Dynamic simulation, experimental investigation and control system design of gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone separators

Field applications of Gas Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC(c)1 ) separators strongly depend on the implementation of control systems, due to its compactness, less residence time and possible inlet large flow variations. In this investigation, the GLCC control system dynamics has been studied extensively both theoretically and experimentally.; A dynamic model has been developed for the first time for GLCC separators equipped with liquid level and/or pressure control systems, which enable the simulation of the system dynamic behavior. Several novel control philosophies have been developed for field applications of gas-liquid compact separators. A unique optimal control strategy is developed and implemented, which is capable of minimizing the GLCC operating pressure for any flow conditions. This strategy is of primary importance for the two-phase flow GLCC metering loop configuration, where it is desirable to have a minimum pressure drop for optimal production. Simplified linear models have been developed for different control system configurations, which are used to conduct the control system design and simulation. Dedicated control system simulators are built using Matlab/Simulink RTM software for the developed integrated and optimal GLCC control strategies, to simulate the real system dynamic behavior. These control strategies have been successfully implemented for several field applications.; A two-phase flow loop with a GLCC control test section facility has been designed and constructed at the Tulsa University Separation Technology Projects (TUSTP). Detailed experimental investigations are conducted to evaluate system sensitivity and dynamic behavior for the proposed control strategies. The LabView Control Tool Kit is used to implement the control strategies for the experimental study. The performance improvement of the GLCC with control systems, in terms of liquid carry-over, is also evaluated experimentally. The results demonstrate that the proposed control systems are capable of controlling the liquid level and GLCC pressure for a wide range of flow conditions. The experimental results also show that the operational envelope for liquid carry-over is improved by two folds at higher liquid flow-rate region and higher gas flow-rate region.; Comparison of simulation and experimental results shows that the control system simulator is capable of representing the real physical system and can be used to verify the controller design and dynamic behavior. The results of theoretical and experimental studies provide the state-of-the-art in GLCC control, which can be readily applied in the field.; 1GLCC(c)---Gas Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone---copyright, The University of Tulsa, 1994.