No abstract
The practical aspects related to application of three-flow vortex pipes in the systems of low-temperature separation of associated petroleum gas before its giving in the main pipelines are considered in this paper. The conclusion is drawn that due to the use of these pipes the extinguishing of field torches is becoming rather profitable, improving thereby the ecological situation while developing of oil fields.
No abstract
In current methanol synthesis processes, the flushing and tank gases contain hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, inert components, and residual target product (up to 2.5 vol.%), and they are throttled and directed to combustion. The potential energy in the gas pressure is not utilized, and interest attaches to doing so in order to generate cold and employ it to condense the methanol vapor. The best expander for that purpose is what is called a vortex tube, which implements the Rank-Hilsch effect, in which a high-speed vortex flow separates into cold and hot parts. The thermodynamic performance of the tube is lower than that of a detander but substantially exceeds the throttling effect.The advantages of a vortex tube are the simplicity, compactness, safety, and reliability in industrial use. They are best used in chemical engineering not only because of the unutilized pressure differences but also because one can cool any gas or gas mixture (no matter what the sign of the integral throttle effect), including mixtures containing liquid or condensable components.The general use of these tubes in the chemical industry is prevented by the lack of simple designs providing smooth adjustment of the inlet nozzle area and which enabled one to operate the tubes over an appropriate range of flow parameters. Recently, the GIAP company has developed and patented [1] an adjustable vortex tube that not only generates cold (heat) but also allows one to regulate the pressure (flow rate). Figure 1 shows the regulation principle. The area of the nozzle inlet I is varied by adjusting the height of the rectangular nozzle with a wedge 2, which is driven by an automatic control system via a membrane effector. The inlet nozzle can be shut off completely. This regulator vortex tube has been tested in industry on natural gas and oil-associated gas [2, 3, 4].The vortex technology has been implemented at the Azot Corporation in its M-100 plant for isolating methanol from flushing gases. A preliminary economic study showed that it can provide an additional 600-700 t of raw methanol a year on a single plant. The payback time for the vortex equipment was estimated as 7-8 months, or even somewhat less (6 months), since the only new equipment required was a vortex tube, while the separator and heat exchanger were taken from superannuated plant. Figure 2 shows the vortex plant commissioned in October 1998. The flushing gases at an excess pressure of 3--4 MPa entered the space between the tubes in the heat exchanger 1, where they were cooled by the cold stream from the vortex tube.The condensed methanol was isolated in the separator 2. Then the flushing gases passed to the inlet to the vortex tube 3, where they were spiralized and expanded, pressure falling to 0.4 MPa, and separated into two flows (cold and hot). The cold stream (70% of the total gas) was directed to the tube space in the heat exchanger, where it gave up cold to the initial gas. Beyond the heat exchanger, the hot stream was mixed with the cold one and the flushing gas passed to bur...
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