SYSTEM ENGINEERING GUIDE PEFG–1027

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DRUM SIZING

0 01/12/10 INITIAL 김광수

Rev. No. Date Revision Description Prepared Reviewed Approved
(Y/M/D) 개정 내용 by by by
Validity st
1 Validation 2nd Validation 3rd Validation 4th validation 5th Validation

J.Y.Kim C.S.Koh

Date(Y/M/D) 03/12/03 05/12/03

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 SUMMARY....................................................................................................................................... 3
2.0 DESCRIPTION AND SELECTION OF PROCESS DRUMS.............................................................3
2.1 LIQUID SURGE DRUM...................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 VAPOR – LIQUID SEPARATOR........................................................................................................... 3
2.3 KNOCK-OUT DRUM.......................................................................................................................... 4
3.0 LIQUID SURGE DRUM.................................................................................................................... 4
4.0 VAPOR – LIQUID SEPARATOR...................................................................................................... 9
4.1 VERTICAL SEPARATOR................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 HORIZONTAL SEPARATOR............................................................................................................... 11
5.0 KNOCK-OUT DRUMS.................................................................................................................... 13
6.0 REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................. 13
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1.0 SUMMARY
The purpose of this chapter is to provide the design guides and criteria’ to be generally applied for
sizing three basic types of process drums ; liquid surge drum, vapor-liquid separator and knock-out
drum including process steam drums.
The methods presented in this guide represented a good design practice for sizing the process
drums found in general refinery.
2.0 DESCRIPTION AND SELECTION OF PROCESS DRUMS
There are three main type of process drums commonly used by SKEC for which sizing procedures
and design recommendations are given in this guide. They are
- Liquid surge drum
- Vapor – Liquid separator
- Liquid knock-out drum
The service that each type of drum gives in process plants and some typical process application
for each type are described in following subsections.
2.1 Liquid Surge Drum
Liquid surge drums are used to provide storage or surge capacity for liquid streams which
are substantially free of vapor. As running storage for the feed to other process units, they
provide a convenient way of assuring relatively constant or rate-controlled flow. Surge
drums may be built in either in horizontal or vertical positions.
There is no operational advantage for either position. The drum is positioned based on the
available space according to plant layout, the cost of supporting structure, etc.
Notes
Surge time : Defined as the time it takes for the liquid level to rise from normal liquid level
(NLL) to maximum liquid level (HLL) while maintaining a normal feed without any outlet
flow.
Hold-up time : Defined as the time it takes to reduces the liquid level from normal liquid level
(NLL) to empty (LLL) while maintaining a normal liquid outlet flow without feed make-up.
2.2 Vapor – Liquid Separator
The main function of this type of drum is to separate vapor-liquid mixtures and deliver
substantially liquid-free vapors to other process units. The vapor-liquids separator may be
built in either vertical or horizontal position.
Vertical vapor-liquid separator
Vertical type is preferred for handling mixtures with high vapor/liquid mass flow ratio and
usually one liquid phase. In certain cases, the vapor-liquid separation may take place
simultaneously with the settling separation of the two liquid phases. In the cases where only
a small amount of heavy liquid phase is present, vertical drum still may be used.
Typical application of vertical vapor-liquid separators are
- Flash drums
- Continuous blowdown drums
Horizontal vapor-liquid separator
Horizontal drums are preferred to handle the following cases :
- Mixtures with low vapor/liquid mass flow ratio and only one liquid phase
- Mixtures with containing vapor and two immiscible liquid phases
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An attached pot may be used in certain cases to catch the heavy phase outside of drum,
thus permitting better control of the operation and possibly reducing the drum size.
Typical application of horizontal vapor-liquid separators are
- Overhead condenser receivers on distillation units
- Water disengaging drums
- Reflux receivers
- Steam drums
- Intermittent blowdon drums
2.3 Knock-out Drum
Knock-out drums are provided primary to prevent mechanical damage or operational
hazardous for equipment caused by liquid entrainment or spill over. Basic design concept is
same as vertical separator but separating liquid particle size is quite different. For drum
sizing, particle size required to separate should be selected.
Liquid particles will be separated from vapor stream when the residence time of vapor or
gas is equal or greater than the time required to travel the available vertical height at the
dropout velocity of the liquid particles and the vertical gas velocity is sufficiently low to
permit the liquid droplet to fall. This vertical height is usually taken as the distance from the
liquid surface.
Typical application of Knock-out drums are
- Flare Knock-out drum
- Compressor suction
- Fuel gas drum
3.0 LIQUID SURGE DRUM
Surge drum should be designed based on surge time and hold-up time to provide reasonable
operating flexibility. These times should be sufficient for the operating personnel to sense and
correct a process upset around a piece of process equipment such as a pump failure. The lag time
between sensing and correcting trouble is dependent upon the experience of the personnel
operating the unit and the degree of sophistication of the instrumentation.
For Liquid surge drum, total surge capacity (Surge + Hold-up) is essential, so this Guide
considered only total surge capacity.
Recommendation for typical liquid surge capacity is given in the table below. These
recommendations are based on experienced operating personnel and a well instrumented unit.
The designer should consider increasing the recommended surge capacity by multiplying the
following factors;
Personnel Factor Instrumentation Factor
Experienced 1.0 Well instrumented 1.0
Fully Trained 1.2 Standard instrumented 1.2
Inexperienced 1.5 Poorly instrumented 1.5
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SURGE CAPACITY

