NUMERICAL STUDY OF A VORAXIAL SEPARATOR FOR TREATMENT OF OIL SPILLS FROM VESSELS

Abstract

The paper introduces a numerical modeling of Voraxial Separator using Ansys Fluent. The Voraxial can specifically be used to separate contaminants, such as oil and sand from large volumes of liquids and without any pressure drop, enabling itself to be utilized in many different applications, both offshore and onshore. The Voraxial which is now available in several different sizes to process volumes is capable of two-way separation. The separator consists of a pip e with an internal diameter of 100 mm, in which the internal swirl element is placed. The swirl element is equipped with vanes, which generate the swirling flow. Downstream of the swirl element, due to the centrifugal force the oil flows towards the center of the 1.7 m long pipe. At the end of this pipe, the oil is extracted by a concentrically placed pick-up tube. Simulation results showed that the separator with 9 vans a good understanding of flow patterns of the swirling turbulent flow of oil-water mixtures. The methodology employed uses two- phase flow models that incorporate a coalescence model for oil droplets. The aim is to understand the oil-water separation capability of devices using swirling oil- water flows as function of key parameters, such as geometry, oil properties and operating conditions.