Swirling Effects on the Performance of Supersonic Separators for Natural Gas Separation

The effects of swirls on the mass flow rates and on the natural gas velocity and temperature in a supersonic separator were numerically studied using the Reynolds stress model. An experimental system was set up with moist air as working fluid. The results showed that high swirl strengths decreased the mass flow rates through the supersonic separator. An increase in swirl strength resulted in a reduction and non-uniform radial distribution of the gas Mach number at the nozzle exit. With moderate swirls, low temperature (-60 degrees C) and a strong centrifugal field (5.10(6) ms(-2)) are obtained to condense and separate water and heavy hydrocarbons from natural gas. The experimental results agreed with the simulations demonstrating that strong swirls decreased the mass flow rate.