Service Ts, mim Remarks

Surge drum feeds a given process unit, but receives the

liquid from another unit which is tied into a separate 20
control house.
Same as above but surge drum receives the liquid from
15
a process unit tied into the same control house
Surge drum to feed a process unit, but receives the
15
liquid from off-site tankage
Liquid from surge drum is to feed a tower tied into a
12
separate control house
Liquid from surge drum is to feed a tower tied into a
8
same control house
Liquid from surge drum to off-site tankage or directly to
3
a feed drum for another unit (gravity flow)
Same as above but liquid is pumped from the surge
5
drum
Liquid from surge drum to either off-site tankage or to
5
another feed, via feed-bottom heat exchanger
Liquid from surge drum is the sole charge to a fired
10
heater
Liquid from surge drum feed a fired reboiler; the surge
capacity is based on the reboiler vapor expressed as a
5+
liquid (5 minute) plus appropriate surge capacity for the
bottom product based on the specific service
Vapor-liquid separator between a high pressure and a
4
low pressure
Distillate drum acting as reflux accumulator only 5
Distillate drums (reflux drums) which also serve as a
product receivers, the surge capacity is based on reflux
3+
(3 minute) plus the appropriate surge capacity based on
the specific service
Compressor suction knock-out drum, based on liquid
rate from largest single liquid producing unit preceding 10
the compressor
Additional or emergency surge for interstage knock-out
drums (based on maximum interstage condensate 10
production rate)

Surge volume should be equivalent to 80% ~ 90% of the total drum volume, after accounting for
useful head volume.
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HORIZONTAL SURGE DRUM

inlet vent

High liquid level hv

hl D
Low liquid level
hb

outlet

Notes ;
1. The high and low liquid levels indicate the effective measuring range of the
gage glass.
2. For nozzle installation on the shell, the minimum dimension from the tangent
line to the center line of the nozzle is
(6 + d) inch
where d = nozzle diameter in inches.
3. Recommended value for hv and hb for horizontal vessel is 9 inches.
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VERTICAL DRUM

Vent

Feed Nozzle

hv High liquid
level

D
L hl Notes ; hv and hb = 6 in or
Min. 150 mm
Low liquid
level
h
b

Liquid Outlet

[EXAMPLE] A horizontal drum is to be designed for holding liquid ethylene at –110 oF and 90 psia.
Ethylene flows into the drum at a rate of 35,000 lb/hr, having a density of 33.2 lb/ft3 at the above
flowing conditions. The drum is feeding a reactor and it receives the liquid ethylene from off-site
storage.

