AGES GL 08 002 Vessel Sizing Guidelines

THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL.
ADNOC GROUP PROJECTS AND

ENGINEERING
VESSEL SIZING (2 PHASE / 3 PHASE)

GUIDELINES
Guidelines
APPROVED BY:
Abdulmunim Saif Al Kindy

NAME: Abdulmunim Al Kindy
TITLE: Executive Director PT&CS
EFFECTIVE DATE:
AGES-GL-08-002
All parties consent to this document being signed electronically -UPST/UDR/INT/2021/6591

-PT&CS/GP/INT/2021/7691
GROUP PROJECTS & ENGINEERING / PT&CS DIRECTORATE
CUSTODIAN Group Projects & Engineering / PT&CS

ADNOC Specification applicable to ADNOC & ADNOC Group Companies
REVISION HISTORY
PREPARED BY REVIEWED BY ENDORSED BY ENDORSED BY

REV.
DATE (Designation / (Designation / (Designation / (Designation /
NO
Initial) Initial) Initial) Initial)
31-Mar-2021 1 Ashwani Kumar Ashwani Kumar Abdulla Al Shaiba/ Zaher Salem/
Kataria/ Kataria/ VP-GPE SVP-GPE
A/MIHE,TC-Eng A/MIHE,TC-Eng
Digitally signed by Ashwani
Digitally signed by Kumar Kataria
Ashwani Kumar Kataria DN: cn=Ashwani Kumar
DN: cn=Ashwani Kumar Kataria, o=ADNOC Onshore,
ou=ADNOC Onshore,
Kataria, o=ADNOC email=akataria@adnoc.ae,
Onshore, ou=ADNOC c=AE
21/04/2021
Onshore, Date: 2021.04.04 16:10:31
email=akataria@adnoc. +04'00'
ae, c=AE
Date: 2021.04.04
16:10:02 +04'00'
Reuben
Yagambaram/
Senior Advisor,
Upstream Offshore 22/04/2021
Projects
Reuben Digitally
by Reuben
signed
Yagam Yagambaram
Date: 2021.04.13
baram 15:56:12 +04'00'
Group Projects & Engineering is the owner of these Guidelines and responsible for its custody, maintenance and
periodic update.
In addition, Group Projects & Engineering is responsible for communication and distribution of any changes to
these Guidelines and its version control.
These Guidelines will be reviewed and updated in case of any changes affecting the activities described in these
guidelines.
AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

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INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AND STAKEHOLDERS
The following are inter-relationships for implementation of these Guidelines:

i. ADNOC Upstream and ADNOC Downstream Directorates; and
ii. ADNOC Onshore, ADNOC Offshore, ADNOC Sour Gas, ADNOC Gas Processing. ADNOC LNG,
ADNOC Refining, Fertil, Borouge, Al Dhafra Petroleum, Al Yasat
The following are stakeholders for the purpose of these Guidelines:
i. ADNOC PT&CS Directorate
This these Guidelines has been approved by the ADNOC PT&CS is to be implemented by each ADNOC
Group company included above subject to and in accordance with their Delegation of Authority and other
governance-related processes in order to ensure compliance.
Each ADNOC Group company must establish/nominate a Technical Authority responsible for compliance
with these Guidelines.
DEFINITIONS
“ADNOC” means Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
“ADNOC Group” means ADNOC together with each company in which ADNOC, directly or indirectly, controls
fifty percent (50%) or more of the share capital.
“Approving Authority” means the decision-making body or employee with the required authority to approve
Policies & Procedures or any changes to it.
“Business Line Directorates” or “BLD” means a directorate of ADNOC which is responsible for one or more
Group Companies reporting to, or operating within the same line of business as, such directorate.
“Business Support Directorates and Functions” or “Non- BLD” means all the ADNOC functions and the
remaining directorates, which are not ADNOC Business Line Directorates.
“CEO” means chief executive officer.
“Group Company” means any company within the ADNOC Group other than ADNOC.
“Guidelines” means this Vessel Sizing (2 Phase / 3 Phase) Guidelines.
CONTROLLED INTRANET COPY

The intranet copy of this document located in the section under Group Policies on One ADNOC is the only
controlled document. Copies or extracts of this document, which have been downloaded from the intranet, are
uncontrolled copies and cannot be guaranteed to be the latest version.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL ...................................................................................................................................... 8
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 8
PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................ 8
DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................... 8
SECTION A - GENERAL .......................................................................................................................... 11
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS ....................................................................................................... 11
INTERNATIONAL CODES AND STANDARDS ............................................................... 11
ADNOC SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................... 11
OTHER REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 11
DOCUMENT PRECEDENCE ....................................................................................................... 11
SECTION B – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................ 13
CLASSIFICATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA FOR GAS/LIQUID, LIQUID/LIQUID AND
GAS/ LIQUID/LIQUID SEPARATORS ........................................................................................ 13
PRINCIPLES OF SEPARATION ....................................................................................... 13
DESIGN MARGINS AND OPERATING ENVELOPE ....................................................... 13
SELECTION CRITERIA AND STRATEGY ....................................................................... 14
SEPARATION FUNDAMENTALS AND DESIGN RULES .......................................................... 24
GENERAL .......................................................................................................................... 24
GAS-LIQUID SEPARATION ............................................................................................. 25
LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATION ......................................................................................... 28
SEPARATOR HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................ 37
DESIGN RULES FOR NOZZLES ................................................................................................ 47
PROCESS NOZZLES ........................................................................................................ 47
MANWAYS ........................................................................................................................ 49
INSTRUMENT NOZZLES .................................................................................................. 50
DESIGN RULES FOR INTERNALS ............................................................................................ 50
BAFFLES ........................................................................................................................... 50
WEIRS................................................................................................................................ 50
GAS PHASE INTERNALS ................................................................................................ 52
PROBLEMS WITH SEPARATION .............................................................................................. 53
WAXES .............................................................................................................................. 53
EMULSIONS ...................................................................................................................... 54

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ASPHALTENES- (SARA – SATURATED AROMATICS RESINS AND ASPHALTENE) 54
BIODEGRADATION AND NAPHTHENATES (TOTAL ACID NUMBER) ........................ 54
SCALE AND TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS ..................................................................... 55
CFD OBJECTIVES AND KEY INPUTS ....................................................................................... 55
CFD INPUTS REQUIRED .................................................................................................. 56
CFD OUTPUTS .................................................................................................................. 56
SECTION C - APPENDICES..................................................................................................................... 57
APPENDIX A1. CROSS SECTIONAL AREA – CHORD AREA CALCULATION ................................. 57
APPENDIX A2. SEPARATOR SIZING SAMPLE PROBLEMS .............................................................. 58

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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1.1 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................. 10

TABLE 4.1 SEPARATOR ORIENTATION SELECTION CRITERIA .................................................................. 18
TABLE 4.2 PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF VARIOUS GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR TYPES .................. 19
TABLE 4.3 GENERAL SCREENING OF TWO-PHASE LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR TYPES ...................... 22
TABLE 4.4 THREE-PHASE GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR TYPES ........................................................ 23
TABLE 5.1 K-FACTORS FOR GAS PHASE INTERNALS ................................................................................. 27
TABLE 5.2 DE-RATING FACTORS FOR PRESSURE ....................................................................................... 28
TABLE 5.3 TYPICAL DROPLET SIZES .............................................................................................................. 32
TABLE 5.4 SETTLING VELOCITY LIMITS ......................................................................................................... 33
TABLE 5.5 TYPICAL RESIDENCE SEPARATION TIMES ................................................................................ 34
TABLE 5.6 TYPICAL HOLD-UP CONTROL TIMES ........................................................................................... 35
TABLE 5.7 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR LEVEL SETTINGS ..................................................... 38
TABLE 5.8 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR LEVEL SETTINGS ........................................ 39
TABLE 5.9 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR WITH SUBMERGED WEIR LEVEL
SETTINGS..................................................................................................................................................... 41
TABLE 5.10 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR WITH BOOT LEVEL SETTINGS ................ 43
TABLE 5.11 VERTICAL GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR LEVEL SETTINGS ......................................................... 46
TABLE 6.1 INLET DEVICE SELECTION CRITERIA .......................................................................................... 48
TABLE 6.2 MINIMUM VENT AND DRAIN SIZES ............................................................................................... 49
TABLE 6.3 PURGE CONNECTIONS .................................................................................................................. 49
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 5.1 FORCE BALANCE ON A DROPLET IN VERTICAL FLOW .......................................................... 25

FIGURE 5.2 DROPLET TRAJECTORIES ........................................................................................................... 30
FIGURE 5.3 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR ................................................................................... 38
FIGURE 5.4 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR WITH OVERFLOW WEIR ........................... 39
FIGURE 5.5 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR WITH SUBMERGED WEIR ......................... 41
FIGURE 5.6 HORIZONTAL GAS-LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR WITH BOOT ................................................ 43
FIGURE 5.7 – TYPICAL GAS-LIQUID VERTICAL SPACING DISTANCES ...................................................... 46
LIST OF EQUATIONS
EQUATION 5.1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 26

EQUATION 5.2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 26
EQUATION 5.3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
EQUATION 5.4 ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
EQUATION 5.5 ..................................................................................................................................................... 31

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EQUATION 5.6 ..................................................................................................................................................... 32

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GENERAL
Introduction
These guidelines specify the criteria and give recommendations for the selection and design of liquid-liquid, gas-
liquid and gas-liquid-liquid separators. Included are sizing methods, selection criteria for the inlet/outlet devices
and design rules for separator internals and nozzles.
This document also establishes the separation criteria in accordance with the requirements for the various
upstream and downstream business units. Separation performance of vessels are specified in the design stage
and the vessel/internal vendor shall be required to meet these specifications and fulfil performance guarantees
during EPC.
A vessel that operates as a slug catcher is included as a two-phase bulk separation vessel, but the following are
not included:
Finger type slug catcher
Expansion drums and utility drums such as nitrogen or air hold-up vessels
Separation of solids from liquids and gases and solids handling other than reference to sand settling
Desalters
Steam drums
Coalescers/Filters
Problems with oil and water separation are addressed with regards to waxes and emulsions and other aspects
of composition chemistry. For additional guidance associated with waxes and emulsions refer to Flow Assurance
Guideline AGES-GL-08-003.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to specify the procedure to follow when selecting and sizing separators whose
main purpose is gas-liquid, liquid-liquid and gas-liquid-liquid separation. These guidelines are intended to enable
the engineer to select the optimum equipment orientation and internals and give guidance to ensure that the
sizing is sufficient to meet the separation requirements whilst maintaining an economic design.
It is not intended for use for vessels where the sole purpose is storage, fluid hold-up, solids handling or gas or
liquid expansion.
Definitions and Abbreviations

The following defined terms are used throughout this Guideline:
“COMPANY” means ADNOC, ADNOC Group or an ADNOC Group Company, and includes any agent or
consultant authorized to act for, and on behalf of the COMPANY.
“CONTRACTOR” means the parties that carry out all or part of the design, engineering, procurement, construction,
commissioning or management for ADNOC projects. CONTRACTOR includes its approved MANUFACTURER(s),
SUPPLIER(s), SUB-SUPPLIER(s) and SUB-CONTRACTOR(s).
“MANUFACTURER” means the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or MANUFACTURER of one or more
of the component(s) which make up a sub-assembly or item of equipment assembled by the main SUPPLIER or
his nominated SUB-SUPPLIER.

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‘may’ means a permitted option
‘shall’ indicates mandatory requirements
‘should’ means a recommendation
“SUPPLIER” means the party entering into a Contract with COMPANY to provide the materials, equipment,
supporting technical documents and/or drawings, guarantees, warranties and/or agreed services in accordance
with the requirements of the purchase order and relevant specification(s). The term SUPPLIER includes any
legally appointed successors and/or nominated representatives of the SUPPLIER.
Additional specific technical definitions are as follows:
‘axial velocity’ refers to the velocity of the dispersed phase droplet through the continuous phase in an axial
direction
‘continuous phase’ refers to the fluid phase from which dispersed droplets of another fluid will separate due to
gravity.
‘dispersed phase’ refers to the fluid phase which is dispersed as droplets through another fluid phase. The
dispersed phase will either rise (gas) or settle out (liquid) of the fluid through which it is dispersed (continuous
phase) depending on the density and viscosity differences.
‘dispersion band’ refers to the interface between two liquid phases where the two liquid phases are mixed.
‘downstream’ refers to oil and gas processing systems.
‘hold-up time’ is the time taken at design outflow liquid rate for the level to move between the level control
settings (LA(L) and LA(H))
‘residence time’ residence time is the time required for liquid-liquid phase separation between the fluid phases
and is the liquid phase volume between the normal control level (NL) and the lowest point (BTL) or exit of the
liquid phase.
‘retention volume’ refers to the volume inside the vessel allowed to accommodate phase separation. Retention
volume is set by the residence time required for phase separation.
‘surge time’ is the time taken at design feed flow rate for the level to move between the normal level (NL) and
high liquid level LA(H)
surge volume’ refers to the liquid volume inside the vessel which allows for fluctuations in liquid phase feed flow
rate. The surge volume is accommodated between the normal (NL) control level to the high liquid phase level
alarm LA(H).
‘upstream’ refers to oil and gas gathering production systems
‘water cut’ refers to the ratio of the volume of produced water to the total volume of produced liquids in a well
stream. Qw/Qtotal liquid

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The abbreviations used throughout these Guidelines are shown in Error! Reference source not found..
Table 1.1 List of Abbreviations

Abbreviations
API American Petroleum Institute
BS&W Basic Sediment and Water
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics
CSO Compressor Shut-off

DEP Design and Engineering Practice
GOR Gas Oil Ratio
HC Hydrocarbon
KO Knock-out
LA(L) Level Alarm Low (with ‘i’ postscript for interface)
LA(H) Level Alarm High (with ‘i’ postscript for interface)
LCA Level Control
LG Level Gauge
LOPA Layer of Protection Analysis
LZA(LL) Level shutdown (Low Low)
LZA(HH) Level shutdown (High High)
NL Normal Level
NIL Normal Interface Level
OIW Oil in Water
ppmv Parts per million volume
SARA Saturated Aromatics Resins and Asphaltene
TDS Total Dissolved Solids
WAT Wax Appearance temperature
WIO Water in Oil

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SECTION A - GENERAL
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
International Codes and Standards

The following Codes and Standards shall form a part of these Guidelines. When an edition date is not indicated
for a Code or Standard, the latest edition in force at the time of the contract award shall apply.
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE (API)

API Specification 12J Specification for Oil and Gas Separators
8th edition Oct 2008
ADNOC Specifications
AGES-GL-08-001 Process Design Criteria

AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance Philosophy
AGES-PH-04-001 Automation & Instrumentation Design Philosophy
AGES-PH-08-001 Isolation, Drain & vent Philosophy
AGES-SP-06-002 Pressure Vessel Specification
Other References
GPSA EDB 14th edition Engineering Data Book
DOCUMENT PRECEDENCE
The specifications and codes referred to in these Guidelines shall, unless stated otherwise, be the latest approved
issue at the time of contract award.
It shall be the CONTRACTOR's responsibility to be, or to become, knowledgeable of the requirements of the
referenced Codes and Standards.
The CONTRACTOR shall notify the COMPANY of any apparent conflict between this specification, the related
data sheets, the Codes and Standards and any other specifications noted herein.
Resolution and/or interpretation precedence shall be obtained from the COMPANY in writing before proceeding
with the design/manufacture.
In case of conflict, the order of document precedence shall be:
UAE Statutory Requirements
ADNOC HSE Standards
Equipment Datasheets and Drawings
Project Specifications and Standard Drawings

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Company Specifications
National / International Standards

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SECTION B – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
CLASSIFICATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA FOR GAS/LIQUID, LIQUID/LIQUID AND GAS/

LIQUID/LIQUID SEPARATORS
Principles of Separation
The principles used to separate gases, liquids and solids are momentum, gravity settling and coalescing. In order
for separation to occur effectively the fluid phases must be immiscible and have different densities.
Gravity Settling
Gravity settling uses the principle that droplets with a higher density will settle out of a phase with lower density
e.g liguid settles out of gas, when the downward gravitational force on the droplet is greater than the opposing
drag force in an upward direction. For smaller droplets the drag force will govern and hence droplets will be
entrained in the light phase unless further measures are taken such as coalescing.
Momentum
Momentum used the principle of reducing velocity at different rates for the different densities. A lighter particle
will slow down and change direction more rapidly than a heavier particle.
Coalescing
When there are small droplets that cannot be separated by gravity alone, coalescing is used to form larger
droplets by forcing the fluid through a tortuous path such as a mist eliminator. The larger particles can then settle
out of the gas phase by gravity.
For Liquid-Liquid Separation two immiscible liquid phases can be separated using the same principles as for gas
and liquid separators. Liquid-liquid separators are fundamentally the same as gas-liquid separators except that
because the difference in densities is less, they must be designed with sufficient increased residence time to
allow separation by gravity to take place.
Design Margins and Operating Envelope

Refer to the design margins included in AGES-GL-08-001, “Process Design Criteria”. These are the minimum to
be used when sizing the separator.
Different operating cases may result in different design rates/margins for different phases. For example, the gas
phase may be governing for one case while the liquid phase maybe governing for a different case. The
CONTRACTOR shall therefore ensure that the complete operating range is assessed to ensure that all governing
cases are identified in order to ensure the design of the vessel is adequately sized for each phase separation
(gas from liquid, liquid from gas and liquid from liquid) over the entire field life.
To achieve the separation performance the engineer may utilise different types/design of internals rather an
adjusting the design margin and increasing the vessel size.

