TWISTER BV HAS announced the market introduction of the Twister SWIRL Valve TM – a new gas processing product which improves the separation of two-phase flow across a pressure reduction valve, such as a choke valve, Joule Thomson (JT) valve or control valve.
This in turn significantly improves the separation efficiency of downstream separators. It is expected that this SWIRL Valve technology will be effective in flow debottlenecking of existing separator trains, whilst also minimising liquid carry-over and/or gas carry under, reducing chemical losses and enabling significantly higher liquid recovery. The improved separation efficiency of the Twister SWIRL Valve can be used to either increase the flow capacity of existing JT-LTS plants, or to reduce the pressure drop required for JT cooling, or to lower the hydrocarbon dew point, and also to reduce glycol carry-over. SWIRL Valves can be applied for all Joule Thomson expansion gas flows. The Netherlands-based Twister BV Company was launched by Shell Technology Ventures in April 2000, and holds significant experience in natural gas processing technology development, plant delivery and operational support. Their main product line is the Twister Supersonic Separator which produces gas at supersonic velocities, extracting water & hydrocarbon liquids. Compared to conventional technologies, the Twister process requires no chemicals and hence reduces exposure to hazardous gas emissions. It has no moving parts, permits near instant start up and allows considerable cost reduction, particularly for offshore installations. Additional details are available on the company website (www.TwisterBV.com).
