ABSTRACT
Phase separators protect downstream equipment designed to process a single phase and trap entrained liquids leaving the processes. They are the critical step in most processes in gas plants. Bacon (2001) provides an extensive discussion on designing of separators and provides four design examples. (Bacon, 2001 provides a spreadsheet, which includes the design calculations on the conference proceedings CD.)
The various kinds of separators can have more than one name, often depending upon geographic locale. Listed below are some common separators:
• Knockout-vessel with no internals to enhance separation. • Scrubber-vessel designed to process high gas/liquid ratios. The liquid is entrained as
a mist. The vessel may have internals but the liquid collection section is usually small. Scrubbers are commonly used to protect downstream equipment and processes.