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Selection Criteria and Strategy
General
Separators are typically cylindrical vessels with dished heads in a horizontal or vertical orientation. Both have
their advantages and disadvantages depending on the phases being separated and the various process
parameters discussed in the following sections. A third type of separator is a spherical separator, but these are
only occasionally specified for high pressure/small liquid volume use where a compact size is desirable.
The simplest separator vessels are those without internals or have minimal internals such as a simple inlet device.
Other internals may be added to improve separation of the phases. Separators can be classified into different
categories depending on the phases they are handling as follows:
Liquid-liquid (2 phase)
Gas-liquid (2 phase)
Gas-liquid-liquid (3 phase)
The type of internals installed to achieve the required separation within these categories are discussed in more
detail in the following sections. The separation of solids from liquids and gases is not covered in these guidelines,
however, separators specified for the separation of liquids and gases may also have to be designed to handle
solids in the incoming feed of which a typical example is sand.
A separator vessel is normally divided into the following sections.
Primary separation
Primary separation takes place through the inlet of the vessel where the momentum and direction of flow of the
incoming stream is changed. Inlet devices or calming baffles can be fitted to facilitate the initial separation of
phases. In gas-liquid separation the bulk liquid and larger droplets fall by gravity into the liquid accumulation
section.
Secondary Separation
Secondary separation occurs in the main part of the vessel where the velocity of the gas and liquid are further
reduced compared to the inlet due to the increased cross-sectional area. This allows further liquid droplets to fall
from the gas stream into the liquid accumulation section by gravity.
Mist Extraction
Mist extraction takes place through internals inside the vessel where small liquid droplets carried in the gas stream
combine to form larger droplets which will settle out by gravity to the liquid accumulation section. The most
common types are wire mesh, vane pack and centrifugal. Mist extraction can be used to meet the required vapour
/ liquid separation performance with a reduced vessel diameter.
Liquid Accumulation
Liquids from the primary, secondary and mist extraction sections are collected in the liquid accumulation section
of the vessel. For liquid-liquid separation the sections should allow sufficient residence time for separation by
gravity between the phases and separate sections to retain the separated phases. Additional internals may be
fitted in this section to promote coalescing of the liquid droplets to aid further phase separation.
The following definitions for bulk separation and dehydration are used in processes in upstream applications:
Bulk separation is where outlet qualities of > 1% Water in Oil (WIO) and 500-2,000 ppm for OIW.

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Bulk separation of liquid from gas is where a maximum liquid carry-over of 0.1 USG/MMSCF and with a
droplet size diameter of 150-250 microns.
Droplet Size Distribution

One of the main factors affecting the efficiency of separation processes is the liquid droplet size distribution of the
dispersed phase in the inlet feed. The droplet dispersion is usually described in terms of primary and secondary
dispersions. Dispersion is a function of the upstream process, the flow characteristics and flow regime. It can be
further impacted by the upstream piping geometry and in-line components (valves, pumps, agitators etc) which
can cause droplet shear and turbulence (Refer section 6.1.1).
Primary dispersions are considered as:
Coarse droplet distribution.
The majority of the dispersed droplets are larger than 30 micron.
The droplets readily separate under gravity (internals may be used to optimize vessel dimensions).
Secondary dispersions are considered as:
Finely dispersed droplets.
The majority of the dispersed droplets are in the range of 1 to 30 micron.
The droplets are slow to separate under gravity and may need additional internals to aid in efficient
separation.
Droplet Cut-off Size

The droplet cut-off size refers to the droplet diameter below which all smaller droplets will remain in the continuous
phase of the fluid and will be carried to the outlet. Droplets with a diameter greater than the cut-off size will be
effectively separated. Typically, the design of a liquid-liquid separator considers a droplet cut-off size of 150
microns, however, the relationship between the droplet cut-off size and outlet quality is not straightforward and
strongly depends on the inlet droplet size distribution in the feed. A more detailed analysis of the droplet size
distribution and separation characteristics can be carried out by specialist third party analysis.
Separator Performance Specification

The first step to specifying the separator is to clearly define the properties of the separator inlet streams and the
operational requirements of the separator in terms of separation of the phases.
Operational Parameters
The following factors must be determined before the separator type is chosen and designed:
Operating and design pressure and temperatures.
Feed flowrate envelope identifying max and min gas and liquid flow rates. The flows shall include any
design margin and variations over the design life.
The pressure drop limitation of the system throughout the life of the facility.
The turndown requirements for the equipment.
The liquid droplet size distribution where required to meet downstream processing/equipment
requirements.

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For all flow streams the physical properties shall be specified, including variations in viscosity, density,
wax content, emulsion characteristics etc.
The flow characteristics and flow regime i.e. whether it is mist, free liquid or slugs. If slugging is predicted
specify the frequency and volume of any liquid slugs.
The presence of any sand or any other impurities that may cause fouling (see Section 8).
Separation Performance
The required degree of separation shall be specified depending on the process application for the flow of liquid-
liquid, gas-liquid or gas-liquid-liquid.
For upstream facilities the following typical performance specifications should be considered:
Gas-Liquid separation: maximum liquid carry-over of 0.1 USG/MMSCF and 99% percentage removal of
liquid droplets of size 10 microns and above.
Gas carry under in light hydrocarbons: typically to ensure the gas fraction in the outlet liquid to =
downstream units is <1 v/v% and to allow gas bubbles of 200 microns and above to escape y from the
liquid outlet. The design shall ensure fulfilling the degassing criteria as well as designing the liquid outlet
nozzle with Froude Number <0.3.
Oil in water carry over: dependent on the downstream produced water treatment requirements. Typical
range for disposal water is 700-1000 ppmv at water outlet in upstream production facilities. Further
treatment down to OIW<300 ppmv requires produced water treatment processes which are outside the
scope of this document.
Water in oil carry over: Typically, critical in upstream facilities where WIO is 1-2 vol% is targeted through
gravity separation. Dehydration is required where further improvement of liquid outlet qualities is targeted,
typically ≤1% WIO or BS&W. Separation through dehydration is outside the scope of this document.
Other consideration may have to be taken into account for a full specification of the separator requirements. If the
feed stream to the facilities comes from oil reservoirs, the stream conditions will fluctuate with time, e.g. a feed
stream temperature increase will have the following effects:
Lower oil viscosity and an increase in the relative difference in the densities between the oil and water
phases making separation easier.
Alternatively, more hydrocarbons come out of the oil phase into the gas phase leading to a reduction in
oil volume and density change.
Preventing the formation of wax which may otherwise have stabilised an emulsion.
Other potential compositional changes can be induced by factors such as breakthrough of CO2 at EOR
from a production well.
In addition, the wellhead pressure may drop over time resulting in a reduced pressure drop available for
processing the reservoir fluids. A decrease in operating pressure into the facilities will cause volatile hydrocarbons
to come out of the crude oil phase into the gas phase - affecting the volumetric gas flow and changing the oil
properties - and so the predicted performance of the separator will change over the life of the field. Similarly, an
increase in pressure at the production separator can impact the separation performance and needs to be
considered in the design.

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General Separator Selection Criteria
There are various criteria which affect a separator selection and performance. In order to select the correct type
of separator for a defined duty these criteria need to be considered during the selection process. These criteria
are as follows:
Gas handling capacity. The separator shall be of a sufficient size to handle the gas flowrate under the
most severe process conditions:
i. Maximum capacity (K-factor) - this gives a measure of the gas handling capacity of the chosen
separator (see Souders Brown equation section 5.2.1).
ii. Turndown ratio - maximum flow divided by the minimum flow.
iii. Effect of operating pressure and shearing of liquid droplets.
Liquid removal efficiency:
i. Overall - defined as the ratio of the liquid flow rate separated from the gas stream divided by the liquid
flow rate in the separator feed stream expressed as a percentage.
ii. With respect to fine mist.
iii. With respect to the possible flooding above the highest K-factor which can cause a sharp decrease
in separation efficiency and hence re-entrainment.
Liquid handling capacity:
i. Slugs / surge volume.
ii. Droplets (overloading of separation internal causing re-entrainment).
Liquid/liquid separation efficiency
i. Overall.
ii. With respect to fine dispersed droplets.
iii. With respect to gas break out affecting liquid-liquid separation (degassing).
iv. With respect to the possible slugging which might cause a sharp decrease in efficiency.
Fouling tolerance
i. Sand.
ii. Fouling material (e.g., wax and scale).
Pressure drops.
Separator Orientation
The choice between using a horizontal or vertical separator is largely dependent on whether the volumetric flow
of gas or liquid(s) dominate in the separator inlet stream.
In general a horizontal separator is preferred when inlet liquid flow dominates (inlet flow regime is stratified, wavy,
slug, bubble or churn) and a vertical separator is preferred when the gas flow dominates (inlet flow regime is
annular, annular-mist or mist). The following Table 4.1 gives further guidance on criteria which determine
separator orientation.

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Table 4.1 Separator Orientation Selection Criteria
Horizontal Vertical Separator
Separator
Gas volume fraction <0.9 (1) >0.95
High efficiency liquid removal from gas (6) preferred (2)
Foaming preferred (6)
Emulsion good poor
Large liquid hold-up volume / residence time good (3)(4)
Plot space requirement (5) High Low
Notes.
1. When good degassing is required and there is a high GOR, since there is a larger gas
to liquid interface area.
2. Liquid removal efficiency does not vary with liquid level. Also, there is more height
available for drainage level so that more efficient demisting internals can be used than
in horizontal separators.
3. Greater level control is possible with a vertical vessel for a given surge volume due to
the larger range between the shutdown level and the normal operating level.
4. Typically the volume available for liquid-liquid separation is less in a vertical vessel
and hence the selection only allows a limited residence time.
5. The intended service of a drum should dictate its orientation and type which is the
situation in most cases. However, in those instances where either a horizontal or a
vertical drum could be used, a check of the relative economics should be made. In
this regard, the project piping and layout group should be consulted for the effect on
plot arrangement.
6. Selection is not the preferred orientation for this service.
Requirement for Boot

For separators with low or intermittent heavy-phase flow rates (dispersed phase concentration less than 5%), a
boot should be considered. The required holdup and settling rate criteria set the boot size. Refer section 5.3.3
Gas-Liquid Separator Selection

Depending on the duty that the separator is specified to achieve, different types of separator demisting internals
may be required. Examples are wire mesh, vane pack, cyclones, filters, proprietary designs or a combination of
these which are discussed further in section 7.3.
Using Table 4.2 in conjunction with the additional details of each type of separator in sections 4.3.5.1 to 4.3.5.5
a choice is made for the appropriate gas-liquid separator to meet the required performance:

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Table 4.2 Performance Comparison of Various Gas-Liquid Separator Types
Separator Selection Vert. Horiz. Vert. Horiz. Vert. Horiz. Cyclone Filter
Criteria (1) KO KO Wire Wire Vane Vane Tang. Separat
Drum Drum Mesh Mesh Pack Pack Inlet (10) or
Gas Handling
Max. capacity (K- low low mod. mod. high high very high low
factor) (2)
Turndown (max / min very high very high 4/1 4/1 3/1 3/1 2/1 very high
flow)
Typical Liquid Removal Efficiency
Overall, % (3) 90 - 95 90 - 95 > 98 > 98 > 96 > 96 > 96 50 – 80
With respect to fine very low very low very high very high mod. mod. mod. very high
mist
Size Range large large down to down to ≈25-40 ≈25-40 down to sub-
droplets droplets 2 – 10 2 – 10 micron micron ≈10 micron
micron micron micron droplet
sizes
Flooding above N N Y Y Y / N (4) Y / N (4) N Y
maximum K-factor
(Y / N)
Liquid Handling Capacity
As slugs high very high high very high very low very high high not
suitable
As droplets high high high high low mod. high low
(liquid max. vol.
flowrate)
Fouling Tolerance
Sand / solids very high very high low low low to low to mod. to very low
mod. (4) mod. (4) high
Liquid Viscosity (5) (5) (6) (6) (7), (9) (7), (9) (8) (9)
Pressure Drop
Pressure Drop very low very low low low low low mod. mod. to
high
(depends
on
loading)
Notes
1. For details of the Separator Selection Criteria see section above.
2. Maximum allowable K-factor gives a measure of the gas handling capacity of the selected
separator, part of the separator or demisting internal.
3. For the definition of overall liquid removal efficiency see section 4.3.3. These are typical
efficiencies only as the efficiency is very dependent on the liquid droplet size distribution and
liquid load at the inlet to gas-liquid separation internals.

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4. Dependent on the type of vane pack installed in the separator.
5. Suitable for high liquid viscosity.
6. Prone to fouling with dirty and waxy fluids.
7. Vane packs with simple vanes – suitable for moderately fouling/sticky services or waxes. Vane
packs with drainage channels - prone to fouling with fouling/sticky services or waxes. Vendor
shall be consulted for the suitability of the type of vane pack for fouling tolerances.
8. Suitable for fouling/sticky services or waxes.
9. Unsuitable for fouling/sticky services.
10. Generally recommended for high pressure applications
Horizontal and Vertical Knock-out Drums

This type of separator is chosen for the bulk separation of gas and liquid. When only bulk separation of the inlet
liquid from the gas is required and most of the liquid droplets (usually larger than 150 micron) settle by gravity,
then no other demisting internals are required. However, a vessel of sufficiently large diameter is required to limit
the gas velocity.
The main knock-out drum features are given in Table 4.2 where the higher range of liquid removal efficiency
(~95%) would be achieved by using various inlet devices.
A knock-out drum should also be used:
For separators where for process reasons internals must be minimized.
Fouling service where it is predicted (sand, wax or asphaltenes may be present).
When unlimited turndown is desired.
In foaming service.
Where the process liquid is predicted to be very viscous (horizontal vessel should be specified);
A knock-out drum should not be used for services where a high level of demisting is specified in the design to
protect downstream equipment.
Typical uses:
Flare and vent knock out drums.
Slug catchers (horizontal).
Production separators.
Flash vessel.
Horizontal and Vertical Vessels with Wire mesh Demister

The liquid removal efficiency for vessels with wire mesh demister is better than for knock-out drums and vane
pack equipped vessels. Their main features are given in Table 4.2.
Vessels with wire mesh demister may also be used in foaming service.

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Typical uses:
Production or test separators in a non-fouling service.
Compressor suction scrubbers (vertical).
Inlet/outlet scrubbers for glycol contactors.
Inlet scrubbers for gas export pipelines.
Horizontal and Vertical Vessels with Vane Pack

The liquid removal efficiency for vessels with vane packs is less than for those with wire mesh demisters. For
vane pack internals there is a steep decline in efficiency at high operating pressures together with low turndown
which makes vane packs unsuitable for gas densities above 70 kg/m 3. Generally, vane packs are more sensitive
than wiremesh demisters to changes in system pressure and liquid and gas physical properties.
Vessels with a vane pack should be used:
Due to higher gas velocities allowable through a vane pack compared to a wire mesh, the vane pack can
have a smaller cross-sectional area for the same gas capacity allowing the vessel diameter to be reduced.
Where wire mesh is not considered robust enough (as vane pack internals are of a more robust design
than for a wire mesh) and there is a possibility of damage to downstream equipment such as compressors.
Cyclone with Tangential Inlet

A cyclone with tangential inlet can be used for a high inlet gas volume fraction >0.9.
A cyclone should not be used where the system pressure drop is limited.
Typically, cyclone vessels are used as separators in high pressure gas plants and where high turndown ratio is
required.
Filter Separator
Filter separators may be used as a secondary gas-liquid separator downstream of a primary separator when
maximum liquid removal is required.
The main features of a filter separator are given in Table 4.2.
Typical uses:
Final demisting of gas where required.
Additional protection for sensitive equipment and processes.
Filter separators should not be used in fouling service.

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Liquid-Liquid Separators
Liquid-liquid phase separation by gravity is generally more efficient in a horizontal separator as it is possible to
provide longer residence times for liquid phase separation and therefore horizontal separator designs are
recommended.
Using Table 4.3, in conjunction with the additional details of each type of separator in sections 4.3.6.1 to 4.3.6.2,
a selection should be made of the type of horizontal separator for the duty.
Table 4.3 General Screening of Two-Phase Liquid-Liquid Separator Types

Horizontal Horizontal Coalescer with
Separator Separator with cartridges
plate pack
Water Cut > 0.05 good good (1)
Bulk Separation good (1) (1)
Improved Separation (1) good (1)
Fine Droplets poor poor good
Fouling Service good poor poor
High Temperature acceptable acceptable poor
Notes
1. The separator selection is not the preferred type for this service.
Horizontal Liquid-liquid Separator (2-phase)

A horizontal separator is recommended for bulk separation of degassed liquid mixtures where there are primary
dispersions (larger droplets >30 microns and low dispersed phase concentration) and the liquids have good
separation characteristics.
The settling compartment shall be sized based on the sizing criteria given in section 5.3.
Horizontal Liquid-liquid Separator (2-phase) with Plate Pack

A horizontal separator with a plate pack internals is recommended where there is a need for more efficient
separation of the primary dispersion (larger droplets >30microns) than for bulk separation.
Horizontal separators with plate pack should be used:
For only moderate fouling service.
For degassing of liquids to remove gas bubbles
Gas-Liquid-Liquid Separators
Separator orientation should be selected in accordance with Table 4.1.
The following Table 4.4 in conjunction with the additional details of each type of separator in sections 0 to 4.3.7.4,
should be used to define the type of separator for the duty.

