Analysis of the construction of a gas-liquid separator and study of its characteristic

Abstract

There are a variety of designs of gas-liquid separators, differing in purpose, construction, principle of operation, type of drive, and so on. However, they are constantly being improved: the design is optimized and the efficiency of operation is increased. In this paper, the design of a gas-liquid separator with a partition in the inlet is proposed. The presence of such an element allows to increase the gas flow rate. This increases the efficiency of operation and reduces the overall dimensions of the separator. Another feature of this design is the placement of the baffle directly in the flange of the separator. This solution eliminates the need for technological interventions on the inner surface of the separator body, which allows for weight reduction by minimizing the wall thickness. To study the characteristics of the proposed separator, a three-dimensional model was created in SolidWorks and a simulation was performed. As a result of the simulation, the distribution of velocities and pressures of the gas-liquid mixture was determined in the longitudinal section of the separator and in the section along the axis of the inlet pipe. The value of the resistance to the movement of the gas-liquid mixture generated by the structural elements of the separator was determined. Since one of the main indicators of separators is their efficiency, the efficiency of the proposed separator design was determined based on simulation modeling, which is about 100%, taking into account different diameters of water fractions in the air. Some terms used in the study of the separation efficiency in the FlowSimulation module of the SolidWorks program are described. Further plans are presented for the study of this separator to determine its maximum performance under different boundary conditions (water flow rate, droplet diameter, temperature, different working environments, etc.).