(59q) Gas Liquid Solid High Pressure Separator Using Internal Hot Hydrogen Addition. Part I Experimental

Gas-solid-liquid adiabatic-separator (HCS) was tested in a pilot plant to determine the optimal dimensions and the best operating conditions. The HCS operate to separate catalyst and alkylate from a slurry stream that leave the new alkylation process. HCS use a hot hydrogen stream to reduce density viscosity, vaporize part of hydrocarbon and preheat the solid. Different geometries were test and underflow and overflow stream characterized using different sensors; radial and axial particle size distribution, temperature and pressure were determined using differential pressure and ECT sensors. The experiments were useful to determine the effect of hydrogen flowrate and temperature, as well as the presence of the riser that work as a vortex finder and help liquid-solid separation. The results show that separation efficiency depend on inlet slurry flow rate, cone length, hydrogen flow rate and temperature, solid content and particle size distributions. The conventional isothermal equation fails to simulate the current adiabatic-operation, to predict gas liquid and solid separation efficiencies and device scale-up. Tangential and axial velocity in the lower cone and in the riser were discussed using information obtained by pressure-differential and two ECT calibrated sensors.