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Table 4.4 Three-Phase Gas-Liquid-Liquid Separator Types
Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal Vertical Vertical
Separator Separator Separator separator separator
with boot with with plate with plate
weir pack and pack
weir
Slugging good good (1) (1) (1)
Liquid Quality (2) good good good poor poor
Fouling Service good good (1) good (1)
Notes
1. The separator selection is not the preferred type for this service.
2. Refers to the liquid quality of the feed with respect to droplet dispersion and solids in the feed.
Horizontal Separator (3-phase)

Types of horizontal 3-phase separator:
With boot
With weir arrangement.
With reference to Table 4.4; horizontal 3-phase separators should be used:
Where the liquid-liquid separation is the controlling factor and only bulk liquid-liquid separation, or a
relatively small gas flow is present.
With a boot where the volume fraction of the heavy phase in the feed stream is less than 5% and the de-
oiling of the heavy phase is not of major importance.
With a weir arrangement for larger volume fractions of the heavy phase and where de-oiling of the heavy
phase e.g. water is required.
A horizontal 3-phase separators should not be used if a high efficiency of liquid-liquid separation is specified.
Typical uses for a 3-phase separator are for crude and water separation (in upstream applications).
Horizontal Separator (3-phase) with Plate Pack

With reference to Table 4.4; horizontal 3-phase separators with plate pack should be used:
For efficient separation of the primary liquid-liquid dispersions and a relatively small gas flow.
For some degree of fouling service by adjusting the plate spacing and angle and design of the plates
(corrugated vs flat plates) as required.
Horizontal 3-phase with plate pack separators should not be used:
For the separation of secondary type dispersion.
In heavy fouling service;

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Typical uses for a 3-phase separator with plate packs is for low pressure separators in refineries or upstream
production separators.
Vertical Separator (3-phase)

Type of vertical 3-phase separators:
Without weir;
With weir arrangement.
With reference to Table 4.4 vertical 3-phase separator can be used:
For bulk separation of a primary liquid-liquid dispersion where the gas load is high.
For efficient gas-liquid separation provided suitable internals are installed.
If the inlet liquid is a mixture of hydrocarbons and water, separate outlets are installed for the two phases
to avoid problems with liquid level control.
With a weir arrangement in situations where the liquid-liquid interface is not easy to control or defined
and de-oiling of the heavy phase is required.
Vertical 3-phase separators should not be used if the liquid-liquid separation is difficult (dispersed droplets are
too small, or the continuous phase viscosity is high).
Typical uses:
As Primary separators for gas from condensate/water.
Gas-liquid separators with a water wash.
Vertical Separator (3-phase) with Plate Pack

With reference to Table 4.4 vertical 3-phase separator can be used:
For efficient liquid-liquid separation of a primary dispersions (light hydrocarbons and water) where the
gas load is reasonably high.
For efficient gas-liquid separation provided suitable internals are installed.
If liquid-liquid separation is easily achieved such as for a low continuous phase viscosity and low
dispersed phase concentration.
A vertical 3-phase separator should not be used for bulk separation.
Typical uses include gas and condensate/water separators in gas plants.
SEPARATION FUNDAMENTALS AND DESIGN RULES
General
Separation through gravity settling occurs when dispersed droplets settle out of a continuous phase when the
gravitational force acting on the droplet is greater than the drag and buoyancy force of the continuous phase
passing around the droplet. The rate at which the droplet falls is known as the terminal velocity of the droplet and
is calculated from a balance of these forces. The terminal velocity is a function of the droplet size, relative
densities of the fluid phases and the drag coefficient of the particle. The drag coefficient is itself a function of the
shape of the particle and the Reynolds number.

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Figure 5.1 Force Balance on a Droplet in Vertical Flow
Drag force
on droplet
Liquid Terminal
droplet velocity
Dp
Direction of Gravitational
flow force
Gravity settling is described by two theoretical approaches. At low droplet Reynolds numbers Re<2 Stoke’s law
describes the relationship. Stoke’s Law is valid for small droplets and relatively viscous fluids. For larger droplets
(>1000 micron) gravity settling is described by Newton’s law.
The following sections describe the simplified methods based on the above that shall be used to calculate an
initial separator size. Where complex flow regimes are observed the separator vendor should be consulted for a
more detailed analysis.
The following guidelines shall be observed when selected horizontal and vertical vessel sizes:
Where the vessel is below 800mm, standard pipe sizes should be used.
Vessel diameter should be rounded to the nearest 50mm for diameters from 800mm to 2000mm.
The vessel diameter should be rounded to the nearest 100mm for diameters greater than 2000mm.
Gas-Liquid Separation
General Principles
The gas handling criteria for a separator is based on the above principles of separation. The liquid droplet will
settle out of the gas phase when the terminal velocity of the droplet is greater than the vertical gas velocity.
For the purposes of vessel sizing, the terminal velocity of the droplet can be calculated using a simplified form of
Newton’s Law known as the Souders Brown equation (Equation 5.1). The K-factor given in this equation is a
value used to optimize the amount of entrainment based on as assumed droplet size and in order to achieve the
required degree of separation for different separator geometry and internals.

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The terminal velocity is based on the Souders Brown equation given below:
𝜌𝑙𝑖𝑞 − 𝜌𝑣
𝑉𝑡 = 𝐾𝑠 √( ) Equation 5.1
𝜌𝑣
Ks K-factor to specify internals m/s

ρv Vapour phase density kg/m3
ρliq (Light) liquid phase density kg/m3
Vt Terminal velocity m/s
The value of Ks is set based on the vessel geometry and the type of internals used in the vessel and is defined in
Table 5.1.
The terminal velocity calculated using Equation 5.1 is used to determine the internal flow area (Equation 5.2) at
the required volumetric gas flowrate. In the case of a vertical vessel this area will be equivalent to the cross-
sectional area of the vessel. For a horizontal vessel the area considered will be equivalent to the cross-sectional
area of the vessel that is available for gas flow. The gas cap area shall be taken as the area above the LZA(HH)
liquid level. Sample calculations for vertical gas-liquid and horizontal gas-liquid-liquid separators are provided in
Appendix A2 and the method to calculate a chord area for horizontal vessels is given in Appendix A1
𝑄𝑣
𝐴𝑖 = Equation 5.2
3600. 𝑉𝑡
Ai Cross sectional area of gas phase internals / m2

gas cap
Qv Vapour phase volumetric flow m3/h
Vt Terminal velocity m/s
For vertical vessels; once the area of the vessel is calculated, the height of the vertical vessel is determined based
on the liquid levels required in line with the requirements of section 5.4.4.
For horizontal vessels the diameter is calculated based on the liquid levels required for separation and control
time between level settings in line with section 5.4and allowing for sufficient area for the gas phase separation as
shown in section 5.4.
Gas Handling Criteria

The following criteria are presented as a guide to the design and preliminary sizing of two or three-phase
separators. Sizing should be based on the maximum expected instantaneous rate, including any additional design
margins specified in AGES-GL-08-001. This includes the presence or absence of demisting internals as well as
the degassing and defoaming criteria.

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All the basic separators (vertical, horizontal) may be used for two or three-phase separation. Regardless of type,
all vessels must meet the following requirements:
Liquids must be separated from gas in a primary separating section.
Gas velocity must be lowered to allow liquids to drop out.
Gas must be scrubbed through an efficient mist extractor unless only coarse liquid removal is required.
Liquids must be diverted to a turbulence-free section of the vessel.
The vessel diameter is selected to achieve the required gas cross-sectional area described in section 5.2 based
on the orientation:
For a vertical vessel the whole vessel cross-sectional area should be used.
For a horizontal vessel the area equivalent to the space above LZA(HH). See Appendix A1 for calculation
of partially filled cylinder cross-sectional areas.
The following table represents the maximum K-factors to be used when calculating the terminal velocity when no
other data is available for preliminary sizing of vessels:
Table 5.1 K-Factors for Gas Phase Internals

Ks (m/s) (3,4,5,6)
Horizontal Vertical
No internals 0.06 – 0.10 (2) 0.07
Wire mesh demister (7) 0.12 0.10
Vane pack (1,7) 0.15 0.15
Notes
1. For high capacity vane packs and multi-cyclones, a preliminary design shall be based
on a maximum of 0.15 m/s K-factor. Internals MANUFACTURER shall be contacted
for further optimization of the vessel size.
2. For bulk separation use the higher K-factor.
3. For compressor suction scrubbers and expander inlet separators the K-factor should
be multiplied by 0.8.
4. For systems that are known to foam such as amines and glycols the K-factor should
be multiplied by 0.8.
5. K-factors for internals vary across different MANUFACTURER and different
proprietary designs. The K-factors given should be used for preliminary sizing and the
vessel sizing confirmed with the vessel MANUFACTURER once vendor information is
available.
6. K-factors are constants which are specific to particular equipment and are a function
of process parameters such liquid loading, gas/liquid viscosity, gas pressure and
surface tension. For fluids with low surface tension at high pressure, low temperatures,
light hydrocarbons (up to C6 components) or in other circumstances where small

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droplets are expected, either the target droplet size, or the design K-factor, depending
on the approach used, should be further reduced in consultation with vessel vendor.
7. For filter separators Ks shall be considered as 0.1 m/s
8. For vessels with cyclonic gas outlet internals, maximum gas load factor shall be
considered as 0.2 m/s
Performance of mesh pads and vane packs is known to be affected by the operating pressure of the vessel. The
following Table 5.2 gives the derating factors to be used at different operating pressures for these internals.
Table 5.2 De-rating Factors for Pressure

Pressure (barg) %age of design Ks
Atmospheric 100
10 90
20 85
40 80
≥80 (1) 75
Notes
1. Vendor should be consulted for K-factor derating values for operating pressures above 80 barg.
Liquid-Liquid Separation
The characteristics used to calculate the vessel separation volume dimensions for liquid-liquid separation are
droplet settling velocity and residence time. The rate of settling is a function of the continuous phase viscosity,
density difference and the dispersed phase droplet diameter. Sufficient residence time must be provided to allow
the dispersed phase to settle (or rise) out of the continuous phase.
The three liquid sections in the settling compartment of the vessel are:
The upper zone which contains the light fluid phase above the normal interface level NLi.
The intermediate zone which accommodates the dispersion band between LA(H)i and LA(L)i applicable
when the dispersed phase is more than 5%vol in the liquid feed.
The lower zone which contains the heavy fluid phase below the normal interface level NLi.
The principle of gravity settling using Stoke’s law is based on free fall of liquid droplets through a stagnant
continuous phase and laminar flow conditions. Where the flow regime within the vessel is turbulent additional
safety factors should be added to correct for the calculated settling velocity to allow for adequate separation.
For the purposes of vessel sizing, the vertical settling velocity of the droplet can be calculated using a simplified
form of the ideal Stokes Law. This simplification is based on low Reynolds number <2 corresponding to small
droplets in a relatively high viscosity fluid in laminar flow.

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1000. 𝑔. 𝐷𝑝 2 (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 )
𝑉𝑠 = Equation 5.3
18𝜇𝑐
Dp Droplet diameter m
g Acceleration due to gravity 9.8 m/s2 m/s2
µC Continuous phase viscosity cP
ρh Heavy phase density kg/m3
ρl Light phase density kg/m3
Vs Settling velocity m/s
Typically where oil (light phase) as a dispersed phase is settling upwards through water (heavy phase) as the
continuous phase then the water viscosity is used as the continuous phase viscosity and for water settling in oil
then the oil viscosity is used as the continuous phase viscosity. However, if no further information is available
about the fluid characteristics the following equation can be used to determine which phase is considered the
continuous phase:
𝑄𝑙 𝜌𝑙 𝜇ℎ 0.3 Equation 5.4

𝛿= [ ]
𝑄ℎ 𝜌ℎ 𝜇𝑙
δ Continuous phase factor -

µh Heavy phase viscosity cP
µl Light phase viscosity cP
Qh Heavy phase volumetric flow m3/h
Ql Light phase volumetric flow m3/h
ρh Heavy phase density kg/m3
ρl Light phase density kg/m3
For δ <0.5 consider the heavy phase continuous

For δ>2.0 consider the light phase as continuous
Notwithstanding the above, the settling velocity should be calculated for each phase separately.
The trajectories of each dispersed phase droplet into the other continuous phase are shown in Figure 5.2

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Figure 5.2 Droplet Trajectories
Water droplet
Liquid droplet Gas flow
NL
H9 hl
NiL
h
H10 hh
L
Oil droplet
Vaxial
Sizing a two or three-phase separator to meet specified liquid quality requirements should also ensure:
Liquids are retained in the vessel long enough to allow separation.
The liquid-liquid interface is maintained.
The separated phases are removed from the vessel at their respective outlets and qualities.
The following guidelines are proposed for Liquid-Liquid separation methodologies in different operating scenarios:
Method-1 where both the axial velocity and droplet diameter through the vessel are checked, is typically
followed in upstream production facilities where bulk separation requirements prevail in conjunction with
challenging characteristics of liquid phases such as emulsion, asphaltene and wax etc. For example: inlet
production three phase separators.
Method-2- is based on checking the residence time only. This approach may be used for systems where
the fluid flow rates and properties are better defined than those for upstream separators described above,
such as in downstream applications and for certain specific upstream applications such as compressor
suction drums or dehydration units.
In brief, the calculation methodology is described below:
Method 1: The vessel dimensions are initially estimated using the following sequence:
i. Determine the required gas cap area in line with section 5.2.
ii. Size the settling and outlet compartments based on the axial velocity criteria and adjusting for
level setting for each of the light and heavy phases.
iii. Estimate the corrected laminar settling velocity and the corresponding droplet diameter.
iv. The dimensions are adjusted such that a maximum axial velocity of 0.015 m/s is maintained and
a dispersed phase droplet diameter of 150 microns is recommended to be achieved.
v. The level settings shall be checked in accordance with the control hold-up time requirements
given in section 5.4.
Method 2: The vessel dimensions are estimated using the following sequence:
i. Size the settling and outlet compartments based on the residence time, hold-up and surge time
requirements in sections 5.2.1.1, 5.2.1.2, 5.2.1.3) and determining the level settings for each of
the light and heavy phases.

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ii. Calculate the laminar settling velocity corresponding to a specific target droplet size and checking
that the size selected is adequate at maximum settling rate.
iii. Check the gas cap area above LAHH to meet the minimum gas cap area required for separation
as per section 5.2.1.
iv. The level settings shall be checked in accordance with the control hold-up time requirements
given in section 5.4.
Further detail of the two methods is given in the below sections:
Method 1: Axial velocity method

The required gas cap area is calculated based on the equations in section 5.2.1.
An initial diameter is estimated and a total length set based on L/D of between 3 and 6 and allowing for
the inlet (0.45D) and outlet (0.25D) compartments in accordance with section 5.4.3 the following:
i. The normal level NL for the light phase and NLi for the heavy phase are initially assumed. The
area for each phase is adjusted to meet the axial velocity criteria of 0.015m/s. For the heavy
phase the area is between NLi and BTL and the light phase is the area between NL and NLi
considering the settling compartment length.
ii. The calculated area for each of the light and heavy phases shall take into account the presence
of the dispersion band as explained in section 5.4. If a dispersion band is present, the area of the
heavy phase shall be between (NLi-0.5 Hdb) to BTL while for light phase the area shall be between
NL and (NLi+0.5 Hdb).
iii. Control time (Table 5.6) is set between LA(L) and LA(H) with NL assumed to be at 50% between
the two.
iv. The control hold-up times between the various settings shall follow the minimum requirements of
section 5.4.
v. The vessel calculated volume to LZA(HH) is approximately 75% of the vessel volume. The
LZA(HH) shall be less than 80% of the total vessel diameter.
𝑄ℎ 𝑄𝑙
𝑉ℎ𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = 𝑉𝑙𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = Equation 5.5
𝐴ℎ 𝐴𝑙
Ah Heavy phase cross sectional area m2

Al Light phase cross sectional area m2
Qh Heavy phase volumetric flow m3/h
Ql Light phase volumetric flow m3/h
Vhaxial Heavy phase axial velocity m/s
Vlaxial Light phase axial velocity m/s

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The laminar settling velocity Vd is calculated using Equation 5.6 where d is the dispersed phase and c
the continuous phase:
ℎ𝑐 𝑉𝑐𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙
𝑉𝑑 = Equation 5.6
𝐿
Vd Dispersed phase settling velocity m/s

Vcaxial Axial velocity of continuous phase m/s
hc Distance travelled by the droplet in the continuous m
phase
L Effective length of the settling compartment m
The distance travelled by the droplet is for example the heavy dispersed phase droplet travelling from NL
to NLi (hc) through the light continuous phase.Table 5.5 Typical Residence Separation Times
Using the above laminar settling velocity (usually a turbulence correction is applied of typically 5% of the
axial velocity of the continuous phase); calculate the droplet size that will be separated using Stoke’s law
Equation 5.3. It is recommended that the droplet size limit of 150 microns is met. Consideration should
be given to increasing the diameter of the vessel on a case by case basis.
The vessel dimensions are iteratively adjusted where necessary to ensure that the axial velocity limit of
0.015m/s is not exceeded for each liquid phase and so that all control and mechanical requirements are
met in accordance with section 5.4.
The allowable vapour velocity for the gas phase should also be checked in accordance with section 5.2
to ensure that the minimum calculated gas cap area is available.
Where relevant the volume downstream of the weir will be calculated and the dimensions adjusted as
required in order to finalise the overall tan to tan length of the vessel.
An example calculation is provided in Appendix A2.2
Method 2: Residence Time method

The settling velocity calculated using Equation 5.3 should initially be based on a droplet size of 150 microns. If
more information is available about the fluid characteristics, then a different droplet size may be used. The
following typical droplet sizes may be used to determine the settling velocity.
Table 5.3 Typical Droplet Sizes

Characteristic Droplet diameter (Microns)
Free liquids 200
Loose emulsion 150
Moderate emulsion 100
Tight emulsion 60

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It should be noted that as the droplet size reduces, the effects of Brownian motion become dominant and gravity
settling is no longer effective. Should the droplet size in the inlet stream be known to be less than 30 microns
then further measures should be taken to improve separation efficiency such as coalescence/electrostatic
separation as specified in section 4.3.7.
The calculated settling velocity should be within the ranges specified below. The values given are sufficiently
conservative to allow for turbulence in the inlet flow. Should the settling velocity be greater than the maximum
allowable settling velocity then the below maximum value should be used to confirm the vessel dimensions.
Table 5.4 Settling Velocity Limits
≥ m/min ≤ m/min
Oil from Water 0.015 0.14

Water from Oil 0.05 0.25
The following methodology should be used to determine the vessel size.