1) Select a surge capacity based on above table, Ts = 12 minutes.

Since P > 50 psig, select an L/D ratio of 3.
Volume flow rate :
W 35,000
Q = = 17.57 ft3/min
60   60  33.2
2) Surge volume required :
Vh = Q x Ts = (17.57 x 12) = 210.8 ft3
Vh
Drum volume : Vt = = 210.8 / 0.8 = 263.6 ft3
0.8
(As noted above, surge volume should be 80% ~ 90% of total volume)

3) Calculate tentative vessel diameter

  D2
Vt = L,L=3xD
4
D = 4.8 ft and L = 14.5 ft
Select D = 5 ft , then L = 13.5 ft
4) According to recommended values for horizontal drums,
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hv = 9 inches
hb = 9 inches
Then, hl = 42 inches

5) Select 2:1 elliptical for a 5 ft diameter drum.

6) Consider the additional volume contributed by the two head in order to obtain a more
economical size.

hv = 9 in

hl = 42 in D = 5 ft = 60 in

hb = 9 in

- Depth at 9 inches : (9 / 60) x 100 = 15% (Low liquid level)

- Depth at 51 inches: (51 / 60) x 100 = 85% (High liquid level)

From Figure 3 :
(a) Capacity of 2 elliptical heads at 85% depth with 5 ft diameter : 231 gallons.
(b) Capacity of 2 elliptical heads at 15% depth with 5 ft diameter : 15 gallons.

The surge volume in the two heads:

231 - 15 = 216 gals. = 216 / 7.48 = 28.9 ft3

Surge volume left for shell:

210.8 – 28.9 = 181.9 ft3
Again from Figure 1
(a) Capacity of 5 ft diameter shall at 85% depth : 133.1 gal/ft per ft of shell
(b) Capacity of 5 ft diameter shall at 15% depth : 13.8 gal/ft per ft of shell

Surge volume per foot of shell:

133.1 – 13.8 = 119.3 gal = 16.0 ft3

Length of shell:
3
181.9 ( ft )
16.0 ft 3 / ft = 11.4 ft

say 11.5 ft (saved 2 ft in shell length y accounting for volume heads.)

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(7) Final dimension

D = 5 ft
L = 11.5 ft
L/D = 2.3 (Low but acceptable)
hv = 9 inches
hb = 9 inches
hl = 42 inches
4.0 VAPOR – LIQUID SEPARATOR
Two phase separators may be oriented either vertically or horizontally. In some cases, it may be
necessary to compare both designs to determine which is more economic. Separators may be
designed with or without mist eliminator pads and may also have inlet diverters. Some separators
may have proprietary impingement or settling internals. The vendor should be contacted to design
these types of vessels. Vertical vapor-liquid separators are preferred for separating liquid from
mixtures with high vapor/liquid ratio while horizontal separators are preferred for separating vapor
from mixtures with a low vapor/liquid ratio.
Vapor/liquid separation is usually accomplished in three stages. The first stage, primary
separation, uses an inlet diverter so that the momentum of the liquid entrained in the vapor causes
the largest droplets to impinge on the diverter and then drop by gravity. The next stage, secondary
separation, is gravity separation of smaller droplets as the vapor flows through disengaging area.
The final stage is mist elimination where the smallest droplets are coalesced so that larger droplets
are formed which will separate by gravity.
For secondary separation, the allowable velocity must be calculated so that disengaging area can
be subsequently determined. Performing a force balance on the liquid droplet settling out provides
the necessary relationship. When the net gravity force, given by Eq.1,
M P (  L  V ) g
FG 
g C V (1)
balances the drag force, given by Eq. 2,

( / 8)C D D P2U V2  V
FD 
gC (2)
the heavier liquid droplets will settle at a constant terminal velocity, UT. Equating Eqs. 1 and 2
results in,

