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COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION, SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING, Kolmetz

Handbook of Process Equipment Design

Article · October 2012

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 Page : 1 of 120

Rev: 03
KLM Technology
Group
Engineering Solutions
Practical Engineering Rev 01 Oct 2012
Guidelines for Processing Rev 02 Sept 2014
Plant Solutions Consulting, Guidelines and Training Rev 03 June 2021

www.klmtechgroup.com

Co Author:

KLM Technology Group The Kolmetz Handbook Rev 01 Aprilia Jaya

P. O. Box 281 of Process Equipment Design Rev 02 Yurika P.M.
Rev 03 Utami Ledyana
Bandar Johor Bahru,
80000 Johor Bahru,
Johor, West Malaysia COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION, Author Editor
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOING
Karl Kolmetz

(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)

TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT 1
INTRODUCTION 6
Scope 6
General Design Consideration 7
DEFINITIONS 10
NOMENCLATURES 14
THEORY 19
Coalescer 20
The Function of Coalescers 22
Coalescing media 23
Contact Angle 23
Slip length 24
Coalescer Design 25
Some Definitions 25
 Page 2 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

Media Selection as Function of interfacial tension (IFT)) and Other Fluid Properties 27
Mat Thickness 29
Coalescing Dispersions of Lower Interfacial Tension 29
Densities of Coalescing Material and Susceptibility to Compaction 31
Velocity. Residence Time and Orientation 31
Basis for Sizing and Selection 34
Stokes Settling With Coalesced Droplets 38
Type of Coalescer Media 42
Media Selection 42
Plate Coalescer 42
Matrix Coalescer 46
Sizing 47
Polypropylene Packs 48
Installation Options 51
Inlet Zone 51
Separation Zone 51
Outlet Zone 52
Mesh Coalescer 52
Coalescer and Separator Catridges 55
Selection Criteria 56
Cost of Filtration Separation 56
Coalescer Cartridges 57
Liquid-liquid coalescer 61
Operating principles of a liquid-liquid coalescer 62

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 3 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

Droplet Capture 63
Droplet Coalescence 65
Liquid-Liquid Coalescer Design 69
Stokes Settling 69
Intra-Media Stokes Settling 73
Direct Interception 75
Gravity Separation Downstream of a Coalescer Element 79
Liquid-Gas Coalescer 82
Ratings/Sizing 86
Formation of Fine Aerosols 90
Liquid-Gas Coalescer Design 95
Gravity Settling 96
Media Velocity 101
Annular Velocity 102
Application 108
Example 1: Liquid-Gas Horizontal Coalescer Design 108
Example 2: Liquid-Gas Vertical Coalescer Design 110
Example 3: Liquid-Liquid Coalescer Design 112
Example 4 Liquid – Liquid Coalescer 115
Example 5 Liquid-Gas Coalescer 118
REFERENCES 16

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 4 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

LIST OF TABLE

Table 1 The effectiveness of various physical coalescing methods 21

Table 2 Coalescing media 23
Table 3 Rising or Settling Velocity in water hydrocarbon system 32
Table 4 Superficial Velocities in vertical coalescers 33
Table 5 Comparison Between Separation time and Droplet Size 35
Table 6 performance of several media type coalescer 50
Table 7 Coalescing media and their applications 68
Table 8 Typical sources and characteristics that can generate dispersion 73
Table 9 Type of coalesce with their coefficient 77
Table 10 Types of Liquid/Gas Separators 84

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 5 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

LIST OF FIGURE

Figure 1 Vertical coalescer 8

Figure 2 Horizontal coalesce 9
Figure 3 Coalescing in the medium 39
Figure 4 Horizontal liquid–liquid coalescer configuration 40
Figure 6 Vertical liquid–liquid coalescer configuration Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 7 Plate Coalescer pack 43
Figure 8 Several Type of Plate Coalescer 45
Figure 9 Matrix Coalescer Packs 46
Figure 10 Typical arrangement of Polypropylene Coalescer 49
Figure 11 Placement of the Packs of Coalescer 52
Figure 12 Media Mesh Coalescer 53
Figure 13 Typical Dual Mesh Coalescer Pack 54
Figure 14 Four Step of The Coalescing Process into Cartridge Coalescer 59
Figure 15 Colaescer Cartridge 60
Figure 16 Three steps coalescing 63
Figure 17 Zones where different coalescing mechanisms apply 64
Figure 18 Forces on a light droplet dispersed in a heavy liquid 70
Figure 19 Volume Fraction Frequency Distributions For Dispersion Of Various Maturities
71
Figure 20 Droplet Size Distribution Curve 79
Figure 21 Liquid Gas Coalescer Design View 83
Figure 22 Coalescer Efficiency Change VS Gas Flow Rate 87
Figure 23 Effect of Chemical Treatment on Coalescer Performance 89
Figure 24 Aerosol Sizes 91
Figure 25 High efficiency liquid-gas coalescer 94
Figure 26 Mechanism in liquid-gas coalescer 95
Figure 27 Forces on Liquid Droplet in Gas Stream 97
Figure 28 Drag coefficient of rigid sphere 98
Figure 29 Effect of surface treatment on annular velocity (a) surface treated and (b)
untreated 106