The volume required for the selected residence time (refer Table 5.5) is calculated based on the total
inflow to the separator (light plus heavy phase volume flow)’.
The volume above the normal liquid level is calculate using the selected hold-up control time with the
assumption that NL is set at 50% of the hold-up range.
The volume from LA(H) to LZA(HH) is calculate based on the required control time from section 5.4.1.
The total volume from the above is used to calculate a preliminary vessel volume based on 75% of vessel
volume.
The vessel length is assumed to be made up of the settling compartment length, the inlet compartment
at 0.45D and the outlet compartment downstream of the weir (0.25D) or the light phase outlet nozzle.
An initial L/D ratio of 3 is used to determine an initial vessel diameter and length that meets the volume
requirements.
The settling rate is calculated for each liquid phase at the selected droplet diameter and using Equation
5.3. When the calculated settling rates is outside the range given in Table 5.4 then the value used should
be limited to either the maximum or minimum value whichever is closer.
The liquid height for each liquid phase is calculated based on the initial diameter using the chord
equations in Appendix A1 and the settling time calculated at the settling height based on the above
settling rate to ensure it is less than the available time set by the residence time.
The vessel dimensions are then iteratively adjusted such that the residence times for each liquid phase
within the vessel separation volume are met and the maximum settling velocity is not exceeded for each
liquid phase.
The heights of the level settings are calculated to meet the hold-up and control requirements of section
5.4.1.
The volume downstream of the weir will be calculated and the dimensions adjusted as required in order
to finalise the level settings and if required the overall tan to tan length of the vessel.

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The allowable vapour velocity for the gas phase should also be checked in accordance with section 5.2
to ensure that the minimum calculated gas cap area is available above LAHH.
An example calculation is provided in Appendix A2.3
Residence Times
The residence time is related to the volume of the vessel from normal level to the bottom of the vessel or liquid
outlet, the amount of liquid to be handled, and the relative specific gravities of the liquids. The effective retention
volume in a vessel is that portion of the vessel in which the liquids remain in contact with one another (settling
compartment). As far as liquid-liquid separation is concerned, once the liquid phase leaves the primary liquid
section where separation takes place (from calming baffle to end of settling compartment at the weir, or outlet
nozzle), although it may remain in the vessel in a separate outlet compartment, it cannot be considered as a part
of the retention volume. The following considerations should be addressed in specifying the residence time:
Light phase settling time to allow adequate heavy phase removal.
Heavy phase settling time to allow adequate removal of light phase.
Table 5.5 lists typical residence times for separation. These separation residence times assume equal residence
times for light in heavy phase and heavy in light phase.
Where details are known of the fluids to be separated, including density, viscosity, droplet or bubble size and
distribution then a more rigorous assessment should be made of the residence times to ensure separation to the
required outlet fluid specification is achieved.
Table 5.5 Typical Residence Separation Times

Min. residence time
Service
NL to 'empty' (Note 1)
HC/Water Separators
< 0.85 relative density HC 3 to 5
≥ 0.85 relative density HC ≥ 38°C 5 to 10
16ºC to 37°C 10 to 20
≤15°C 20 to 30
Cold Ethylene Glycol/HC Separators 15-30 minutes, depending on intervals
5-10 minutes, depending on presence and quantity of liquid
Amine Flash Drums/HC Separators
hydrocarbons
Glycol Flash Drums/ HC Separators 10-20 minutes depending on presence of hydrocarbons
Caustic/Propane 30 to 45
Caustic/ Heavy Gasoline 30 to 90
Notes
1. Liquid residence times correspond to the normally controlled phase volume from NL to 'empty',
i.e. for light phase between NLi and bottom of vessel or lowest point of the phase exit from the
separator and for heavy phase between NL and NLi.

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Hold-up Criteria
Hold-up or control times are separate requirements for automation and stable operation of the system. Specific
hold-up times are summarised in Table 5.6. Deviation from the hold-up control times given in this table may be
considered on a case by case basis depending on the application. Configurations and level settings for the
different orientations of separators are further included in section 5.4 and these shall be checked and verified as
part of the separator sizing.
Separate instrumentation for level control and shutdown functions shall be provided. All instrumented level
functions shall have a range that extends beyond the levels that they cover. Refer to Instrumentation Design
Philosophy AGES-PH-04-001 for further requirements.
The levels covered by a level control range LA(H) to LA(L) instrument should typically be within 20% and
80% of the level control instrument range.
The levels covered by shutdown range LZA(HH) to LZA(LL) instrument shall be within 10% and 90% of
the LZA range.
Table 5.6 shows a range of recommended hold-up or control times for automation and stable operation of the
systems. Hold-up is typically based on the outflow from the drum for either the light or heavy phase and surge is
based on the inflow to the drum. The total control time is intended to allow stable control for the individual phases
and is based on the individual phase volume flow and the length of the vessel in which the phase is contained,
e.g. a separator with a weir would consider the inlet and settling compartment length for the control volume.
Table 5.6 Typical Hold-up Control Times

Minimum hold- Minimum
Total time between
Service of Vessel up Surge
LA(L) and LA(H)
NL to LA(L) NL to LA(H)
Boot draw-off 5 5 10
Column feed drum 4 4 8
Furnace feed drum 10 2 12
High head multistage pump feed drum 10 3 13
Reboiler feed drum 2 2 4
Knock-out drums feed (Note 3, 7) 4 4 8 (6)
Product to storage 1 2 2 minutes if direct
cooling
Product to storage 2 3 5 minutes if heat
exchange with other
process streams
Product to process under level control 5
Product to process under flow control 15
Refrigerant flash drum 2 1 3
Reflux drums to product 5 3 8
Reflux drums return to column 15
Horizontal steam drum - - 5

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Notes
1. Where the vessel outlet is routed to a pump hold-up times should be as per above
with an additional 1 minute added to the LZA(LL) trip point for pump protection.
2. Deaerator shall have a hold-up of at least 15 minutes between normal and low liquid
levels.
3. A suction drum ahead of a compressor or expander should have additional hold-up
above the standard LA(H) hold-up level. The suction drum shall use 5 minutes surge
volume of liquid from LA(H) to the LZA(HH) to trip the compressor.
4. The above table is not applicable for column hold-up times.
5. For licenced packages, licensor recommendations may be followed where applicable.
6. Hold-up times may be rationalized on a case by case basis.
7. For upstream production separators a minimum hold-up time of 3 minutes may be
used between LA(L) and LA(H) to avoid oversizing the vessel.
The above times are typical, and project specific requirements should be confirmed where appropriate.
Where a boot is included (refer section 4.3.4.1) three minutes hold-up should be considered initially between
LA(H)i to LA(L)i at the specified rate of drainage from the boot. However, if the hold-up time requirements mean
that the boot is too large for the drum then a different vessel design should be considered (liquid compartment
downstream of a weir). Typically, this would be if the calculated boot diameter is more than a third of the drum
diameter. Minimum initial boot dimensions shall be considered as 0.4m diameter and 1m boot length.
Degassing and Defoaming

For most applications, the separation vessel is sized so that there is enough residence time for the entrained gas
bubbles to be released from the liquid. This is most critical where vapour carry-under is undesirable i.e. to be
limited to less than 1 v/v% for contamination reasons, for example, for proper pump performance, or in
applications such as physical solvent treating systems where carry-under can affect the process specifications.
For most applications, if bubbles larger than 200 micron can escape, then carry-under will be negligible. This rise
rate will generally be more rapid than the liquid droplet rise rate governing the effective retention volume required
in a vessel.
The degassing and defoaming criteria prevail in highly viscous liquids and will therefore have an impact on the
required diameter of the vessel.
Where a check is considered necessary, the rise velocity should be calculated assuming a 200 micron bubble
using Stokes’ Law Settling as per section 5.3 and compared to each respective phase velocity across the available
liquid cross-sectional area:
Vertical, whole vessel cross-sectional area.
Horizontal, cross-sectional area for the respective liquid phase.
Foam is a mixture of gas dispersed in a liquid and having a density less than the liquid but greater than the gas.
Greater interface area and longer residence time are needed to remove the gas from the liquid, which are typically
provided by horizontal separators. For foaming to occur it is necessary for gas bubbles to be formed, and for the
drainage of the liquid ﬁlms surrounding the bubbles to be retarded. Drainage of the ﬁlms is slower in highly viscous

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liquids, at lower temperatures and for higher density inlet fluids, but the chief causes of foaming are surface
properties, which are usually unpredictable.
Defoaming separator designs often include a variety of proprietary internal configurations to improve capacity,
including inlet cyclone devices. These are beyond the scope of this document and project or operations specific
tests or advice should define requirements more accurately. If foaming of the process fluid is expected, then
additional separation height of 0.25m can be included in the vessel between LA(H) and LZ(HH) in absence of
specific requirements.
Separator Height Requirements

The overall dimensions of a separator vessel are dependent on a combination of factors including:
the gas-liquid separation criteria – section 5.2.
the liquid-liquid separation criteria – section 5.3.
hold-up time for control and protection of downstream equipment – section 5.3.3.
the time required for instrumentation to respond, operators to act – section 5.4.
mechanical requirements such as positions of nozzles relative to welds on the vessel.
The following definitions and requirements are used to define the criteria:
Liquid residence times refer to the normally controlled phase volume, from normal liquid level to the exit
of the volume, typically the bottom of vessel or lowest point of the phase exit from the separator; refer
section 5.3.2.1.
Hold-up time and surge time explained in section 5.3.
Minimum gas cap area shall be above maximum liquid level LZA(HH). This is usually only significant for
horizontal separators where the time to travel axially along the vessel must exceed the time for a nominal
droplet diameter to fall to the liquid otherwise liquid carry-over with the gas will occur.
Slug volume is to be accommodated between NL and LA(H) for transient slugs. Pigging operational slugs
can be considered to be accommodated between LA(L) and LA(H). In the absence of a known surge
volume, it can be approximated to 2 s – 5 s of maximum inlet (liquid + gas) feed rate and 100% total liquid
filled inlet pipe volume, for downstream refinery and upstream production facilities respectively. Refer to
AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance Philosophy.
A dispersion band allowance is required when the dispersed phase is >5% volume. Typically, a value of
0.3m additional height is allowed for the dispersion band. Consideration should be given to an increased
dispersion band allowance of greater than 0.3 m based on the emulsion characteristics of the production
fluid. For a low dispersed phase concentration, typically <5% volume at the inlet, no dispersion band is
considered as part of the design of the vessel. Where a dispersion band is applicable, the distance
between LA(L)i and LZA(LL)i / LA(H)i and LZA(HH)i shall be increased by half the dispersion band height
selected.
Separator height requirements for control, hold-up, alarm, and trip settings are shown in the below figures. The
weir or standpipe heights are a function of the levels required by the recommended residence times and control
hold-up times set in section 5.3.
The values for the LZ (trip) and LC (alarm/control) range are for guidance and may be modified depending on
inlet and outlet flowrates, the requirements for trips or alarms and the relative hold-up times.

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Typical Horizontal Separator arrangements
Figure 5.3 Horizontal Gas-Liquid Separator

L
minimum minimum
H1
Inlet Device Outlet Device H2
H3
LZA(HH) Trip
H4
LA(H) Alarm
D
Optional
Calming NL LZ range LC range
H5
Baffles
LA(L) Alarm
H6
LZA(LL) Trip
H7
Vessel Bottom
minimum
Table 5.7 Horizontal Gas-Liquid Separator Level Settings
H Section Distance Distance

H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet 150mm minimum or refer to supplier data Total H1-H3 dimensions
device to top of vessel must meet the required
horizontal gas area from
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet 100-150mm typical (to be confirmed by internal
section 5.2 otherwise
device supplier).
increase H3 to achieve the
H3 LZA(HH) to bottom of Minimum of 150 mm (250mm for vane type total (300mm minimum).
Mist Eliminator / outlet demister)
device / inlet device
H4 LA(H) to LZA(HH) (2) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then allow ≥
10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins from field.
H5 LA(L) to LA(H) For automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically 50% from each
plus allowance for slugs if applicable. Refer Table 5.6 for specific hold-up control
times. Also refer note 1 Table 5.5 for consideration of residence times when
applicable.
H6 LZA(LL) to LA(L) (2) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
critical safeguard then allow ≥ 10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins
from field.

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H7 Bottom of Vessel to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL) to bottom of vessel with a minimum
LZA(LL) of 0.3m. Allowance should be made for mechanical requirements such as vortex
breakers or raised outlet nozzles.
Notes
1. The control settings are applicable to both the light and heavy phases.
2. Where a dispersion band is applicable, the distance between LA(L) and LZA(LL) / LA(H) and
LZA(HH) shall be increased by half the dispersion band height selected.
3. Baffles may be used in a gas-liquid separator to prevent sloshing of incoming liquid slugs.
Figure 5.4 Horizontal Gas-Liquid-Liquid Separator with Overflow Weir

L
minimum minimum
H1
NL, normal spill-over level H3

NL
Optional Light Liquid
Calming Phase D
H8 Baffles Light Liquid Phase
H13 (Note 3) LZA(HH) trip
LA(H) H4
LZA(HH)i trip
H9 NL
LA(H)i NLi H5
NLi H10 LA(L)
LA(L)i LZA(LL) trip H6
H11 Heavy Liquid Phase
H14 LZA(LL)i trip
H12 H7
minimum
minimum
0.45D Ls et 0.25D
Table 5.8 Horizontal gas-liquid-liquid separator level settings

H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet 150mm minimum or refer to supplier data Total H1+H2+H3 dimensions
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet 100-150mm typical (to be confirmed by internal
section 5.2, otherwise
device supplier).

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H3 LZA(HH) to bottom of Minimum of 150 mm (250mm for vane type increase H3 to achieve the
Mist Eliminator / outlet demister) total (300mm minimum).
device and to inlet
device
H4 LA(H) to LZA(HH) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then allow
≥ 10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins from field.
H5 LA(L) to LA(H) For automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically 50% from
each. Refer Table 5.6 for specific hold-up control times.
H6 LZA(LL) to LA(L) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10m). If identified as a
from field.
H7 Bottom of vessel to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL) to bottom of vessel with a minimum
LZA(LL) of 0.3m.
H8 LZA(HH)i to spill-over Top of weir height is set by H13. Minimum of 200mm from LZA(HH)i
weir
H9 LA(H)i to LZA(HH)I 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
(1) allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then allow
H10 LA(L)i to LA(H)i For automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically 50% from
each plus allowance for slugs if applicable (2). Refer Table 5.6 for specific hold-
up control times.
H11 LZA(LL)i to LA(L)i (1) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
from field.
H12 Bottom of vessel to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL)i to bottom of vessel with a minimum
LZA(LL)i of 0.3m. Allowance should be made for mechanical requirements such as
vortex breakers or raised outlet nozzles.
H13 NL light phase to NLi Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section 5.3.2.1
of heavy phase as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid separation.
Increase H13 if required.
H14 NLi of heavy phase to Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section 5.3.2.1
empty or top of heavy as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid separation;
phase outlet nozzle increase H14 if required.
Notes
2. Slug volume is to be accommodated between NL and LA(H) for transient slugs. Pigging
operational slugs can be considered to be accommodated between LA(L) and LA(H).
3. Only one baffle is required when a plate pack is used in the settling compartment.

