High pressure separators are applied throughout the oil and gas value chain including offshore and onshore production, gas treating and transportation, LNG, refining and petrochemical. New separators are designed to have high vapor capacity while maintaining a small footprint for the drum, as this yields an optimal vessel cost.
DEMISTER-PLUS mist eliminators are typically applied in high pressure separators to yield a compact design. DEMISTER-PLUS mist eliminators combine the high gas capacity of a FLEXICHEVRON® mist eliminator or VORSOMAX® cyclone mist eliminator with the high efficiency of a DEMISTER® mist eliminator. Different arrangements of DEMISTER-PLUS mist eliminators can be applied depending on the vessel arrangement. For existing separators experiencing capacity creep, a DEMISTER-PLUS mist eliminator can debottleneck the process and avoid the need to replace with a larger drum. These retrofits can often be performed with little or no welding.
Regardless of the mist elimination equipment utilized, delivery of mixed phase into the feed zone of the separator is critical to ensure good vapor distribution. Without proper feed zone design, mist elimination internals can experience zones of high velocity which can lead to re-entrainment. Inlet devices such as the YORK-EVENFLOW vane inlet device or the VORSOMAX® cyclonic inlet device are used for this purpose. Selection criteria are based on many factors including but not limited to geometry, liquid surface tension, and foaming tendency.