4 gDP (  L   V )
UT 
3C D  V
(3)

Hence, as long as UV < UT, the liquid droplets will settle out. Typically, the allowable vertical
velocity, UV, is set between 0.75 UT and 1 UT. Eq.3 can be rearranged as Eq.4, a Sauders-Brown
type equation (1) :
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(  L  V )
UT  K
V
(4)
where

4 gDP
K 
3C D
(5)
Practically, very small droplets can not be separated by gravity alone. These droplets are
coalescing devices in separators force the gas to follow a tortuous path and the momentum of the
droplets causes them to collide with other droplets or the coalescing device, forming larger
droplets. The coalesced droplet diameter is not adequately predictable so the K values for mist
eliminator are typically empirical. This is where subjectivity first enters separator design. There are
several literature sources of K value such as GPSA Engineering Handbook, numbers of technical
publication and vendor’s recommendations. This guide uses K value specified in GPSA
Engineering Handbook and the recommended K values are given in below;

0  P  1500 ; K  0 . 35  0 . 01 (( P  100 ) / 100 ) P, psia

Most vapor under vacuum ; K  0.20
For glycol and amine solutions ; 0.6 K ~ 0.8 K
For vertical vessel without mist eliminator ; 0.5 K
For compressor suction scrubber, molecular sieves and expander inlet separator ;
0.7 K ~ 0.8 K
4.1 Vertical Separator
For vertical separator, the vapor disengaging area is the entire cross-sectional area of the
vessel so that vapor disengagement diameter can be calculated from Eq.6:

 QV
DVD 
4 UV
(6)

Technically, this is mist eliminator diameter and the inside diameter of the vessel must be
slightly larger so that the mist eliminator can be installed inside the vessel.
Typically, the calculated value is taken up to the next six inches. This value is taken as the
required diameter of the vessel, D, and the corresponding cross-sectional area, A, is
calculated using this diameter.

The next step in sizing a vertical separator is to determine the height. For two phase vertical
separator, the total height can be broken into sections as shown in below;
This separator height is then calculated the heights of these sections, as per Eq.7.
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H T  H LLL  H H  H S  H LIN  H D (7)

If a mist eliminator pad is used, additional height is added, as shown in drawing.

Vapor
Outlet

12”
6”
HHD
D
HD dN DV
HT H
Feed
inlet D
HLIN HLL

HS
NLL
HH
LLL
HLLL

Liquid
Outlet

4.2 Horizontal Separator

For horizontal two phase separators, the cross section is occupied by both vapor and liquid
as shown in below;

Feed
inlet Vapor
N outlet
N

Min. 12”
HLL
AV HV
AS Surge NLL
Min. 12” D
AH Hold-up
LLL

ALLL HLL

N
L

N = dN + 6”
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When sizing horizontal two phase separators, usually the diameter is assumed, LLL is
selected or calculated, NLL is set by liquid hold-up, and HLL is set by liquid surge. The
cross sectional area between HLL and top of the vessel is used for vapor disengagement.
The length of vessel is then calculated to accommodate hold-up and surge or to facilitate
vapor liquid separation. Hence, this approach to sizing horizontal separators, or variations of
it, are iterative calculation.

The following will develop the basic equation used for calculating the size of horizontal
separator. For a horizontal separator cross section, a volume balance is written.

V H  V S  L( AT  AVD  ALLL )
(8)

Hold-up and surge volumes are calculated from hold-up and surge times which are selected
according to guide lines shown in Attachment # 2.

The low liquid level area is a function of the low liquid level height, obtained from guide
lines, and vessel diameter as shown in Attachment # 3.
The minimum vapor disengaging area, AVD, is typically specified as one to two ft or 20% of
the vessel inside diameter, which is grater.