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Figure 5.5 Horizontal Gas-Liquid-Liquid Separator with Submerged Weir
L
minimum minimum
H1
LZA(HH) trip H3
LA(H) H4
NL NL
D H8
Light Liquid Phase Top of Weir
Optional H5
H9 H14 Calming
Baffles LZA(HH)i trip
H10 LA(H)i
NLi NLi LA(L)
H11 H6
LA(L)i LZA(LL) trip
H12 H15 LZA(LL)i trip
Heavy Liquid Phase H7
H13
minimum
minimum
0.45D Ls et 0.25D
Table 5.9 Horizontal Gas-liquid-liquid separator with Submerged Weir Level Settings

H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet 150mm minimum or refer to supplier data Total H1+H2+H3 dimensions
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet 100-150mm typical
device
H3 LZA(HH) to bottom of Minimum of 150 mm (250mm for vane type total (300mm minimum).
H5 LA(L) to LA(H) For automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically 50% from
H6 LZA(LL) to LA(L) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
from field.
LZA(LL) of 0.3m. Allowance should be made for mechanical requirements such as

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H8 Top of weir to Minimum of 200mm
LZA(HH)
H9 Top of Weir to Minimum of 200mm
LZA(HH)i
H10 LA(H)i to LZA(HH)i 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
(1) allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then allow
H12 LZA(LL)i to LA(Li) (1) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
from field.
LZA(LL)i of 0.3m. Allowance should be made for mechanical requirements such as
H14 NL light phase to NLi Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section 5.3.2.1
of heavy phase as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid separation.
Increase H14 if required.
H15 NLi of heavy phase to Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section 5.3.2.1
empty or top of heavy as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid separation;
phase outlet nozzle increase H15 if required.
Notes
3. Only one baffle is required when a plate pack is used in the settling compartment.
Further details on weir types and selection are described in section 7.2. Where the heavy phase proportion is not
expected to vary through the facility lifetime then fixed weir plates can be used. Adjustable weir plates or
standpipes are recommended when the heavy phase is expected to vary significantly over the facility life,
generally increasing with time.

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Figure 5.6 Horizontal Gas-Liquid-Liquid Separator with Boot
L
minimum minimum
H1
H3
LZA(HH) trip
H4
LA(H)
NL NL
H5
LA(L)
Light Liquid Phase H6
LZA(LL) trip
Optional
Calming
Baffles H7
H13
150mm high
stand-pipe
D H8
LZA(HH)i trip min min
0.45D H9
LA(H)i
NLi NLi
H10
LA(L)i Heavy
LZA(LL)i trip H11
Liquid
H12 Phase H14
Ls et
Table 5.10 Horizontal Gas-liquid-liquid Separator with Boot Level Settings

H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet 150mm minimum or refer to supplier data Total H1-H3 dimensions
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet 100-150mm typical
device
H3 LZA(HH) to bottom of Minimum of 150 mm (250mm for vane type total. (300mm minimum)
LA(H) to LZA(HH)i 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
H4 allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then
allow ≥ 10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins from field.
LA(L) to LA(H) For automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically 50% from
H5 each plus allowance for slugs if applicable (1). Refer Table 5.6 for specific
hold-up control times.
LZA(LL) to LA(L) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
H6 critical safeguard then allow ≥ 10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins
from field.

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H7 Bottom of vessel to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL) to bottom of vessel with a
LZA(LL) minimum of 0.3m. 150 mm high stand-pipe provided to prevent the heavy
phase liquid flowing along the bottom of the drum from being drawn off with
the light phase. Allowance should be made for mechanical requirements
such as vortex breakers.
H8 LZA(HH)i to main vessel 300 mm
bottom
H9 LA(H)i to LZA(HH)i 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m) plus foaming
allowance of 0.25m if applicable. If identified as a critical safeguard then
allow ≥ 10 mins for action from control room, ≥20 mins from field.
each plus allowance for slugs if applicable (1). Refer Table 5.6 for specific
hold-up control times.
H11 LZA(LL)i to LA(L)i 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
from field.
H12 Bottom of boot to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL)i to bottom of vessel with a
LZA(LL)i minimum of 0.3m
H13 NL light phase to NLi of Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section
heavy phase 5.3.2.1 as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid
separation. Increase H13 if required.
H14 NLi of heavy phase to Set to achieve residence time or axial velocity requirements of section
empty or top of heavy 5.3.2.1 as required by applicable calculation method for liquid-liquid
phase outlet nozzle separation; increase H14 if required.
Notes

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Boot Sizing
Boot sizing should follow the general liquid-liquid sizing criteria as per section 5.3, including permissible velocities
and subject to a minimum diameter of 0.4m and maximum of 30% of the main horizontal separator diameter. The
boot length should be a minimum of 1m. In the case of the boot the bulk phase velocity down through the boot
should also be checked to ensure it does not exceed the vertical settling velocity of the heavy phase which is
equal to the heavy phase axial velocity with an upper limit of 0.015m/s.
Overall Length Requirements – Horizontal Separator

The overall length of a horizontal separator is made up of the following:
Length of the settling compartment calculated based on the residence time and settling velocity
requirements. The length of the settling compartment is considered as from downstream of the calming
baffle(s) to the weir, or the light liquid outlet when a boot or light liquid standpipe is used.
Length of the inlet compartment from tangent line to the baffle (or to the second calming baffle if applicable)
shall be estimated as 0.45 D.
Length of the outlet light phase compartment calculated based on the volume required to accommodate
the hold-up time and shall be a minimum of 0.25D.
The volume contained in the vessel heads is not considered in the volume calculations for the various
liquid-liquid separation volumes.
Inlet and outlet nozzles should be accommodated at the minimum distance from the vessel tan (or weir)
to maximise residence time in the vessel and to meet mechanical requirements related to vessel
geometry and welds.
For vessels with a boot, the boot location shall be as far as possible from the inlet nozzle and with
sufficient space from the light outlet nozzle to minimize turbulence in the settling compartment.
Typical Vertical Separator arrangement

The overall height requirement for a vertical separator is primarily a function of the mechanical size of internals
and allowances to minimise carryover of liquids in gas or carry-under of gas/liquid in liquid. The physical distance
between internals and disengagement spaces are described in section 5.4.1 for horizontal vessels and the
following sketch describes those for a vertical two phase separator.

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Figure 5.7 – Typical Gas-Liquid Vertical Spacing Distances
Table 5.11 Vertical Gas-Liquid Separator Level Settings

H1 Mist Eliminator to Top 150 mm minimum in absence of supplier For an empty vessel:
Tangent data 0.9D or 900mm min for half open
pipe inlet device
0.6D or 600mm min for vane type
H2 Mist Eliminator 100-150 mm typical
inlet device
H3 Feed nozzle Top to 300–900 mm for vane type inlet device, 0.15D or 150mm min for a vessel
Mist Eliminator Bottom 0.5D for all other inlet devices with no gas flow
H4 Nozzle Diameter Larger of piping size or velocity head criteria per section 7.1 plus 20 mm for
vane type inlet devices.
H5 LZA(HH) to Feed 300–600 mm for vane type inlet device 0.25 D for all other inlet devices, with
Nozzle Bottom 600 mm minimum

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Reference should be made to table 5.4 note 4 for compressor or expander
suction drum hold-up requirements which are increased to 5 minutes.
H7 LA(L) to LA(H) Hold-up volume for automation and control (minimum of 0.35m) with NL typically
50% from each plus allowance for slugs if applicable. Refer Table 5.4 for specific
hold-up control times. Also refer note 1 Table 5.5 for consideration of residence
times where applicable for liquid-liquid separation.
H8 LZA(LL) to LA(L) 60 secs min for operator intervention (minimum of 0.10 m). If identified as a
from field.
H9 Bottom Tangent to 30 seconds allowance for trip from LZA(LL) to bottom tangent of vessel with a
LZA(LL) minimum of 0.3m.
DESIGN RULES FOR NOZZLES
Process Nozzles
All vessel nozzles should be designed in accordance with the minimum size (2”) and specifications given in
‘Pressure Vessel Specification’, AGES-SP-06-002.
Inlet Nozzles
The size of the inlet nozzle and the type of inlet nozzle device have an impact on the vapour/liquid separation.
The inlet nozzle is sized to limit the momentum of the feed and is based on a velocity head (ρv2) criterion. This
criterion is dependent on the selected inlet device. (See Table 6.1)
The piping configuration and flow regime upstream of the inlet nozzle can also have an effect on the separation
efficiency. Valves or reducers in the upstream piping can cause droplet shatter causing smaller droplets which
are more difficult to separate. The following arrangements should be followed to facilitate efficient separation.
Piping should be arranged wherever possible such that there are no bends, changes in pipe diameter,
flow elements or other components which would alter the flow regime within 10 pipe diameters of the inlet
nozzle. Where it is not possible to achieve this:
i. for inlet devices with non-swirling flow, bends should be in the vertical plane through the axis of the
nozzle,
ii. for inlet devices in swirling flow e.g. cyclonic devices, bends should be in the horizontal plane with
the curvature in the same direction as the swirl of the inlet
iii. any valve should be full-bore and maintained in the fully open position.
iv. The straight length criteria may be reduced for vessels with no liquid in the feed stream to no less
than 3 pipe diameters.

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Piping upstream of the nozzle should avoid pockets where liquid can accumulate. No Pocket design
requirements shall [PSR] be clearly indicated in engineering documents.
Multi-phase distribution through symmetrical piping is not permitted.
For horizontal vessels, the inlet nozzle shall preferentially be located on the top of the vessel. Where layout does
not permit this arrangement, the nozzle may be located in the head.
Inlet Devices
Inlet devices are designed to reduce the momentum of the inlet stream, separate bulk liquid and promote good
vapour distribution. The following criteria shall be used when selecting inlet device.
Table 6.1 Inlet Device Selection Criteria

Inlet Device Open pipe Diverter plate Half pipe Vane type Cyclonic
ρv2 kg/ms2 1500 1500 3000 8000 20000
Bulk Separation Good Poor Average Good Good
High liquid in gas capability Poor Average/Poor Average Good Good
Prevent Liquid Shatter Good Poor Average Good Good
Pressure Drop Low Low Low Low High
Prevent Foam Creation Poor Poor Poor Average Good
Gas volume fraction <0.15 <0.15 0.15<GVF<0.7 0.15<GVF 0.15<GVF<0.92
Economics $ $ $$ $$$ $$$$
Vapour Outlet
The vapour outlet nozzle should be fitted at the high point of the vessel, centre of head for a vertical vessel or top
tan line for a horizontal vessel. Where the recommended orientation is not possible, alternative orientations may
be considered on a case by case basis. In-line separators where the inlet nozzle and the gas outlet nozzle are in
line with each other, shall be avoided as much as possible.
The outlet nozzle size shall be:
The same as the downstream piping sized for downstream pressure drop requirements.
and sized such that the velocity head criteria of ρv2<4500 kg/m.s2 is not be exceeded.
If it is necessary to increase the nozzle size to meet the velocity head criteria, the downstream pipe should remain
at the nozzle diameter for a minimum of 5 pipe diameters.
Liquid Outlet
Liquid outlet nozzles should generally be sized to meet the downstream pressure drop requirements. The velocity
should be limited in the outlet nozzle to no more than 1m/s. For revamp projects these criteria may be relaxed on
a case by case basis and subject to maintaining Fr <1 with a minimum static liquid height above the nozzle to
prevent gas carry under.
Liquid outlets shall be fitted with a vortex breaker.

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The liquid outlet piping shall have the same diameter as the nozzle for a minimum of 2 pipe diameters before any
bends, valves or other piping components.
Vents and Drains

Vents and drains should be provided on a vessel in accordance with the requirements of the ‘Isolation, Drain &
Vent Philosophy’ AGES-PH-08-001.
The size and number of vents and drains is set to facilitate maintenance. The guidelines shown in Table
6.2 may be used when determining vent and drain size. For a vessel with a large liquid volume the time
to drain the vessel should be reviewed and the size of the drain valve may exceed the above
recommendations where required. In all cases the vessel vent should not be smaller than the vessel
drain, to prevent a vacuum forming in the vessel.
Drain valves shall be located on the lowest point to allow complete drainage of the vessel. The lowest
point may be on the vessel outlet piping.
In a horizontal drum with internals to segregate separate compartments, it may be necessary to provide
more than one drain to allow complete drainage of each section of the vessel.
The vent valve shall be located on the opposite side / end to the manway to allow free flow of air through
a vessel:
Table 6.2 Minimum Vent and Drain Sizes

Vessel volume (m3) Vent Drain
V<75 2” 2”
75 to 220 3” 3”
220 to 420 4” 3”
V>420 6” 4”
Purge Connections
Purge connections shall be provided in line with the following:
Table 6.3 Purge Connections

Vessel Dia D≤4.5m 4.5m<D<6m D≥6m
Drums and Heat Exchangers 2” 2 x 2” 2 x 2”
Columns 2” 3” 4”
Steam out connections shall be standardised at 2”.
Manways

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The number and location of manways and handholes required for inspection and maintenance should be provided
in accordance with the requirements of ‘Pressure Vessel Specification’, AGES-SP-06-002.
Instrument Nozzles
Minimum instrument nozzle sizes shall be specified in ‘Automation and Instrumentation Design Philosophy’,
AGES-PH-04-001.
Level instrument nozzles should preferentially be mounted on the vessel wall and not on process nozzles.
Level instrument nozzles should preferentially be either top entry or located on the cylindrical wall of the
vessel.
Location of instrument nozzles should take account of vessel internals to ensure accurate measurement
is not affected by pressure drop across internals.
Instrument connections are not permitted at the bottom of the vessel unless approved by COMPANY.
Level instrument nozzles should preferentially be mounted on the cylindrical part of the vessel, not in the
vessel heads.
DESIGN RULES FOR INTERNALS
Baffles
Perforated plate baffles are used to even out the distribution of the incoming liquid to promote laminar flow and
hence to aid in separation of the two liquids phases in the settling compartment.
Where liquid slugs may be present a baffle should always be provided across the full diameter of the
settling compartment for liquid-liquid separators and from BTL to LZA(HH) for gas-liquid-liquid separators
to even out flow distribution and prevent sloshing.
Typically, two calming baffles are provided to separate the inlet compartment from the settling
compartment of a two or three phase separator.
Where plate packs or other internals are installed to promote separation only one calming baffle is
required upstream of the settling compartment.
Holes shall be evenly distributed across the baffle plate.
Where necessary baffles should be provided with manways to facilitate inspection and maintenance if it
is not possible to locate a manway on the shell of the vessel.
A small opening (≤150mm) should be provided at the bottom of the baffle to allow for vessel cleaning.
In addition, perforated baffles/plates are sometimes used for viscous liquids to minimise the vessel size when the
degassing requirement is the controlling sizing factor for the vessel.
Weirs
Several types of weir are typically installed in horizontal separators to separate the different phases. The heavy
phase is held on the upstream side of the weir with the weir height set so that the interface and any emulsion is
held upstream of the weir and the heavy phase outlet is located in this section as close as possible to the weir to
maximise the residence time. The light phase outlet is located downstream of the weir. The location of the weir

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and downstream volume will be set based on the weir height, vessel diameter, light phase flow and control times
required. The following provides the typical uses and selection for the different types of weir.
Overflow Weir
i. An overflow weir may be used in gas/liquid/liquid separation where there is a relatively low light phase
flow and the volume downstream of the weir is sufficient to handle the light phase flow. The light
phase flows over the weir and is collected in a separate compartment on the downstream side of the
weir where the volume is set to allow for level control to be more easily managed.
ii. The liquid height of the upstream settling zone is set by the weir height (approximately 75% of the
vessel diameter) and the residence time is effectively constant. Level control is therefore not required
at the gas-liquid interface.
iii. An overflow weir is used when the gas load is fairly constant. The gas flow area remains constant at
the chord area defined by the top of the weir.
Submerged Weir
i. A submerged weir is more commonly used when slugs are possible i.e. large variation in gas/liquid
ratio.
ii. A submerged weir is used when there is a relatively large light liquid phase flow and the volume will
be contained in both the settling and outlet compartments of the separatorThe whole of the vessel is
available for the total liquid and hence a large volume is available for control levels.
iii. The overall liquid level in the separator is controlled above the level of the weir height and will change
with slug arrival.
iv. The gas flow area changes as the level in the separator changes similar to a two phase (gas/liquid)
separator.
Underflow Weir / Double Weir
i. A double weir consisting of an underflow weir upstream of a light phase overflow weir should be used
when the interface between the phases is not well defined and direct interface level control is not
provided.
ii. The volume of the light and heavy phase compartments is determined by the volumetric flow and the
control requirements for each phase.
iii. The height of the weirs should be set such that the dispersion band is at least 0.2m from both the
bottom of the underflow weir and the top of the overflow weir and the dispersion band should be
vertically centred between the two.
iv. An alternate arrangement is to use a bucket which collects the light phase (<5% vol) and an overflow
weir with the heavy phase downstream of the weir. This arrangement is suitable where a low
separation efficiency is required.
v. A double weir arrangement is limited in respect to its ability to manage a potential increase in water
cut as the interface level is set by the location of the weir.
Skimming Devices
i. Skimming devices are used when there is a very small light hydrocarbon phase in a mainly water
phase.

