Operations & Maintenance

PDF

Vortex Breakers in Practice

June 1, 2016 | By Jim Gregory and Katy Lentz, Fluor Corp.

When vortex formation limits outflow from a tank, consider a disc-type vortex
breaker

Chemical engineers have long said that, while it is easy to get liquid into a tank, it Related Content
can be difficult to get liquid out. Large line sizes or high-pressure pumps can fill
tanks at any desired rate. Tank drainage rates, in contrast, are strictly limited by Portable compressors that are easy
vortex formation. High-powered pumps cannot increase the drain rate because a to transport
Powerful, lightweight, quiet, versatile
vortex extends into the outlet nozzle and blocks the flow. The vortex is caused by
and easy to transport: these are the
the Coriolis effect.
key features of the smallest models
in the e-power…
Enhancing Ethylene Production:
Borouge's Success with Aspen Modular Construction: Choosing the
GDOT™ Deployment Optimal Module Type
Plant process modules are not a one-
Sponsored by AspenTech
size-fits-all solution. These
Register for this AspenTech webinar! considerations can help determine
Enhancing Ethylene Production: Borouge's Success with Aspen GDOT™ the best size for your project With…
Deployment Join us as experts from Borouge share their experiences
deploying Aspen GDOT and how it enabled them to maximize feed A Holistic Approach to Asset Risk
utilization, minimize ethane flaring and enhance overall furnace efficiency. Management: Is it All or Nothing?
Learn how Borouge was able to: (1) Improve total site ultimate yield by 0.4%, By combining mechanical integrity
delivering $10M USD of additional benefits, (2) Reduce total flaring intervals and reliability programs into a single
by 90% and (3) Increase energy savings by optimizing ethane recycle rates framework, plants can streamline
their asset maintenance strategies
Coriolis forces and the resultant vortex formation are widely misunderstood
and mitigate…
because they are not well described in chemical engineering textbooks or other
information sources. The Wikipedia entry for Coriolis force actually includes a Innovations in Seals and Gaskets
Simpsons TV show episode as a reference. As a result, some explanation is in Boost Reliability
order. New designs and materials overcome
high temperatures, pressures and
Coriolis force, like centrifugal force, is sometimes referred to as a “fictitious” or aggressive media In the chemical
process industries (CPI), standard
“pseudo” force. This does not mean these forces are in any way unreal. It just
equipment is…
means that they derive from changes in our frame of reference, rather than from
matter and energy, which give rise to forces like gravitation and electromagnetism.
Pipes, Tubes and Fittings
Coriolis force causes a moving object to deflect in the horizontal plane when This pipe-fitting line has been
viewed in a rotating frame of reference (Figure 1). expanded This company recently
expanded its line of carbon-steel
fittings (photo) to bring more press…

Current Issue
Read full edition 

Past issues 

Join today to get all of

CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING

Subscribe Now

Figure 1. The Coriolis force accounts for the motion of an object within a rotating frame of reference.
The purple line shows how a moving object in a non-rotating frame of reference will continue to move in
a straight line. The red line shows its path over the surface of the Earth, thanks to the rotation of the
Earth.

When liquid drains from a tank, a vertical column of liquid in the center moves
down toward the outlet of the tank while the surrounding liquid moves inward
horizontally to fill the void. The liquid moving horizontally is subject to Coriolis
force, which causes it to rotate. The vortex speeds up because the Coriolis force
continues to push the flow faster and away from the center.

Figure 2 shows how the Coriolis force always acts at right angles to the direction
of flow, and never points towards the outlet nozzle. Unlike gravity, which is
independent of velocity, the Coriolis force increases with velocity. The result is an
“acceleration of acceleration”, limited only by fluid viscosity. For water, within half a
minute the whole batch is rotating at about one revolution per second.
 Test Your Knowledge
Focus on Thermal Fluid Systems

Focus on pH Sensors

Secure Your Operation in the Age of

Technology: Put Your Knowledge to the
Test

Test Your Knowledge: Check Valves

Figure 2: As liquid drains from a tank, the Coriolis force acts at right angles to the flow direction and so
More Quizzes >
sets up a vortex motion

The angular momentum of the fluid is the product of the mass of the fluid, its Job Listings
velocity, and its distance from the center of the tank. Due to the conservation of
Chief Electrical Engineer - Leidos -
angular momentum, radius and velocity are inversely related. As the fluid moves Arlington, VA
inward toward the center outlet, the radius of rotation decreases and so the
Electrical Engineer - Applied Vision
velocity increases, increasing the rotation rate. Soon, the cone of the vortex Works - Lexington, KY
extends down to the outlet nozzle and blocks it (Figure 3).
Lead Mechanical Engineer - McKinstry -
Seattle, WA

Wellfield Operations Manager - UR

Energy - , WY

Electronics Engineer - Bonneville Power

Administration (BPA) - Vancouver, WA

View Jobs Search Jobs Post Resume

Figure 3: In a tank without a vortex breaker, a vortex will form and quickly grow to the point where it
obstructs flow from the bottom outlet

In applications where drain rate is not important, vortex formation is usually not a
problem. But there are many applications where the drain rate is important. In
those applications, a vortex breaker is required.
Another negative outcome of operating with a vortex is gas entrainment. Gas from
above the liquid can be drawn down into the vortex, reducing the capacity of the
discharge pump and affecting the performance of processes downstream.

