SWIRL TUBES AS AN IN-LINE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR

This work investigates the gas-liquid separation process in swirl tubes also known as in-line separators. They are compact with no moving parts and have low maintenance. These features fit the exigent conditions expected in hostile offshore production environments but so far these devices are not technologically developed to comply with the demands of gas production fields. The goal of this work is to use CFD to investigate the feasibility of these devices as gas-liquid separators. NOMENCLATURE D vortex finder diameter m mass flow rate X radial coordinate Y axial coordinate Z tangential coordinate U radial velocity V axial velocity W tangential velocity S Swirl number ρ gas density φ dimensionless mass flow rat