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ii. Skimming can be achieved through an oil skimming pipe where the level in the water compartment
is constant i.e. upstream of an overflow weir.
iii. A floating skimmer may be use where the level in the water compartment changes.
Gas Phase Internals

Gas phase internals are used to improve the efficiency of separation when gravity settling alone is not sufficient
to achieve the required degree of separation. The different types of internals promote separation through a
number of principles given below:
Inertial Impaction; uses the principle of momentum where the liquid droplet has sufficient mass and
therefore momentum to separate from the gas stream and continue on its path in a straight line until it
impinges either the vessel wall or the internals.
Direct Interception; occurs when the liquid droplet is smaller and continues with the gas stream.
Separation occurs when the liquid droplet impacts on the internal device.
Diffusion; for very small droplets <1micron, Brownian motion is dominant, and the liquid particle moves
in a random motion. Separation may occur if the particle impacts on the internal device, however this is
not a primary separation mechanism.
Coalescing; occurs when small droplets collide to form larger droplets which can then settle out through
gravity. The internal device promotes collisions between the particles.
Centrifugal Force; droplets are pushed to the outer walls of the device through centrifugal force where
they will separate out through the above mechanisms of separation.
Gas phase internals should generally be selected in line with the guidance given in Table 4.2.
Wire Mesh Demisters

Mesh pad internals primarily use the separation mechanism of Inertial impaction as the liquid droplets impinge
on the wires of the mesh. Direct interception is a secondary mechanism for mesh pads. Coalescence follows on
from the impingement on the pad and the larger droplets fall through the pad into the liquid section of the separator.
Mesh pads in common use are of the wire mesh construction, however other designs with fibre mesh or a mixture
of wire and fibre are available. Typical K-factors for wire mesh pads are given in Table 5.1. Manufacturers should
be contacted for other types of design.
Typically, removal efficiencies for droplets 10microns and larger greater than 98% can be achieved with wire
mesh demisters although this is dependent on the design of the mesh pad and the fluid properties.
Vane Packs
Vane pack internals use close spaced metal plates often in a chevron pattern which present a convoluted flow
path for the gas stream. The primary separation mechanism is Inertial impaction as the liquid droplets impinge
on the plates followed by coalescence. The larger droplets then fall through the device into the liquid section of
the separator.
A number of different vane pack designs are available which accommodate higher gas flow throughput. Typical
K-factors for a standard capacity vane pack are given in Table 5.1. For high capacity vane packs,
MANUFACTURERs should be contacted.
Typically, droplets of 20-40 microns can be captured in vane packs. Smaller droplets down to 10 microns should
only be considered with consultation with a vendor.

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Cyclones
Cyclones use the mechanism of centrifugal force to cause inertial impaction when the liquid droplets are forced
to the wall of the cyclone where they subsequently coalesce. The liquid is then drained from the cyclone into the
liquid section of the separator.
The most common types of centrifugal device used are the axial flow cyclone and reverse flow cyclone. Both
types use the principle as described above. The swirling motion is promoted at the inlet either through a swirl
element or through a tangential nozzle. The reverse flow cyclone has a cone shaped bottom section which
accelerates the swirling motion to increase the centrifugal force. Liquid is drained to the bottom of the cyclone
and gas exits through the top after passing down the annulus between the inner and outer walls. For an axial
cyclone the gas flows upwards and the liquid is separated through either slots in the wall or through the top of the
device.
MANUFACTURERs should be approached to determine an appropriate K-factor to use for the different types of
cyclone. For initial design consider Ks as maximum 0.2 m/s.Liquid Phase Internals
Plate Packs
A plate pack consists of a set of flat or corrugated inclined parallel plates that reduce the distances a droplet must
rise or fall before leaving the bulk phase. Plate type coalescers are commonly limited to efficient removal of
droplets above 30 microns minimum droplet size.
The plates are tilted to facilitate the removal of the separated phase. Flat plates maintain laminar flow up to much
higher flow rates, but corrugated plates are less easily blocked by solids. The plate packs to be used in vessels
should be of the crossflow type. This means that the flow of separated product is perpendicular to the main flow
through the plate pack. This enables efficient use of the vessel volume resulting in a smaller vessel.
In clean service, the angle of the plates with the horizontal plane is typically 30 to 45 degrees, but if solids are
present, the angle should be steeper (typically 60 degrees) to facilitate the removal of the solids.
The plate spacing in fouling service should be at least 40 mm, whereas in clean service the plate spacing may
be as little as 10 mm. The choice of corrugated rather than flat plates and/or the increase of the plate spacing will
reduce the fouling risk but will also reduce the separation efficiency of the plate pack.
PROBLEMS WITH SEPARATION
Waxes
Wax consisting of high molecular weight paraffinic compounds can be a problem in many crude oil compositions.
As crude oil cools the wax in the fluid starts to solidify until it starts to precipitate out of the liquid phase at the wax
appearance temperature (WAT). Wax causes a problem as it deposits on solids or forms gels in the fluid causing
blockages in the piping and equipment as well as forming tight emulsions which make separation more difficult.
Wax will tend to form on cold surfaces such as the pipe or vessel wall and can block internals, piping or
instrumentation nozzles causing a plant upset. Further details of wax behaviour and management is given in
AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance Philosophy.
The cloud and pour point characteristics should be determined to enable proper design.
The temperature of the fluid should be maintained above the WAT to prevent the precipitation of wax.
Fluids that are prone to wax should be treated as a fouling service and selection of vessel internals and
sizing and location of instrument nozzles should take this into account. For example, plate packs shall
not be installed where wax is expected.

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Emulsions
An emulsion is a mixture where one immiscible fluid is dispersed as droplets throughout another. Emulsions vary
widely and have an impact on the ease in which fluids can be separated. In a crude oil system typically, water is
dispersed through the crude oil, however a reverse emulsion may also be present. The viscosity of the mixed
phase when an emulsion is present will appear higher than either of the two liquid phases. This viscosity varies
with water content and is non-linear with up to a peak viscosity at an inversion point. Further description of the
inversion point and correlations for apparent viscosity are described in AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance
Philosophy.
Emulsions have an impact on the ability to separate fluid phases effectively by gravity settling.
Where an emulsion is present additional measures must be put in place to promote better separation. The
selected methods employed must take account of the properties and strength of the emulsion.
Addition of chemicals upstream of the separator to de-stabilize emulsions.
Coalescing elements to break the emulsion and coalesce the fine droplets into larger droplets which can
separate by gravity.
Heat can be applied to the fluid through the means of a heater treater or similar to reduce the viscosity of
the fluids and break the emulsion.
Longer residence times should be considered for fluids with emulsions
Asphaltenes- (SARA – Saturated Aromatics Resins and Asphaltene)

Asphaltenes are frequently found in heavy oils and can contribute to 10% wt. or more. Asphaltenes have an
impact on the ability to separate the oil/water mixture and act to stabilize emulsions in the feed stream.
Asphaltenes can cause blockages in internals. Where asphaltenes are present and to promote more efficient
separation the following methods may be considered:
Addition of chemicals to break down the emulsions.
Addition of heat to reduce liquid viscosity and break down emulsions
Increase the residence time in the vessel to allow separation to take place
Any combination of the above
Fluids that contain asphaltenes should be treated as a fouling service and selection of vessel internals should
take this into account. For example, plate packs shall not be installed where asphaltenes are expected. Further
details asphaltenes is given in AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance Philosophy.
Biodegradation and Naphthenates (Total Acid Number)

An analysis of crude oil should include a measure of the Total Acid Number (TAN) which provides a simple
indication of the degree of mild biodegradation causing the following:
The reduction of the fraction of saturated hydrocarbons.
Increase of the organic acidic and natural surfactant content.
As the biodegradation proceeds chemical processes lead to the loss of n-alkanes etc. leaving to an oxidised
naphthenic residue. Biodegradation frequently leads to a high concentration of various polar organics, organic
acids, natural surfactants, and surface-active components which have the following effects:

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Stabilise OIW and WIO dispersions.
Making bulk separation, oil dehydration and produced oil treatment more difficult.
There can be particular problems with trace acidic naphthenic compounds found in the crudes from some oil
fields. These compounds have the capability to form gels at the oil-water interface which can lead to substantial
blockage problems in oil field production facilities. Further details of management of biodegradation and
napthenates is given in AGES-GL-08-003 Flow Assurance Philosophy.
Scale and Total Dissolved Solids

The deposition of scale is a common occurrence is oil and gas production and processing facilities. Scale occurs
when dissolved minerals are deposited as a result of changes in solubility and can vary in composition.
The inorganic salts content of the produced water is critical to this process because of their ability to form mineral
precipitates which can stabilise WIO emulsions. Composition or process conditions (e.g. temperature) of saline
waters can lead to the precipitation of inorganic salts and scale formation. The salinity of water is usually
expressed as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which gives an indication of the amount of dissolved inorganic salt
present in the produced water.
As the salinity of the produced water increases this increases its density which affects the design of gravity
separation equipment. The variation in the composition of the produced water should be accounted for in the
process specification for the sizing of a separator.
Situations that could lead to the formation of scale are:
The mixing of incompatible streams which can result in the reduced solubility of salts in the mixed stream
leading to them being deposited in equipment. An example is the mixing of injected water and formation
water. The injected water may have to be suitably treated before injection (e.g. reduction of sulphate
content) depending on its chemistry before injection to prevent this occurrence.
A change in a process conditions for instance temperature, pressure and pH reducing the solubility of the
salts leading to the deposition of scale.
CFD OBJECTIVES AND KEY INPUTS

Flow distribution through nozzles and internals of a vessel and the droplet movements through the different
phases of a fluid have an impact on the separation efficiency in a vessel. Computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD)
studies can be performed to give a better understanding of the behaviour of the various fluid components as they
travel through the various parts of the vessel (inlet piping and devices, vessel internals, outlet piping). CFD
modelling can aid in improving operational efficiency, plant productivity and optimizing vessel design and hence
in reducing capital costs.
CFD is a project specific requirement which may be considered in the following scenarios:
When the inlet piping arrangement is not configured in line with the recommended criteria given in section
6.1.1 .
To optimize vessel size by modelling the flow through inlet nozzles and internals where a combination of
different internals has been used e.g. inlet device, calming baffles and vane packs together.
For a brownfield project where more capacity is required from existing equipment.
For critical separators e.g. slug catchers, HP and LP separators where the separation efficiency has an
impact on downstream performance which would impact the operation of the plant and in particular for
facilities with downstream compression units which receive gas from production separators.

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For flare drums where the droplet size in the outlet vapour stream is critical for flare operation.
To determine the placement of distribution baffles and weir design on a floating installation where there
is potential vessel motion.
Where there is injection of chemicals or other internals such as sand removal systems which would impact
the flow distribution within the vessel.
For the design of produced water tanks where gravity settling is important in de-oiling produced water.
For upstream business units, modelling of the upstream piping along with the vessel as part of the CFD study
shall be assessed based on the project requirements for flow regime verification.
CFD Inputs Required

CFD would normally be carried out by an independent specialist third party i.e. not the internals vendor. The CFD
provider would require all geometric details of the vessel to be studied, including the dimensions, location and
vendor specific details of any internals, inlet devices and nozzle locations. In addition, the provider would require
the fluid compositions and any characteristics from fluid analysis, operating conditions and a scope of work
identifying the various cases to be considered (design, turndown etc.)
CFD Outputs
CFD is able to provide a large amount of data depending on the requirements of the particular study. Diagrams
would normally be provided showing the flow distribution for the various phases through the components within
the vessel. These CFD output maps are a means to easily see the velocity and direction of flow shown on
diagrams. In addition, CFD will identify the fluid conditions, phase density and residence time for the various
particles. The results of the CFD analysis will enable the engineer to identify whether the gas and liquid outlet
specifications have been met as well as showing the droplet size distribution and identifying any areas where
there is poor flow distribution or stagnation. This will ultimately lead to identifying where a modification to the
vessel design could improve or optimize the performance.

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SECTION C - APPENDICES
APPENDIX A1. CROSS SECTIONAL AREA – CHORD AREA CALCULATION

To calculate the cross-sectional area for a horizontal vessel the following applies:
o
r α r
a b
Lab
A h
First calculate the area of the segment bounded by Oab for a vessel of known diameter 2r and at an angle of α
in radians:
𝑟2𝛼
𝐴𝑠𝑒𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
2
Where α in radians:
𝑟−ℎ
𝛼 = 2𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( )
𝑟
Chord length Lab is calculated from:
𝛼
𝐿𝑎𝑏 = 2𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( ) or 𝐿𝑎𝑏 = 2√𝐷. ℎ − ℎ2
2
The area of the triangle bounded by Oab above the chord:

𝐴𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 𝐿𝑎𝑏 (𝑟 − ℎ)
And hence the area occupied by the liquid:

𝑟2
𝐴 = 𝐴𝑠𝑒𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 − 𝐴𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = (𝛼 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛼)
2
Care should be taken to ensure that all calculations use angle α in radians.
Heads are ignored for the purposes of the cross-sectional area and volume calculations.

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APPENDIX A2. SEPARATOR SIZING SAMPLE PROBLEMS
A2.1. Example 2.1 Vertical 2 Phase Separator with Wire Mesh Separator
Input Data Value Units

Gas Flowrate Mv 131200 kg/h
Gas Density ρv 24.86 kg/m3
Gas Flowrate Qv 5277.6 m3/h
Liquid Flowrate Qliq 22.7 m3/h
Liquid Density ρliq 715.7 kg/m3
Operating Pressure 3500 kPag
Vessel type selected:

Service – column feed drum
Vertical with mesh pad mist eliminator
Half pipe inlet device
Calculate maximum terminal velocity from 5.2 using Equation 5.1
𝑉𝑡 = 𝐾𝑠 √( )
𝜌𝑣
Select a Ks value for a vertical separator with a wire mesh demister from Table 5.1 K-Factors for Gas Phase
Internals of Ks = 0.10.
K is corrected for pressure prorated in line with Table 5.2 De-rating Factors for Pressure
35 − 20 715.7 − 22.7
𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 0.1 [(( ) (0.80 − 0.85)) + 0.85] √( ) = 0.449𝑚/𝑠
40 − 20 22.7
Vessel diameter is then calculated using Equation 5.2.

𝑄𝑣
𝐴𝑖 =
𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝜋𝐷2
where 𝐴 =
4
4𝑄 4.5277.6
Hence 𝐷=√ 𝑣 𝐷=√ = 2.04𝑚
𝜋𝑉 𝑡 3600.𝜋.0.449
The vessel diameter should be rounded to the nearest 50mm hence selected vessel internal diameter is 2.05m.
The length of the vessel should be built-up using the information in section 5.4 as shown below

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H Section Distance Selected height
H1 Mist Eliminator to Top 150 mm where no supplier data

Tangent available
H2 Mist Eliminator 150 mm assumed
H3 Nozzle Top to Mist 0.5D = 1025mm assuming half pipe

Eliminator Bottom inlet
H4 Nozzle Diameter 450mm based on limit of ρv2 kg/ms2

≤3000
H5 LZA(HH) to Feed 600mm assuming half pipe (greater

Nozzle Bottom than 0.25D)
H6 LA(H) to LZA(HH) Ql = 22.7 m3/h Vessel area = 3.3 m 2

60 secs = 0.11m
H7 LA(L) to LA(H) 920mm assuming 8 mins hold-up

time at Ql=22.7m3/h. Refer Table 5.6
H8 LZA(LL) to LA(L) Ql = 22.7 m3/h

Vessel area = 3.3 m2
60 secs = 0.11m
H9 Bottom Tangent to 300mm (greater than 30 secs at

LZA(LL) Ql=22.7m3/h).
Total vessel height = 3815mm rounded to 3850mm

Vessel diameter = 2050mm

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A2.2. Example 2.2 Horizontal 3 Phase gas-liquid-liquid Separator with Wire Mesh Separator – Method
1
Input Data Gas Light Liquid Heavy Liquid Units
Mass Flowrate M 41295 116122 80329 kg/h

Density ρ 17.38 704 974.2 kg/m3
Volume Flowrate Q 2376 164.9 82.46 m3/h
Viscosity µ 0.013 0.31 0.65 cP
Operating Pressure P 17.5 bar
The calculation below is using method 1 for an upstream production separator.

Estimate initial dimensions using residence time
Residence time is taken to be 10 minutes for each phase based on the assumption of a hydrocarbon separator
Refer Table 5.3. A preliminary vessel size is based on the liquid-liquid volume flow with the LZA(HH) at 75%
height (75% of vessel diameter).
Residence time of 10minutes each between NLi to bottom of vessel and NL to NLi.
Calculate the total volume required for settling based on 10 minutes residence time for each phase from NL to
NLi and NLi to BTL.
10 10
82.46𝑥 + 164.9𝑥 = 41𝑚3
60 60
For the light liquid phase above the NL calculate the volume based on the minimum required hold-up volume
between LA(L) and LA(H) is assumed at 8 minutes of hold up for light phase liquid flow and 1 minute to LZA(HH).
8
Volume between LA(L) to LA(H) 𝑥164.9 = 22𝑚3 - assuming NL is at 50%, hence NL to LA(H) = 11m 3
60
1
Volume above LA(H) to LZA(HH) 𝑥164.9 = 2.7𝑚3
60
Total volume in settling compartment from BTL to LZA(HH) = 11+2.7+41 = 55m 3

Calculate a preliminary volume for the settling compartment based on 75% vessel volume:
55
= 73𝑚3
0.75
Total vessel volume settling compartment required for liquid-liquid phases = 73m 3
Vessel length assumed to be made up as follows:
Settling length Lset + Inlet compartment (0.45D) + Outlet compartment (0.25D)
Select a diameter to achieve overall ~3:1 L/D and estimate Lset from:
𝐷2
73 = 𝐿𝑠𝑒𝑡 . 𝜋.
4
D=3.2m

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Lset = 8m assumed
Inlet compartment length = 1.44m
Outlet compartment length = 0.8m
Overall vessel length =10.2m
The above values will be used as preliminary size and further optimization will be carried out in the following steps.
Dispersed heavy phase is 82.46/(82.46+164.9) = 33vol% of the liquid feed which is greater than 5% and hence
a dispersion band must be considered for the sizing. A 300mm dispersion band will be assumed.
Gas separation section

Estimate the gas cap area which will correspond to the maximum LZA(HH) level setpoint.
Calculate terminal velocity from Equation 5.1
𝑉𝑡 = 𝐾𝑠 √( )
𝜌𝑣
Select a Ks value for a horizontal separator with a wire mesh demister from Table 5.1 K-Factors for Gas Phase
K is corrected for pressure prorated in line with Table 5.2 De-rating Factors for Pressure at 17.5 barg.
17.5 − 10 704 − 17.38

𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 0.12 [(( ) (0.85 − 0.9)) + 0.9] √( ) = 0.651𝑚/𝑠
20 − 10 17.38
The minimum area required for gas separation is calculated using Equation 5.2 :
𝑄𝑣 2376
𝐴𝑖 = = = 1.01𝑚2
3600. 𝑉𝑡 0.651
In all subsequent steps, the area above LZA(HH) shall be checked to fulfil the above minimum gas cap area.
Level setting calculations
The following tables show the calculation results. The chord calculation method in Appendix A1 is used to
calculate the area based on the height from BTL.
Control settings for the heavy phase are calculated using Linlet + Lset = 1.4+8=9.4m
Control setting for the light phase depend on whether the liquid is above or below the submerged weir and the
relevant length is identified in the table below.

