1. Multicomponent droplet growth in supersonic natural gas separators
Barbara Wyslouzil, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus OH 43210
Natural gas is an important part of the U.S. energy supply. Water and higher hydrocarbons must be separated from the raw natural gas before it can be transported in pipelines. One way to do this is to expand the gas in a supersonic nozzle so that it cools and droplets comprised of water and the hydrocarbons form. These droplets are then separated and the gas is recompressed. Measuring the droplet formation and growth rates under conditions that are far from equilibrium is the main theme of our research. This information is critical to improving the performance of these devices.
In situ small angle x-ray scattering experiments play a key role in our research because they let us follow the growth of the droplets with unprecedented detail and stringently test available growth models. Surprisingly, measurements for water (D2O), illustrated below, suggest that none of the available growth models accurately match the observed growth rates of the smallest droplets.