Droplet separation

Why is pressure drop an important factor when selecting and designing a droplet separator?

A process gas flow is generated by a fan or compressor, which creates a vacuum or outlet pressure. Pressure is energy, which is a cost and needs to be taken into account in order to find an optimal solution.

A droplet separator made from profiles is designed to withstand high gas flows without too much impact on pressure drop. On the other hand, a candle filter which consists of very small, tightly packed fibres has much greater impact on pressure drop.

In addition to droplet separator design, pressure drop is affected by the gas flow rate, liquid load, viscosity and the amount of solid particles present in the gas stream.

In general, the aim is to achieve the lowest possible pressure drop in relation to the highest possible separation efficiency.