A further problem is reduced cleanability of the tank. Food and pharmaceutical

manufacturers have strict requirements for flowrates in clean-in-place (CIP)
applications. Typically a spray ball must supply about 3 gal/min per foot of tank
circumference (40 L/min per meter) to ensure good cleaning performance. To
prevent liquid holdup, which could allow dirt to accumulate, the discharge rate
must be at least as large as this. In practice, tanks for CIP must be designed to
prevent vortex formation.

Vortex breakers
A vortex breaker is installed to prevent the formation of a vortex when draining a
tank. There are two types of vortex breakers: disc-type and cross-type.

Disc type. The disc type (Figure 4) acts as a baffle plate that impedes axial flow
without interfering with ​radial flow. It is typically designed to be three times the
diameter of the outlet nozzle and mounted approximately 1 in. (25 mm) above the
nozzle. This design eliminates the center vertical column of flow above the disc
and allows only horizontal flow in the area below the disc. As the liquid in the
bottom of the tank moves horizontally towards the exit nozzle, the liquid above
moves downward to replace it. The relatively small volume of liquid in the bottom
dish that is moving toward the exit nozzle still experiences Coriolis force, but only
for a short time since it is about to leave the tank.
 Figure 4. Disc-type vortex breakers work well and do not create undue flow restriction as long as they
are suitably positioned

Cross type. The second type of vortex breaker is the cross type (Figure 5). This is
supposed to eliminate the formation of a vortex by providing a barrier to rotational
flow. In practice, however, small cross-type vortex breakers mounted immediately
above the exit nozzle do not work. A little thought shows why: the cross does not
influence vortex formation since it impedes rotation only in the immediate vicinity
of the outlet, not in the bulk of the tank, which is where the main rotational forces
operate.

Figure 5. Small cross-type vortex breakers do not work in practice because they have no influence on
vortex formation in the main part of the tank

If you watch the draining of a tank without a vortex breaker you will see a vortex
form. If the tank has a cross-type vortex breaker you will also see a vortex form.
Looking down into a fully developed vortex shows that the cross has no effect
whatsoever, with the vortex moving freely from one quadrant to another.

Given the prevalence of vortex formation when draining tanks, it is surprising that
cross-type vortex breakers still sometimes appear in engineering designs. One
reason may be a fear that the alternative disc-type vortex breaker will present too
large a restriction and actually reduce flow out of the tank. This will not occur,
however, as long as the flow area under the disc is greater than the area of the
outlet nozzle.

In conclusion, the Coriolis effect causes liquid to rotate as it drains from a tank.
Unrestricted, the liquid rotation creates a vortex which will block the outlet and
limit the drain rate. In cases where a high drain rate is important, such as for CIP or
to match discharge pump performance, a vortex breaker is required to prevent
liquid holdup and air entrainment. Cross-type vortex breakers are not effective, so
the disc type should be installed whenever a vortex breaker is required.■

Edited by Charles Butcher

Authors
Jim Gregory is a process engineer at Fluor Corp. (100 Fluor
Daniel Dr., Greenville, SC 29607-2762; Email:
jim.gregory@fluor.com). He holds a B.A. in biophysics and a
B.S.Ch.E. from the University of Connecticut, and an M.Sc. in
biochemical engineering from Rutgers University. He has
experience in the design and operation of industrial
microbiological processes ranging from human-cell-line monoclonal antibodies to
diesel fuel.

Katy Lentz is a process engineer at Fluor (100 Fluor Daniel Dr.,

Greenville, SC 29607-2762; Phone: 864-281-4579; Email:
katy.lentz@fluor.com). She holds a B.S.Ch.E. from the University
of Toledo, Ohio. She has experience in the design and operation
of manufacturing and life sciences processes including
monoclonal-antibody therapeutics, clean utilities, electrode manufacturing, carbon
fiber, and bourbon production.
0 Comments 
1 Login

G Start the discussion…

LOG IN WITH OR SIGN UP WITH DISQUS ?

Name

 6 Share Best Newest Oldest

Be the first to comment.

Subscribe Privacy Do Not Sell My Data

FREE e-letters Webinars About Us

Chemical Engineering news and content Partner Insights Awards

delivered every week
Events & Announcements Past Issues

Start your e-letters now White Papers FAQs

Advertising & Media Kit Contact

Editoral Submissions and

Upcomings

  
© Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Cookie Settings | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging | Accessibility
Statement