Design and Performance of Passive Control System for Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone Separators

The performance of gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone (GLCC) separators can be improved by reducing or eliminating liquid carryover into the gas stream or gas carryunder through the liquid stream, utilizing a suitable liquid level control. In this study, a new passive control system has been developed for the GLCC, in which the control is achieved by utilizing only the liquid flow energy. A passive control system is highly desirable for remote, unmanned locations operated with no external power source. Salient features of this design are presented here. Detailed experimental and modeling studies have been conducted to evaluate the improvement in the GLCC operational envelope for liquid carryover with the passive control system. The results demonstrate that a passive control system is feasible for operation in normal slug flow conditions. The advantage of a dual inlet configuration of the GLCC is quantified for comparative evaluation of the passive control system. The results of this study could form the basis for future development of active control systems using a classical control approach.