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 6 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

INTRODUCTION

Scope

This guideline covers the basic elements of coalescer design in sufficient detail to allow
a practicing engineer to design a coalescer with the suitable size including diameter,
length media velocity, and terminal settling velocity.

For coalescers, as with any process equipment, successful sizing and selection is always
a combination of empirical observation/experience and analytical modeling. Of the three
steps in coalescing – droplet capture, combining of the collected droplets, and gravity
separation of the enlarged droplets – the first and the last can be modeled with good
accuracy and repeatability. The modeling of the middle and the actual coalescing step is
a complex function of surface tension and viscous effects, droplet momentum, and the
dynamics of the sizes of the droplets in the dispersion.

The design of coalescer may be influenced by factors, including process requirements,

economics and safety. In this guideline there are tables that assist in making these
factored calculations from the various reference sources. Include in this guideline is a
calculation spreadsheet for the engineering design. All the important parameters used in
this guideline are explained in the definition section which helps the reader understand
the meaning of the parameters and / or the terms used.

The theory section explains source, type of coalesces and its characteristic of droplet,
treated and untreated coalescer and how to calculate sizing and selection of the
coalescer. The application of the coalescer theory with an example will help the practicing
engineer understand the coalescer and be ready to perform the actual design of the
coalescer.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 7 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

General Design Consideration

The biggest development in recent years is the widespread recognition that the actual
performance of a separator may fall far short of the theoretical performance due to the
actual flow patterns within the vessel being far from the ideal. It has, however been helped
by two visualization techniques computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and physical
modeling, which vividly show what can go wrong and how to correct it.

The following factors must be determined before beginning separator design.

1. Gas and liquids flow rates (minimum, average, and peak).

2. Operating and design pressures and temperatures.
3. Surging or slugging tendencies of the feed streams.
4. Physical properties of the fluids, such as density, viscosity, and compressibility.
5. Designed degree of separation

The most important areas to ensure a separator performs to design are as follows.

1. Correct inlet nozzle sizing and a good inlet device (momentum breaker).
2. Primary fluid distribution–distribution plates to translate the reduced but still high
velocities from the inlet device into quiescent flows in a liquid–liquid separator body,
or distribution plates either side of a vane pack (downstream is best as upstream
ones shatter droplets unnecessarily) or other gas demister.
3. Intermediate fluid distribution when necessary.
4. Exit devices: vortex breakers and anti-liquid–pickup details.

Coalescer is a mechanical process vessel with wet-able, high-surface area packing on

which liquid droplets consolidate for gravity separation from a second phase (for example

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 8 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

gas or immiscible liquid), where small particles of one liquid phase must be separated or
removed from a large quantity of another liquid phase. The coalescers might be designed
vertically or horizontally.

The vertical design is used to separate water from hydrocarbons when the interfacial
tension is greater than 3 dyne/cm. The separation stage is achieved using hydrophobic
separator cartridges that provide an effective barrier to aqueous coalesced drops, but
allow hydrocarbon to pass through them. The separator cartridges can be stacked below
the coalescers for the most efficient utilization of the separator medium. This configuration
only applies to the separation of water or aqueous contaminants from hydrocarbons.

After leaving the coalescing stage, the large aqueous coalesced drops and hydrocarbon
then flow axially in a downward direction and the flow direction is from the outside of the
separator to the inside. The large coalesced drops are repelled by the separators and are
collected in the bottom sump. The purified hydrocarbon passes through the separators
and exits at the top of the housing. The aqueous phase in the collection sump can be
drained manually on a periodic basis or equipped with an automatic level control and
drain system.

