ents," .&E, Ean" 25, 1991, p" 91" ?" 8tace , #", A22opardi, C"E", and Conte, &", "#he split of annular two-phase flow at a s)all dia)eter #-3unction," %nternational Eournal of 6ultiphase ,low, Gol" 2? (2000), pp" 5=0-0?" 4" A22opardi, C"E", and 8)ith, $"A", "#wo-$hase ,low 8plit at #-Eunctions: ;ffect of 8ide Ar) .rientation and (ownstrea) &eo)etr ," %nternational Eournal of 6ultiphase ,low, Gol" 15 (1992), pp" 5?1-40" 5" A)erican &as Association, "#rans)ission," G" %%: Coo' #-1 $ipelines: $lanning and ;cono)ics, 1959" 9" -au'eness, 6";", "&as $ipeline (rip," $atent CA 212930? 9?0130, 199?" T e aut ors:

Hussein Alboudwarej is a doctoral candidate in the depart)ent of Che)ical and $etroleu) ;ngineering at the 1niversit of Calgar " Cefore 3oining the universit in 199?, he wor'ed for >ational %ranian .il Co" in !oth onshore and offshore oil and gas production fields as a process supervisor" Al!oudware3 holds an 68c (1995) fro) the 1niversit of Calgar and a C8c (1990) fro) the A!adan %nstitute of #echnolog (now $etroleu) 1niversit of #echnolog ), Ahwa2, %ran, !oth in che)ical engineering"

Miles &' Haukeness is director of %nnovative $ipeline #echnolog %nc", ;stevan, 8as'" -e has )ore than 10 earsH e*perience in engineering design and construction )anage)ent" -e has held positions with ,re-,lo .il %ndustries, 8as'" Coiler I $G 8afet , 1nion &as +td", Centra &as 6anito!a, and ;n!ridge $ipelines (8as') %nc" -e has a C8c (195=) in )echanical engineering fro) 1niversit of 8as'atchewan"