For horizontal separators, the liquid droplet to be separated from the gas a horizontal drag
force which is not directly opposite to gravity as in the vertical case. Without detailed
treatment of two dimensional particle motion, most literature sources recognize that the
allowable horizontal velocity can be higher than the terminal velocity. This can be shown
simply by equating the “residence” times of the liquid droplet to be settled. That is, the time
it takes to travel the horizontal length between inlet and outlet must be greater than the time
it takes to settle the vertical distance to the liquid surface.

L H
 V
U AH UT
(9)

This can be rearranged in terms of the allowable horizontal velocity.

L
U AH  UT
HV (10)

The length, L, divided by height of vapor disengagement area, HV, would always be greater
than unity.

Refer to Attachment # 4 for design detail.

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5.0 KNOCK-OUT DRUMS

This part will be incorporated in next revision.

6.0 REFERENCE
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ATTACHMENT # 1

OPTIMUM L/D RATIO FOR PROCESS DRUM

The selection of a suitable value for the L/D ratio of a process drum is particular job is affected by
these factors :
(1) Process considerations are a primary factor over cost consideration, meaning that if the
such choice is arises, the shape of drum may be somewhat fixed by requirements resulting
from specified liquid surge capacity, minimum vapor areas, settling velocities, etc. Very
open the ratio of L/D is fixed by plot plan limitation and client specification.
(2) Drums with diameters less than 2 feet may be difficult to build and operate (maintenance
problem), especially if internal such as baffles, wire-mesh pads, special level controller, etc.,
are to be used.
(3) Optimum L/D ratios are not meaningful in the case drum with complex internals as they are
for simple drums.
Cost consideration indicate an optimum L/D ratio for any fixed drum volume. The criteria offered
next should lead in most practical cases to “neat minimum” cost design.
(1) The first general criterion to be met is that the L/D ratio of all process drums should be
within the range: 1.5  L/D  5 , except in the case of surge drum operating at 1 atmosphere
absolute, when it is cheaper to use smaller L/D ratio.
(2) For operating pressures equivalent to design pressure between 50 psig (3.5 kg.cm2g) and
600g psi (42 kg/cm2g), the optimum L/D ratio is around 3 to 4.
(3) For drum at design pressure above 600 psi (42 kg/cm2A) the recommended L/D ratio is
around 4 to 5.
(4) To keep engineering cost low, it is advisable to select the available standard drum sizes
from the manufacturers.
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ATTACHMENT # 2

LIQUID HOLD-UP and SURGE TIME

Service Hold-up Times, Surge Times, Remarks

min. min.
(NLL – HLL) (NLL – LLL)
Separator Feed to column 5 3
Feed to other drum or tankage
- With pump or through exchanger 5 2
- Without pump 2 1
Feed to fired heater 10 3
Reflux or Reflux only 3 2
Accumulator Reflux and accumulator 3+ 2+
Column Feed to another column 5 2
bottom Feed to other drum or tankage
- With pump or through exchanger 5 2
- Without pump 2 1
Feed to fired heater 5–8 2-4

Personnel Factor Instrument Factor

Experienced 1.0 Well instrumented 1.0
Trained 1.2 Standard instrumented 1.2
Inexperienced 1.5 Poorly instrumented 1.5
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ATTACHMENT # 3

LOW LIQUID LEVEL HEIGHT

Vessel Diameter Vertical LLL Horizontal LLL

< 300 psia > 300 psia
 4 ft 15 inches 6 inches 9 inches
6 ft 15 inches 6 inches 10 inches
8 ft 15 inches 6 inches 11 inches
10 ft 6 inches 6 inches 12 inches
12 ft 6 inches 6 inches 13 inches
16 ft 6 inches 6 inches 15 inches
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FIGURE 1

PARTIAL CAPACITY FOR 5 - 50% LIQUID DEPTHS IN CYLINDERICAL SHELL

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FIGURE 2

PARTIAL CAPACITY FOR 5 - 50% LIQUID DEPTHS IN HEMISPHERICAL HEAD

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FIGURE 3

PARTIAL CAPACITY FOR 5 - 50% LIQUID DEPTHS IN 2:1 ELLIPTICAL HEAD