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Table A2.2-1 Area and Volume calculations
Length (m) Height / Alpha (rad) Area (m2) Volume

level (m3)
setting (m)
Top of vessel 3.2 8.04 82.03
1 LZA(HH) (9) 10.2 2.6 4.5 7 71.4
2 LA(H) (10,16) 10.2 2.5 4.3 6.7 69
3 NL (17) 10.2 2.1 3.8 5.6 57
4 LA(L) (14f,15,16) 10.2 1.82 3.4 4.7 48
5 Top of weir (7,14d,e) 9.4 1.8 3.4 4.7 44
6 Top of weir (7,12a, 14a,b,e) 0.8 1.8 3.4 4.7 3.7
7 LZA(HH)i (6) 9.4 1.6 3.1 4 37.6
8 LA(H)i (5) 9.4 1.35 2.8 3.2 30.3
9 NLi 9.4 0.95 2.3 2 18.8
10 LZA(LL) (11,12c,14b) 0.8 0.85 2.17 1.7 1.37
11 LA(L)i (2) 9.4 0.55 1.7 0.9 8.66
12 LZA(LL)i (1) 9.4 0.3 1.2 0.38 3.58
Table A2.2-2 Normal Level calculations for L/L separation evaluation
Height (m) Alpha (rad) Segment area

(m2)
13 Top of vessel 3.2 8.04
14 NL (18) 2.1 3.8 5.6
15 NL to NLi+0.5Hdb differential 1 3.15
16 NLi +0.5Hdb (18) 1.1 2.5 2.45
17 NLi (4) 0.95 2.3 2

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Height (m) Alpha (rad) Segment area
(m2)
18 NLi – 0.5Hdb (4) 0.8 2.1 1.6
Bottom of vessel 0
The area for the light phase settling from the heavy phase is between NLi-0.5Hdb and bottom of vessel = 1.6m 2
and is used in step 4 for the axial velocity check.
The area for the heavy phase settling from the light phase is between NL and NLi + 0.5H db =3.15m2 and is used
in the axial velocity check for the light phase in step 18.
The time between level settings is given in the table below and compared against the required criteria. The time
is calculated based on the flow rate of the respective phase divided by the differential volume.
Table A2.2-3 Hold-up/Control Time Calculations
Level settings Differential Differential Differential Time (min) Criteria

height (m) Area (m2) Volume
(m3)
Light Phase
Top of vessel to 0.6 1.04 >1.01m2, mech

LZA(HH) (9) requirements
(~450mm as per table
5.9)
LA(H) to LZA(HH) (10) 0.1 0.26 2.6 1.0 >1 min, >0.1 m
LA(L) to LA(H) (16) 0.68 2 21 7.6 >3 mins
Top of weir to LA(L) 0.02 0.06 0.6 0.22 >1 min, >0.1m
(14f,15)
LZA(LL) to Top of weir 0.95 2.9 2.3 0.84

(outlet compartment)
(14c,f,15)
BTL to LZA(LL) (11) 0.85 1.7 1.4 0.5 >30 secs, >0.3m
Heavy phase
LA(H)i to LZA(HH)i (6) 0.25 0.8 7.5 5.45 >1 min, >0.1m
LA(L)i to LA(H)i (8) 0.8 2.3 21.7 15.8 >8 mins

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Level settings Differential Differential Differential Time (min) Criteria
(m3)
LZA(LL)i to LA(L)i (2) 0.25 0.5 5 3.6 >1min, >0.1 +0.5Hdb

m
BTL to LZA(LL)i (1) 0.3 0.38 3.58 2.6 >30secs, >0.3m
Heavy phase dimensions

1. Starting from the bottom of the vessel, the LZA(LL)i (12) for the heavy phase is calculated at min 30
seconds of heavy flow (0.687m 3 at 82.46m3/h) or 300mm minimum. 300mm criteria is the limiting criteria.
2. The LA(L)i (11) must be a minimum of 60 seconds (1.37m 3 at 82.46m3/h) from LZA(LL)i or 100 mm as
a minimum. The height between LA(L)i and LZA(LL)i shall also be increased by 0.5Hdb = 0.15m. 60
seconds volume of 1.37m3 is equivalent to 70mm above LZA(LL)i) and hence LA(L)i is set at 0.55m
which is 0.1m minimum + 0.15m above the LZA(LL)i
3. Normal liquid level NLi is initially assumed to be 10 minutes from NLi to BTL = 13.7m 3 at 82.46m3/h =
0.85m using Lset=8m.
4. Check the axial velocity for the heavy phase based on the cross sectional area from BTL to NLi – 0.5Hdb
= 0.85-0.15 =0.7m. Where the calculated axial velocity is above 0.015m/s the NLi should be increased.
Area calculated at 0.7m from BTL= 1.3m2.
Check axial velocity for heavy phase
𝑄ℎ 82.46
𝑉ℎ𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = = = 0.018𝑚/𝑠
𝐴ℎ 1.3.3600
Axial velocity exceeds limit at 0.7m heavy phase compartment and NLi of 0.85m as shown in step 4
above.
Height used to calculate axial velocity (NLi – 0.5Hdb) is increased to 0.8m and axial velocity rechecked
with equivalent area of 1.6m2. Axial velocity is calculated as 0.014m/s and hence NLi is set at 0.8+0.15
= 0.95m
𝑄ℎ 82.46
𝑉ℎ𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = = = 0.014𝑚/𝑠
𝐴ℎ 1.6.3600
Axial velocity criteria met at 0.8m heavy phase compartment and NLi of 0.95m
5. Considering the NLi is midway between LA(L)i and LA(H)i as an initial estimate, set LA(H)i (8) at same
distance as LA(L)i from NLi. i.e. 0.95-0.55 = 0.4m and hence LA(H)i is preliminarily set at
0.95+0.4=1.35m.
6. LZA(HH)i (7) must be the minimum of 100mm +0.5H db or 1 minute from LA(H)i (min 1.37m 3) hence
LZA(HH)i is set at LA(H)i+0.15+0.1 m = 1.6 m
7. Set the top of weir height (6) at 200mm minimum above LZA(HH)i (7) =1.8 m
8. Check 8 minutes (minimum 3 minutes) hold up in accordance with table 5.6 between LA(L)i and LA(H)i
otherwise LA(H)i should be increased and the top of weir height checked accordingly. With LA(H)i set
at 1.35 m, the volume between LA(L)i and LA(H)i is 21.7 m3. Accordingly, the hold-up time is calculated
as 21.7/82.46=15.8 min.

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Light phase dimensions
9. Starting from the top of the vessel, LZA(HH)(1) is set to achieve the calculated minimum gas cap of
1.01m2. and allowing for mechanical requirements of the demister = 150mm above and below demister
plus ~150mm for the demister = ~0.45m. LZA(HH) set at 2.6m based on gas cap area.
10. The LA(H) (2) is set to achieve 1 minute below LZA(HH) (2.75m3 at 164.9m3/h) or 100mm minimum.
LA(H) is set at 2.5m which meets both criteria.
11. Starting from the vessel bottom calculate the LZA(LL) (10) for the light phase based on 30 seconds of
light phase flow (1.37m 3 at 164.9m3/h). The LZA(LL) is considered to be in the outlet compartment and
so length used in the calculation is 0.25D. Calculated value to achieve the aforementioned hold up time
requirement is greater than 300mm minimum height and so the height used for LZA(LL) is 0.85m.
12. In order to evaluate the location of the LA(L) it is necessary to determine whether it is inside the outlet
compartment or in the main body of the drum.
a. The volume in the outlet compartment to the top of the weir (6) is calculated as 3.7m3 based on the
weir height calculated in step 7.
b. The minimum volume from LZA(LL) to LA(L) based on 1 minute at 164.9m3/h = 2.75m3.
c. The volume from BTL to LZA(LL) in the outlet compartment (11) is 1.37m3
d. The total volume from bottom of outlet compartment to LA(L) = 1.37+2.75 = 4.12m3 which is greater
than the available volume in the outlet compartment up to the top of the weir as given in (a) above.
Hence LA(L) is located above the weir.
13. The designer may increase the length of the outlet compartment to keep the LA(L) inside the outlet
compartment or continue with LA(L) above the weir. Assuming the LA(L) is above the weir it is therefore
necessary to determine the incremental height above the top of weir that will achieve the 1minute criteria
between LA(L) and LZA(LL). i.e 4.12 – 3.7 = 0.42m3 above the weir based on full vessel length plus
3.7m3 volume behind the weir based on outlet compartment length. The volume of 0.42m3 will be used
to determine the height between the top of weir and the LA(L).
14. To determine the LA(L) the following steps are followed:
a. The volume from BTL up to the top of the weir in the outlet compartment is calculated (6) 3.7m3
b. The volume between top of weir and LZA(LL) is calculated =3.7-1.37 = 2.36m3.
c. The time taken from the top of the weir to the LZA(LL) at the flowrate of 164.9m3/h in the outlet
compartment is calculated based on this volume (0.86 min).
d. The volume from BTL to top of weir (before the weir) for the remaining vessel length (9.4m) is
calculated (5) 44 m3
e. The minimum total volume to LA(L) to meet the 1minute from LA(LL) criteria is calculated by adding
the total vessel volume to top of weir to the volume calculated in step 13 = 3.7+44+0.42= 48m3
f. The chord height at LA(L) is set to meet the required volume (e) and the time checked from LA(L)
to top of weir to ensure the sum adds up to a minimum of 1 minute = 0.22+0.84 = 1.06 mins.
15. LA(L) (4) is set at 1.82m to which gives a total volume of 48 m3 and time of 0.84+0.22=1.06 minutes
which meets the 1minute criteria between LAL and LALL.
16. Check the hold-up control time between LA(H) (2) and LA(L)(4) to fulfil 3 minutes minimum for an
upstream vessel with a minimum distance of 0.35m. Distance between settings is 0.68m and 7.6 mins
hold-up time is available which is adequate.
17. NL (3) height is set initially between the LA(L) and LA(H) at 2.1m (approximately midway). Further check
below for axial velocity applies.
18. Check the axial velocity for the light phase based on the cross-sectional area from NL to NLi + 0.5Hdb
= 0.95+0.15 =1.1m (16). Where the calculated axial velocity is above 0.015m/s, the NL should be
increased. Area at NL of 2.1m = 5.6m2, area at NLi + 0.5Hdb of 1.1m = 2.45m2

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Check axial velocity for light phase
𝑄𝑙 164.9
𝑉𝑙𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = = = 0.0146𝑚/𝑠 - Axial velocity is within limit
𝐴𝑙 (5.6−2.45).3600
Droplet size Check Oil in Water
The laminar settling velocity for the dispersed oil phase is calculated using Equation 5.6:
𝑉𝑑 = = 0.0015 = 𝑚/𝑠
𝐿𝑠𝑒𝑡
Where:
Vcaxial Axial velocity of continuous water phase 0.014 m/s

hc Distance travelled by the light phase droplet in the 0.8 m
water continuous phase NLi -0.5Hdb=0.95-0.15
Lset Effective length of the settling compartment 8m
The turbulent settling velocity is calculated based on the correction factor of 5% V axial.
𝑉𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏 = 𝑉𝑑 + 0.05. 𝑉𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = 0.0015 + 0.05𝑥0.014 = 0.002𝑚/𝑠
The oil droplet size that will be separated from the continuous water phase is calculated using Equation 5.3:
1000. 𝑔. 𝐷𝑝 2 (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 )
𝑉𝑠 =
18𝜇𝑐
18𝜇𝑐 . 𝑉𝑠 18 × 0.65 × 0.002

𝐷𝑝𝑙 = √ = = 98 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑛
1000. 𝑔. (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 ) 1000 × 9.81 × (974.2 − 704)
The oil droplet diameter calculated is less than 150microns and hence size is adequate.
Droplet size Check Water in Oil
The laminar settling velocity for the dispersed water phase is calculated using Equation 5.6:
𝑉𝑑 = = 0.001 𝑚/𝑠
𝐿𝑠𝑒𝑡
Where:
Vcaxial Axial velocity of continuous oil phase 0.015 m/s

hc Distance travelled by the droplet in the water 1.0 m
continuous phase NL to NLi +0.5Hdb=2.1-1.1
Lset Effective length of the settling compartment 8m

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The turbulent settling velocity is calculated based on the correction factor of 5% V axial.
𝑉𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏 = 𝑉𝑑 + 0.05. 𝑉𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = 0.001 + 0.05𝑥0.015 = 0.002𝑚/𝑠
The water droplet size that will be separated from the continuous oil phase is calculated using Equation 5.3:
1000. 𝑔. 𝐷𝑝 2 (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 )
𝑉𝑠 =
18𝜇𝑐
18𝜇𝑐 . 𝑉𝑠 18 × 0.31 × 0.002

𝐷𝑝ℎ = √ = = 65 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑛
1000. 𝑔. (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 ) 1000 × 9.81 × (974.2 − 704)
The water droplet diameter calculated is less than 150microns and hence size is adequate.
Final Separator Dimensions
L
minimum minimum
H1
LZA(HH) trip H3
LA(H) H4
NL NL
D H8
Optional H5
H9 H14 Calming
H10 LA(H)i
NLi NLi LA(L)
H11 H6
LA(L)i LZA(LL) trip
H13
minimum
minimum
0.45D Ls et 0.25D
H Section Distance Distance (mm) Top of H Height (mm)
H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet device to top of vessel 150 3200
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet device 150 3050
LZA(HH) to bottom of Mist Eliminator / outlet

H3 300 2900

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H4 LA(H) to LZA(HH) 100 2600
H5 LA(L) to LA(H) 680 2500
H6 LZA(LL) to LA(L) 970 1820
H7 Bottom of vessel to LZA(LL) 850 850
H8 Top of weir to LZA(HH) 800 1800
H9 Top of Weir to LZA(HH)i 200 1800
H10 LA(H)i to LZA(HH)i 250 1600
H11 LA(L)i to LA(H)i 800 1350
H12 LZA(LL)i to LA(Li) 250 550
H13 Bottom of vessel to LZA(LL)i 300 300

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A2.3. Example 2.3 Horizontal 3 Phase gas-liquid-liquid Separator with Wire Mesh Separator – Method
2
Input Data Gas Light Liquid Heavy Liquid Units
Mass Flowrate M 41295 116122 80329 kg/h

Density ρ 17.38 704 974.2 kg/m3
Volume Flowrate Q 2376 164.9 82.46 m3/h
Viscosity µ 0.013 0.31 0.65 cP
Operating Pressure P 17.5 bar
The calculation below is using method 2 for a downstream vessel where the residence time is used as the sizing
criteria.
Estimate the settling compartment vessel volume
Residence time is taken to be 10 minutes for each phase based on the assumption of a hydrocarbon separator
Refer Table 5.3. A preliminary vessel size is based on the liquid-liquid volume flow with the LZA(HH) at 75%
height (75% of vessel diameter).
Residence time of 10minutes each between NLi to bottom of vessel and NL to NLi.
Assuming a hold-up time of 8 minutes between LA(L) and LA(H) from table 5.4 and 60 seconds between each of
LA(H) to LZA(HH) and from LA(L) to LZA(LL) with NL at 50% LA(L) to LA(H).
Calculate the total volume required for settling based on 10 minutes residence time for each phase from NL to
NLi and NLi to BTL.
10 10
82.46𝑥 + 164.9𝑥 = 41𝑚3
60 60
For the light liquid phase above the NL calculate the volume based on the minimum required hold-up volume
between LA(L) and LA(H) at 8 minutes of hold up for light phase liquid flow and 1 minute to LZA(HH).
8
Volume between LA(L) to LA(H) 𝑥164.9 = 22𝑚3 - assuming NL is at 50% NL to LA(H) = 11m3
60
1
Volume above LA(H) to LZA(HH) 𝑥164.9 = 2.7𝑚3
60
Total volume in settling compartment from BTL to LZA(HH) = 11+2.7+41 = 55m3

Calculate a preliminary volume for the settling compartment based on 75% vessel volume:
55
= 73𝑚3
0.75
Total vessel volume settling compartment required for liquid-liquid phases = 73m3
Vessel length assumed to be made up as follows:
Settling length Lset + Inlet compartment (0.45D) + Outlet compartment (0.25D)

