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Sizing a API separator by API 421

The document outlines the sizing procedure for API separators as per the API 421 standard, focusing on design criteria for effective oil-water separation. It details the necessary calculations for dimensions, flow rates, and factors affecting separation efficiency, including temperature and specific gravity. The article emphasizes the importance of adhering to established design ratios and guidelines to ensure optimal separator performance.

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59 views

Sizing a API separator by API 421

The document outlines the sizing procedure for API separators as per the API 421 standard, focusing on design criteria for effective oil-water separation. It details the necessary calculations for dimensions, flow rates, and factors affecting separation efficiency, including temperature and specific gravity. The article emphasizes the importance of adhering to established design ratios and guidelines to ensure optimal separator performance.

Uploaded by

Sanad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sizing an API Separator according

API 421
Author: Horacio Torres MSc Gas, Petrochemical and
Refinery. Chemical Engineer.

The sizing procedure for API separators is described in the USA


standard API 421 Design and Operation of Oil-Water Separators. The
article reviews the procedure with the keys to design criteria to get a
reasonable dimension. The first remark to note is that the API standard
is done by large oil-water separator, but could be used as the
calculations procedure for degreasing small installations.

API Separator Description


An API separator is one or more rectangular tanks in parallel that
separate free oil from an oily effluent by gravity, and which resembles
a rectangular channel due to the relationship between its length and
width. The design criterion are basin in a study done by the Wisconsy
University in 194 In 1947, as a request of the American Petroleum
Institute (API) that provided design criteria for an oil-water separator
system intended for gross oil recovery at the water outlet of oil
refineries. In South American countries they are usually called API
pools (Separadores API).

Dimensional Design Variables of an API Separator


The procedure consists of calculated the dimensions L, B, d and the
number of channels n, as shown in the figure (1).

Fig 1 API settling tank


The variables are:
Qm = Design flow of the separator in ft3/min
L= Length of the separator channel in ft
B = Width of the separator channel in ft
AH = Horizontal or plan area of the channels or pools in ft2
AC = Cross section area of the channels in ft2
ACT = All cross sectional area ACT = d*B*n
API 421 is based on Stokes' law to determine the speed of the free oil
droplets by the driving force of the density differential, for which the
value of 150 microns (0.015 cm) is taken as the minimum diameter to be
separated in an API pool. The simplified Stokes equation is then as
follows:

Stokes' Law Eq. for API separator (d=150 microns)

where:
Vt = Ascent speed of the droplet in ft/min.

ρw = Specific gravity of water at design temperature.


ρo = Specific gravity of oil at design temperature.
μ = Viscosity of oily water at design temperature in poise.
It can be shown (Allen Hazen 1904), under ideal laminar flow conditions,
that a drop at the tank inlet will take a time equivalent to the residence
time of the effluent in the tank tr to rise from the bottom.

From this equation, we can get the minimum horizontal area is given
by:

Hazen Equation

The API 421 standard has added a factor F to take into account
turbulence and short-circuit to determine the horizontal area:

where:
F= Turbulence and short-circuit factor (dimensionless).

Data for Sizing an API Separator


Qm = Design flow rate in ft3/min
T = Design temperature º C / ºF to determine effluent properties.
ρw = Specific gravity of oily water at design temperature
ρo = Specific gravity of oil at design temperature
μ = Viscosity of oily water at design temperature in poise.

For the API separator, you should take in consideration the following
items.
• The design flow rate is usually the maximum possible for API
equipment connected directly to the drainage system. In the case of
equipment fed from tanks or surge tanks, it is usually the average flow
rate.
• Temperature governs the sizing of the tank since the viscosity of the
waste water increases with decreasing temperature and is the factor
that weighs most heavily in the equation. The lower the temperature,
the lower the ascending speed of the drop, and therefore the tank
occupies more area. It is up to the engineer's judgment to decide the
design temperature, with the minimum operating temperature being
the most conservative.
• The difference in density is the driving force for the rise of the drop.
The smaller this difference is, the more difficult it will be to separate by
gravity. The lighter the oil, the less dense, the easier it will be to
separate.
• Since the specific gravity of water is approximately 1, a specific gravity
of 1 for oil would make the buoyancy force 0. This limits separation to
crude oil of approximately 10.1 ºAPI.

API Separator Sizing Procedure


1. Obtain the droplet ascending velocity according to Eq. (1).
2. The horizontal velocity is obtained as follows: Vh = 15 Vt shall be lower
than 3 ft/min.

API Terminal Velocity and Horizontal Velocity in separator


3. If 15 Vt is greater than 3, take 3 ft/min as the maximum value.
4. Calculate AC the cross-sectional area of the channels in ft2

5. To estimate the minimum number of channels, the dimensions of the


largest practical channel are assumed to be one with a width B of 20 ft
and a depth d of 8 ft. This gives a horizontal area of 160 ft2. Thus:

n minimal = Ac/160.

If n is less than 2, take 1 or 2 as the design value. API 421 publication


recommends using n = 2 for maintenance operations, without having to
bypass the entire separator.
6. Choose a channel width B. Remember that if you are going to install
a mudholes and augers mechanism on the API separator, the minimum
recommended width for proper installation is 5 ft.
Choose a standard channel width, standard channels for American
manufacturers start at 5 ft up to 20 ft in 1 ft increments.
7. Once the channel width is chosen, obtain d from equation 4.

8. The ratio d/B should be in the accepted range of 0.3 to 0.5. The value
of d calculated by equation (4) will serve as a guide and is the minimum
value of d to satisfy the horizontal velocity condition Vs of equation (3),
but you must use your best judgment in choosing the value of d. Note
that accepted depth values are in the range of 3 ft to 8 ft. If you are going
to include a 3 ft depth bucket and auger mechanism it will be limited to
two axles. Four axle mechanisms are usually used and to accommodate
them a depth of at least 5 ft is required. Two axle mechanisms also have
lower limits on length to maintain chain tension and prevent derailment.
When designing between 3 ft and 5 ft depth you should consult the
manufacturers.
9. Check that the d/B ratio is between 0.3 and 0.5. If not you will have to
keep playing with the choice of d and B until this condition is met.
10. Now calculate the horizontal velocity for the selected d and B
dimensions.
11. The turbulence and short circuit factor F is given by F = FC x FF. The
short circuit factor Fc is assumed to be 1.2 and the turbulence factor is
a function of Y = Vh/Vt.
The total factor F is obtained from Figure 4 of API 421, but you can use
as an alternative procedure the equation 6:

12. The separator length is given by the following equation: L = F (Vh /


Vt) d.
13. The minimum L/B ratio is 5. Obtain L/B from the result obtained in 12
and if it is less than 5, obtain L as: L = 5 B.

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