Figure 1 Vertical coalescer

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 9 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

In the horizontal configuration, a settling zone achieves separation by gravity. This

configuration is used when the interfacial tension is less than 3 dyne/cm or for the
separation of oil from the water phase. The coalescer housing contains a settling zone
that relies on the difference in densities between the coalesced droplets and the bulk fluid

This configuration can be used for both hydrocarbon from water and water from
hydrocarbon separation, but the location of the collection sump and outlet nozzle will need
to be reversed. For the case of removal of hydrocarbon from water, a collection sump is
located at the top of the housing and the purified water leaves at the bottom outlet nozzle.
The sump can be drained manually on a periodic basis or equipped with an automatic
level control and drain system.

Figure 2 Horizontal coalesce

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 10 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

DEFINITIONS

Air standard - Air having a temperature of (20°C), a relative humidity of 36 percent, and
under a pressure of 14.70 PSIA. The gas industry usually considers (16°C) as the
temperature of standard air.

Annular velocity - the actual flow rate divided by the annulus area. Modeled as a linear
function with vertical distance, and the annular velocity is zero at the bottom of the
cartridge and increases to a maximum value at the top of the cartridge.

Annulus - A ring-like part or, the orifice of a hollow die, through which extruded metal
flows from the press.

Coalescence - Liquid particles in suspension that unite to create particles of a greater

volume.

Coalescer - a mechanical process vessel with wettable, high-surface area packing on

which liquid droplets consolidate for gravity separation from a second phase (for example
gas or immiscible liquid), where small particles of one liquid phase must be separated or
removed from a large quantity of another liquid phase.

Control Volume- A certain liquid volume necessary for control purposes and for
maintaining the velocity limit requirement for degassing and to counter foam in
separators.

Conventional Gas-Liquid Separator - In this Standard, the term "Conventional Gas-

Liquid Separator" is referred to vertical or horizontal separators in which gas and liquid
are separated by means of gravity settling with or without a mist eliminating device.

Corrosion – The gradual destruction of materials, by chemical reaction with its

environment.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 11 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

Critical Diameter- Diameter of particles larger than which will be eliminated in a

sedimentation centrifuge.

Demister Mist Extractor- A device installed in the top of scrubbers, separators, tray or
packed vessels, etc. to remove liquid droplets entrained in a flowing gas stream.

Disengaging Height- The height provided between bottom of the wire-mesh pad and
liquid level of a vapor-liquid separator

Entrainment - A process in which the liquid boils so violently that suspended droplets of
liquid are carried in the escaping vapor.

Extraction column - Vertical-process vessei in which a desired product is separated from

a liquid by countercurrent contact with a solvent in which the desired product is
preferentially soluble.

Filter- A piece of unit operation equipment by which filtration is performed.

Gas filter - A device used to remove liquid or solid particles from a flowing gas stream

Hold-Up Time- A time period during which the amount of liquid separated in a gas-liquid
separator is actually in the vessel for the purpose of control or vapor separation.

Hydrocarbon – An organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon.

Immiscible - Not capable of mixing (as oil and water)

Interfacial tension - the accumulation of energy and the imbalance force at the interface
of two different phases such as liquid–solid

Knock-Out - A separator used for a bulk separation of gas and liquid.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 12 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

Line Drip- A device typically used in pipelines with very high gas-to-liquid ratios to remove
only free liquid from a gas stream,and not necessarily all the liquid.

Liquefied Natural Gas – Natural gas which predominantly methane that has been
converted to liquid form.

Laminar flow - Streamlined flow of a fluid where viscous forces are more significant than
inertial forces, generally below a Reynolds number of 2000.

Liquid-liquid extraction - The removal of a soluble component from a liquid mixture by

contact with a second liquid, immiscible with the carrier liquid in which the component is
preferentially soluble.

Media velocity - the actual flow rate divided by the coalescer filter area.

Mesh- The "mesh count" (usually called "mesh"), is effectively the number of openings of
a woven wire filter per 25 mm, measured linearly from the center of one wire to another
25 mm from it.

Mercury – Chemical element with the symbol Hg, commonly known as quicksilver.

mmscfd - Abbreviation for million standard cubic feet per day; usually refers to gas flow.

Mud sump - Upstream area in a process vessel where, because of a velocity drop,
entrained solids drop out and are collected in a sump.

Overflow- The stream being discharged out of the top of a hydrocyclone, through a
protruding pipe, is called "overflow". This stream consists of bulk of feed liquid together
with the very fine solids.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 13 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

Process analyzer - An instrument for determining the chemical composition of the

substances involved in a chemical process directly, or for measuring the physical
parameters indicative of composition.