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Select a diameter to achieve overall ~3:1 L/D and calculate Lset from:
𝐷2
73 = 𝐿𝑠𝑒𝑡 . 𝜋.
4
D=3.2m
Lset = 8m
Inlet compartment length = 1.44m
Outlet compartment length = 0.8m
Overall vessel length =10.2m
Check settling rate against selected dimensions
Check for continuous phase using Equation 5.4
𝑄 𝜌𝜇 0.3 164.9 704𝑥0.65 0.3
𝛿 = 𝑄 𝑙 [ 𝜌𝑙 𝜇ℎ ] 𝛿 = 82.46 [974.2𝑥0.31] = 2.27
ℎ ℎ 𝑙
As d>2 consider light phase as continuous, however check settling rate for both phases.
Dispersed heavy phase is 82.46/(82.46+164.9) = 33vol% of the liquid feed which is greater than 5% and hence
a dispersion band must be considered for the sizing. A 300mm dispersion band will be assumed.
From Appendix A1 area taken up by heavy phase:
10
82.46𝑥 2
𝐴ℎ = 60 = 1.7𝑚2 = (𝛼 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛼) 1.6
8 2
hence 𝛼 = 2.16 rad and using

𝑟−ℎ
𝑟
Calculating preliminary height of heavy phase NLi =0.85m

Settling rate is calculated using Equation 5.3 with a droplet size of 150microns
1000. 𝑔. 𝐷𝑝 2 (𝜌ℎ − 𝜌𝑙 )
𝑉𝑠 =
18𝜇𝑐
Settling rate for light phase from heavy phase at 150 microns:
1000x9.81x0.000152 x(974.2 − 704)
𝑉𝑠 = = 0.005𝑚/𝑠 = 0.3𝑚/𝑚𝑖𝑛
18x0.65
The settling rate for oil from water is outside the specified range in Table 5.4 and hence 0.14m/min will be used.
For upstream separators a check is carried out on the estimated settling time for the light phase droplet from
heavy phase using the maximum settling rate in table 5.6 and based on the vertical distance travelled from NLi -
0.5Hdb to BTL:

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ℎ𝑠 0.85 − 0.15
= = 5𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑉𝑠 0.14
This is less than 10 minutes residence time and hence residence time is controlling and particles of 150micron
and larger will settle out.
Area taken up by light and heavy phase to light phase NL based on total flow into the drum and considering only
the settling compartment length:
10
(82.46 + 164.9)𝑥 2
𝐴𝑙+ℎ = 60 = 5.2𝑚2 = (𝛼 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛼) 1.6
8 2
hence 𝛼 = 3.6 𝑟𝑎𝑑 and using

𝑟−ℎ
𝑟
Calculating height of heavy and light phase NL =1.96m

Settling rate for heavy phase from light phase at 150 microns:
1000x9.81x0.000152 x(974.2 − 704)
𝑉𝑠 = = 0.01𝑚/𝑠 = 0.64𝑚/𝑚𝑖𝑛
18x0.31
Settling rate is outside limits specified in Table 5.4 and hence 0.25m/min will be used
For upstream vessels a check is carried out on the settling time for the heavy phase droplet from light phase
using the maximum settling rate from table 5.6 above and based on the vertical distance from NL to NLi+0.5Hdb:
ℎ𝑠 1.96 − (0.85 + 0.15)
= = 7𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑉𝑠 0.25
This is less than the residence time and hence residence time is controlling.
In the event that settling rate is controlling, the engineer should consider either increasing the vessel diameter or
including internals to aid separation. The droplet size which can be separated without internals can be calculated
from equation 4.2 however vendor should be consulted to ensure optimum vessel sizing is selected.
Gas separation section
Confirm sufficient vapour space above LZA(HH).
Calculate terminal velocity from Equation 5.1
𝑉𝑡 = 𝐾𝑠 √( )
𝜌𝑣
Select a Ks value for a horizontal separator with a wire mesh demister from Table 5.1 K-Factors for Gas Phase
K is corrected for pressure prorated in line with Table 5.2 De-rating Factors for Pressure at 17.5 barg.

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17.5 − 10 704 − 17.38
𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 0.12 [(( ) (0.85 − 0.9)) + 0.9] √( ) = 0.651𝑚/𝑠
20 − 10 17.38
The minimum area required for gas separation is calculated using Equation 5.2:
𝑄𝑣 2376
𝐴𝑖 = = = 1.01𝑚2
3600. 𝑉𝑡 0.651
Gas cross-sectional area available for gas flow from below table 8.04-6.7=1.26m2
Using the preliminary vessel dimensions of 3.2m diameter and overall tan to tan length of 10.2m as specified
above; all the minimum hold-up control requirements must be checked to ensure all the required sizing criteria
are met:
Level setting calculations
The following tables show the calculation results. The chord calculation method in Appendix A1 is used to
calculate the area based on the height from BTL.
Control settings for the heavy phase are calculated using Linlet + Lset = 1.4+8=9.4m
Control setting for the light phase depend on whether the liquid is above or below the submerged weir and the
relevant length is identified in the table below.
Table A2.3-1 Area and Volume Calculation
Length (m) Height (m) Alpha (rad) Area (m2) Volume

(m3)
Top of vessel 3.2 8.04 82.03
1 LZA(HH) (15) 10.2 2.5 4.3 6.7 68.8
2 LA(H) (14) 10.2 2.4 4.2 6.5 66
3 NL (12, 13) 10.2 2 3.65 5.3 53.9
4 LA(L) (10, 11) 10.2 1.68 3.2 4.3 43.8
5 Top of weir (6, 10d,e) 9.4 1.65 3.2 4.2 39.4
6 Top of weir (8a, 10a,b,e) 0.8 1.65 3.2 4.2 3.36
7 LZA(HH)i (5) 9.4 1.45 2.95 3.5 33.3
8 LA(H)i (4) 9.4 1.2 2.6 2.75 25.9
9 LZA(LL) (7,8c,10b) 0.8 0.85 2.17 1.7 1.37
10 NLi 9.4 0.85 2.2 1.7 16.4

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Length (m) Height (m) Alpha (rad) Area (m2) Volume
(m3)
11 LA(L)i (2) 9.4 0.55 1.7 0.9 8.66
12 LZA(LL)i (1) 9.4 0.3 1.2 0.38 3.58
Table A2.3-2 Normal Level calculations for L/L separation evaluation
Height (m) Alpha (rad) Area (m2)
13 Top of vessel 3.2 8.04
14 NL 2 3.65 5.3
15 NL to NLi+0.5Hdb differential 1 3.15
16 NLi +0.5Hdb 1.0 2.37 2.15
17 NLi 0.85 2.2 1.7
18 NLi – 0.5Hdb 0.7 1.95 1.3
Bottom of vessel 0
The area for the light phase settling from the heavy phase is between NLi-0.5Hdb and bottom of vessel = 1.3m2
and is used in step 4 for the axial velocity check.
The area for the heavy phase settling from the light phase is between NL and NLi + 0.5H db =3.15m2 and is used
in the axial velocity check for the light phase in step 18.
The time between level settings is given in the table below and compared against the required criteria. The time
is calculated based on the flow rate of the respective phase divided by the differential volume.
Table A2.3-3 -Hold-up/Control Time Calculations
Differential Differential Differential Time (min Criteria

(m3)
Light Phase
Top of vessel to 0.7 1.3 >1.01m2, mech

LZA(HH) (15, 16) requirements
(~450mm as per table
5.9)

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Differential Differential Differential Time (min Criteria
(m3)
LA(H) to LZA(HH) (15) 0.1 0.3 2.8 1.0 >1 min, >0.1 m
NL to LA(H) (14) 0.4 1.2 12 4.5 >4 mins
NL to LA(L) (12) 0.32 1.2 10.1 3.7 ~4 mins
Top of weir to LA(L) 0.03 0.1 1.0 0.4 >1 min, >0.1m
(10f)
LZA(LL) to Top of weir 0.8 2.5 2 0.72

(outlet compartment)
(10c.f)
BTL to LZA(LL) (7) 0.85 1.7 1.4 0.5 >30 secs, >0.3m
Heavy phase
LA(H)I to LZA(HH)i (5) 0.25 0.79 7.4 5.4 >1 min, >0.1m
NLi to LA(H)i (4) 0.2 0.6 5.7 4.15 >4 mins
NLi to LA(L)i (3) 0.3 0.8 7.4 5.4 >4 mins
LZA(LL)i to LA(L)i (2) 0.25 0.5 5 3.7 >1min, >0.1 +0.5Hdb

m
BTL to LZA(LL)i (1) 0.3 0.38 3.58 2.6 >30secs, >0.3m
Heavy phase dimensions

1. Starting from the bottom of the vessel, the LZA(LL)i (12) for the heavy phase is calculated at minimum
30 seconds of heavy flow (0.687m 3 at 82.46m3/h) or 300mm minimum. 300mm criteria is the limiting
criteria.
2. The LA(L)i (11) must be a minimum of 60 seconds (1.37m3 at 82.46m3/h) from LZA(LL)i or 100 mm as
a minimum. The height between LA(L)i and LZA(LL)i shall also be increased by 0.5Hdb = 0.15m. 60
seconds volume of 1.37m 3 is equivalent to 70mm above LZA(LL)i) and hence LA(L)i is set at 0.55m
which is 0.1m minimum + 0.15m above the LZA(LL)i.
3. Check LA(L)i (10) for the heavy phase (82.46m 3/h) provides minimum of 4 minutes hold-up time (min
5.5m3) beneath the NLi (16). Time is greater than 4 mins required and so is adequate.
4. Using the NLi calculated in the initial steps including the dispersion band (15); set the LA(H)i (8) for the
heavy phase such that 4 minutes surge time (min 5.5m3 at 82.46m3/h) above the NLi is available. LA(H)i
is therefore set at 1.2m.
5. LZA(HH)i (7) must be the minimum of 100mm +0.5Hdb or 1 minute from LA(H)i (min 1.37m3) hence
LZA(HH)i is set at LA(H)i+0.15+0.1 m = 1.45m
6. Set the top of weir height (6) at 200mm minimum above LZA(HH)i (7) =1.65 m

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Light phase dimensions
7. Starting from the vessel bottom calculate the LZA(LL) (9) for the light phase based on 30 seconds of
light phase flow (1.37m 3 at 164.9m3/h). The LZA(LL) is assumed to be in outlet compartment and so
length used in the calculation is 0.25D. Calculated value is greater than 300mm minimum height and
so the height used for LZA(LL) is 0.85m.
8. In order to evaluate the location of the LA(L) it is necessary to determine whether it is inside the outlet
compartment or in the main body of the drum.
a. The volume in the outlet compartment to the top of the weir (6) is calculated as 3.34 m3 based on
the height calculated in step 6 and considering outlet compartment length.
b. The minimum volume from LZA(LL) to LA(L) based on 1 minute at 164.9m3/h = 2.75m3.
c. The volume from BTL to LZA(LL) in the outlet compartment (9) is 1.37m3
d. The total volume to LA(L) = 1.37+2.75 = 4.12m 3 which is greater than the available volume in the
outlet compartment up to the top of the weir as given in (a) above. Hence LA(L) is located above
the weir
9. The designer can increase the length of the outlet compartment to keep the LA(L) inside the outlet
compartment or continue with LA(L) above the weir. Assuming the LA(L) is above the weir it is therefore
necessary to determine the incremental height above the top of weir that will achieve the 1minute criteria
between LA(L) and LZA(LL). i.e 4.12 – 3.36 = 0.76m3 above the weir for full vessel length plus 3.36m3
volume behind the weir. The volume of 0.74m3 will be used to determine the height between the top of
weir and the LA(L).
10. To determine the LA(L) the following steps are followed:
a. The volume up to the top of the weir in the outlet compartment is calculated (6) 3.36m3
b. The volume between top of weir and LZA(LL) is calculated =3.36-1.37 = 1.99m3.
c. The time taken from the top of the weir to the LZA(LL) at the flowrate of 164.9m 3/h in the outlet
compartment is calculated based on this volume (0.72 min).
d. The volume from BTL to top of weir for the remaining vessel length (9.4m) is calculated (5) 39.4m3
e. The minimum total volume to LA(L) to meet the 1 minute criteria is calculated by adding the total
vessel volume to top of weir to the volume calculated in step 9 = 3.36+39.4+0.76= 43.5m3
f. The chord height at LA(L) is set to meet the required volume (e) and the time checked from LA(L)
to top of weir to ensure the sum adds up to a minimum of 1 minute = 0.4+0.72 = 1.1 mins.
11. LA(L) (4) is set at 1.68m to which gives a total volume of 43.8 m3 and time of 0.72+0.4=1.1 minutes
which meets the 1minute criteria between LAL and LALL.
12. NL (3) initial height of 1.96 m which is based on residence time volume in settling compartment. Adjust
NL to meet 4 minute hold up criteria if deemed necessary. Designer may consider other hold up
requirements on a case by case basis.
13. NL is set at 2.0 m as a rounded up value to achieve ~4 min criteria.
14. The LA(H) (2) for the light phase (164.9m3/h) is set to achieve 4 minutes surge time above NL (11m3 at
164.9m3/h). LA(H) is set at 2.4m.
15. The LZA(HH) (1) is set to achieve 1 minute above LA(H) (2.75m3 at 164.9m3/h) or 100mm minimum.
LZA(HH) is set at 2.5m which meets both criteria
16. The gas cap area is calculated (1.3m2) and checked to ensure it is greater than the calculated minimum
of 1.01m2.
17. Check that height difference between LZA(HH) and top of vessel (0.7m) is greater than the mechanical
requirements shown in section 5.4. (150mm min above mist eliminator + mist eliminator dimension +
150mm min to LZA(HH)).

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Final Separator Dimensions
L
minimum minimum
H1
LZA(HH) trip H3
LA(H) H4
NL NL
D H8
Optional H5
H9 H14 Calming
H10 LA(H)i
NLi NLi LA(L)
H11 H6
LA(L)i LZA(LL) trip
H13
minimum
minimum
0.45D Ls et 0.25D

H1 Mist Eliminator / outlet device to top of vessel 150 3200
H2 Mist Eliminator / outlet device 150 3050

LZA(HH) to bottom of Mist Eliminator / outlet
H3 400 2900
H4 LA(H) to LZA(HH) 100 2500
H5 LA(L) to LA(H) 720 2400
H6 LZA(LL) to LA(L) (1) 830 1680
H7 Bottom of vessel to LZA(LL) 850 850
H8 Top of weir to LZA(HH) 800 1650
H9 Top of Weir to LZA(HH)i 200 1650
H10 LA(H)i to LZA(HH)i 250 1450
H11 LA(L)i to LA(H)i 650 1200
H12 LZA(LL)i to LA(Li) 250 550
H13 Bottom of vessel to LZA(LL)i 300 300

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Summary Comparison between Method 1 & Method-2
Refer to summary table below showing an overall comparison between the above two methods of three phase
separator sizing:
Horizontal three phase
separators with submerged weir
Method-1 Method-2 Remarks
Diameter 3.2 3.2
Total Length - m 10.2 10.2
Gas Cap area (m2) 1.04 1.3
LAHH- m 2.6 2.5
LAH - m 2.5 2.4
NL- m 2.1 2
LAL - m 1.82 1.68
LALL - m 0.85 0.85
LAHHi-m 1.6 1.45
Weir Height - m 1.8 1.65
LAHi - m 1.35 1.2
NIL - m 0.95 0.85
LALi - m 0.55 0.55
LALLi - m 0.3 0.3
Light phase droplet diameter
Back calculated based on
(microns)
110 70 the limited settling rate
from table 5.4
Heavy phase droplet diameter
Back calculated based on
(microns)
the limited settling rate
from table 5.4
65 58
Light phase axial velocity (m/s) 0.0146 NA
Heavy phase axial velocity (m/s) 0.014 NA

Page 77 of 77
-PT&CS/GP/INT/2021/7691

AGES GL 08 002 Vessel Sizing Guidelines

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THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL.

ADNOC GROUP PROJECTS AND

VESSEL SIZING (2 PHASE / 3 PHASE)

Abdulmunim Saif Al Kindy

All parties consent to this document being signed electronically -UPST/UDR/INT/2021/6591

CUSTODIAN Group Projects & Engineering / PT&CS

PREPARED BY REVIEWED BY ENDORSED BY ENDORSED BY

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

The following are inter-relationships for implementation of these Guidelines:

“ADNOC” means Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

“CEO” means chief executive officer.

“Guidelines” means this Vessel Sizing (2 Phase / 3 Phase) Guidelines.

CONTROLLED INTRANET COPY

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

TABLE 1.1 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................. 10

FIGURE 5.1 FORCE BALANCE ON A DROPLET IN VERTICAL FLOW .......................................................... 25

EQUATION 5.1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 26

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Definitions and Abbreviations

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Table 1.1 List of Abbreviations

CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics

CSO Compressor Shut-off

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

International Codes and Standards

AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE (API)

AGES-GL-08-001 Process Design Criteria

GPSA EDB 14th edition Engineering Data Book

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

CLASSIFICATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA FOR GAS/LIQUID, LIQUID/LIQUID AND GAS/

Design Margins and Operating Envelope

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Droplet Size Distribution

Droplet Cut-off Size

Separator Performance Specification

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Requirement for Boot

Gas-Liquid Separator Selection

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Horizontal and Vertical Knock-out Drums

Horizontal and Vertical Vessels with Wire mesh Demister

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Horizontal and Vertical Vessels with Vane Pack

Cyclone with Tangential Inlet

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Table 4.3 General Screening of Two-Phase Liquid-Liquid Separator Types

Horizontal Liquid-liquid Separator (2-phase)

Horizontal Liquid-liquid Separator (2-phase) with Plate Pack

AGES-GL-08-002 Rev. No: 1

Horizontal Separator (3-phase)

Horizontal Separator (3-phase) with Plate Pack