If you consider the sphere 100% efficient, and consider a retention time for the fluids, considering a certain volume area for the retention time:
Above volume in g is based on a flow rate that covers surge rate.
Based on using half of the vessel volume for liquid and half for gas, now go to chart supplied for gas volume, find gas volume based on pressure and micron size, cut volume in half for only using half the vessel.
If you use this same principle on a Vertical Sand Trap:
This alone shows the sphere having 2.54 times the volume rate of
the 24" O.D. x 8'
Vertical Sand trap.
The efficiency of the 24" O.D. x 8' Sand trap will not come close to the
Sphere.
Feature | Spherical Sand Seperators | Small Diameter Horizontal/Vertical Separators |
---|---|---|
Removal Efficiency | Spherical Sand Seperator has a larger cross sectional area allowing for gas flow rate to be decreased and smaller sized sand to be recovered | Small cross sectional area, as desander fills up, rate of gas flow is not allowed to slow significatly leading to sand carryover and re-entrainment. |
Holding Capacity | Spherical Sand Seperator holds more sand, leading to longer time period between having to be emptied. Spherical better manages slugs and surges and minimizes sand carryover | Sand may carry over if not emptied frequently. Liquid surgers may wash solids over wiers and carry over downstream. |
Removing Sand from the Separator | Sand may be removed online by discharging through a choke valve, after bypassing and using some limited pressure, or offline. | Must be taken offline, opened up and sand removed manually. |
Sand separators are designed to protect your field processing and testing equipment from the erosion effect of sand coming from the well bore and formation, this includes frac sand and other solids. The sand separators are available in 1440# psig WP up to 10,000# psig WP.
The spherical design gives you more square feet of area than a standard vertical and horizontal sand separator to give you longer contact to take out particulates.