Regenerative Process – A process that utilizes silver on molecular sieve to chemisorb

elemental mercury while providing dehydration at the same time.

Surge tanks- These are storage tanks between units, and can serve a variety of
purposes. They can dampen fluctuations in flow rate, composition or temperature. They
can allow one unit to be shut down for maintenance without shutting down the entire plant.

Separator - a cylindrical or spherical vessel used to isolate the components in mixed

streams of fluids.

Stokes' law - the law that the force that retards a sphere moving through a viscous fluid
is directly proportional to the velocity of the sphere, the radius of the sphere, and the
viscosity of the fluid.

Suspension - a system consisting of a suspension of solid particles in a liquid

Terminal Velocity - The velocity at which a particle or droplet will fall under the action of
gravity, when drag force just balances gravitational force and the particle (or droplet)
continues to fall at constant velocity.

Target Efficiency- The fraction of particles or droplets in the entraining fluid of a

separator, moving past an object in the fluid, which impinge on the object.

Underflow- The stream containing the remaining liquid and the coarser solids, which is
discharged through a circular opening at the apex of the core of a hydrocyclone is referred
to as "underflow".

Vapor Space- The volume of a vapor liquid separator above the liquid level.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 14 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

NOMENCLATURE

|Δρ| Absolute value of the difference between the densities of the continuous
and dispersed phase, lb/ft3
A Cross sectional area, ft2
Aann Cross sectional annular area, ft2
Amed Media area for one coalesce, ft2
C’ Drag coefficient.
C1 Sheet coefficient
d Droplet Diameter, in
d Droplet Diameter, microns
Dc Diameter of house, ft
dp Droplet diameter, microns or ft
E Effective Length Multiplier
g Gravitational constant, ft/s2
h Corrugated plate spacing or structured packing crimp height, in
K Kuwabara’s Hydrodynamic Factor
L Element length required for removal of all droplets, in
M Mass flow at standard condition, lb/s
N Number of coalescers
Qa Actual system flow rate, ft/s
Ql Liquid/liquid emulsion flow, US GPM
Qs Standard system flow rate,ft/s
Rc Radius of coalescer end cap, ft
Rh Radius of the housing, ft
Sg Specific gravity
tdr Droplet Rise Time, s
tr Droplet Residence Time, s
VC Coalescer volume, ft3
vmax Emulsion velocity, ft/s
vs Superficial Velocity, ft/s

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 15 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

vt Terminal Settling Velocity, ft/s

α Volume Fraction of Fibers or Wires
ΔSg Specific Gravity Difference between the Continuous and Dispersed
ηD Collection Efficiency of a Single Target by Direct Interception
ηs Fractional Collection Efficiency by Stokes Settling, typically 0.999

Greek Leters

μ Continuous Phase Viscosity, cP

ρair Density of air at standard temperature and pressure, lb/ft3
ρg Density of gas, lb/ft3
ρL Density of liquid, lb/ft3
Σ Overall collection efficiency by direct interception

Superscript

A Cross sectional area, ft2

E Effective Length Multiplier
Fg Fibreglass
K Kuwabara’s Hydrodynamic Factor
L Element length required for removal of all droplets, in
M Mass flow at standard condition, lb/s
M minimum
N Number of coalescers
pI polyester I
plII polyester II

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 16 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

REFERENCES

1. K Kolmetz et al, Kolmetz Handbook of Process Equipment Design, Separator

Vessels Selection, Sizing, And Troubleshooting, Engineering Design Guidelines,
2014

2. K Kolmetz et al, Kolmetz Handbook of Process Equipment Design, Pressure

Vessels Selection, Sizing And Troubleshooting, Engineering Design Guidelines,
2020

3. K Kolmetz et al, Kolmetz Handbook of Process Equipment Design, Piping Fluid

Flow Sizing and Selection, Sizing And Troubleshooting, Engineering Design
Guidelines, 2018

4. K Kolmetz et al, Kolmetz Handbook of Process Equipment Design, Filter

Seperator Selection, Sizing And Troubleshooting, Engineering Design
Guidelines, 2020

5. K Kolmetz et al, Kolmetz Handbook of Process Equipment Design, Demister

Pads Selection, Sizing And Troubleshooting, Engineering Design Guidelines,
2020

6. Adamson, AW., Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, John Wiley and Sons, New York
1976:pgs. 18-40.

7. Belk, T.E.,Effect of Physical Chemical Parameters on Coalescence, Chemical

Engineering Progress, Vol. 61, No.10, October l965:pp.72-76.

8. Chambers, D.B., “Oil-Water Separations Using Fibrous Materials,” Chemistry and

Industry, Vol. 21, November 4, l974:pp.834-837.

9. Davies, GA., Jeffrcys, G.V., Azfal, M., “New Packing for Coalescence and
Separation,” British Chemical Engineering and Process Technology, Vol. 17, No.
9, Sept. 1972 :709-714.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 17 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

10. Davies, GA., Jeffreys, G.V., Ali, F. and Afzal, M., The Chemical Engineer, October
1972:392-396.

11. Dell, F.R., and Pratt, H.R.C., Trans. Inst C/. E., Vol. 29, l95l:pp. 89 and 270.

12. Fowkes, F.M., Anderson, F.W.and JE. Berger, “Bimetallic

Coalescers,” Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 4, No.6, June
1970:510-514.

13. Hazlett, RN., “Fibrous Bed Coalescence of Water”, I+E.C. Fundamentals, Vol.8,
No.4, November l969:p.633-640.

14. Hazlett, R.N., Fibrous Bed Coalescence of Water, I&EC Fundamentals, Vol. 8,
No. 4, Nov. 1969:625-632.

15. Hazlett, RN., Carhart, 11W., “Removal of Water from Fuel Using a Fibrous
Bed,”Filtration and Separation, July/August, 1972:456-465

16. Hu, S., and Kintner, R.C. “The Fall of Simple Liquid Drops Through Water,”
AIChE Journal, Vol.1, March l955:p.42.

17. Jordan, G.V., “Coalescence: Porous Materials,” Chemical Engineering

Progress, Oct.1965:pp. 64-71.

18. Jordan, G.V., “Separation of Immiscible Liquids by Means of Porous

Membranes;” Trans. ASME, April l955:pp.393-400.

19. Gayler, R., and Pratt, H.R.C., Trans. Inst Ch. E., Vol. 29, 195l:p.110 and Vol.
31, 1953:p. 69.

20. Kintner, R.C., Drop Phenomena Affecting Liquid Extraction, Advances in Chem.
Eng., Vol 4, Drew, TB. et al, Editors, Academic Press, 1963.

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
 Page 18 of 120
The Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology Group of Process Equipment Design
Practical Engineering Guidelines for Rev: 03
Processing Plant Solutions COALESCER SYSTEMS SELECTION,
SIZING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
www.klmtechgroup.com
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES July 2020

21. Langdon, W.M.; Fochtman, E.G.; Stark, L.L.; Grant, MG.; Petro/Chem Engineer,
November 1963:p.34-40.

22. Lewis, J.B., Jones, J., and Pratt, H.R.C., Trans. Inst. Ch. E., Vol. 29, 1951:p.
126.

23. Mokhatab and friends. 2006. Hand Book of Natural Gas Transmission and
Processing. Chapter 5. Elsevier, inc. USA

24. Moore, Wi., Physical Chemistry, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, I 972:pg.476

25. Redmon, C., “Cartridge Type Coalescers,” Chemical Engineering Progress, Vol.
59, No.9, 1963:pp.87-90.

26. Sareen, S.S.,Rose, P.M., Gudesen, R.C., and Kirtner, R.C., Coalescence in
Fibrous, AIChE J, Vol. 12, No.6, Nov. 1966:1045-1050.

27. Towler & Sinnott. 2008. Principles, Practice and Economics of Plant and
Process Design. Chapter 10. Elsevier, inc. USA

28. Wines. T. High Performance Liquid/Gas Coalescers for Compressor Protection.

Pall Corporation. Presented at the 1999 Compressor Workshop, Lambton
College, Sarnia, Ontario.

29. Wines, T.H., and Brown, R.J., “Minimizing Liquid Contaminants in Natural Gas
Liquids,” Paper Presented to the Gas Processors Association, 75’th Annual
Meeting,

30. Wines and friends. High Efficiency Coalescers Increase On-Line Process
Analyzer Sensor Reliability. Pall Corporation. Presented at the Analysis Division
48th Annual Spring Symposium, Calgary, Alberta Canada, April 27-30, 2003

These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design
cases. They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design
must always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly
reduce the amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a
training tool for young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.

This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.

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