Name: Mellaplate™ Coalescer
Brand: Sulzer

Main benefits

Reduce droplet settling distance
Improved separation efficiency
Improved flow stability
Reduced risk of droplet re-entrainment
Efficiency maintained even with phase inversion of dispersed liquid

Main applications

Very suitable in systems susceptible to fouling with increased plate angle and plate spacing

	Mellaplate W	Mellaplate MG	Mellaplate M	Mellaplate N
Construction form	Flat parallel plates	Structured corrugated flat plates	Structured corrugated metal sheets	Structured corrugated plastic sheets
Relative capacity	1	1.5	1.5	1.5
Typical droplet cut-off size	≥ 50 μm	≥ 100 μm	≥ 50 μm	≥ 50 μm
Pressure drop	Negligible	0.5 – 4 mbar	1 – 10 mbar	1.5 – 15 mbar
Solids handling	High fouling resistance	Good to high fouling resistance	Moderate to good fouling resistance	Moderate to good fouling resistance
Remarks			Also used as wave and foam breaker elements	More suited for de-oiling due to the plastic surface

Mellaplate type W

Sulzer Mellaplate™ W

This type of coalescer has a combination of inclined parallel plates with fixed spacing, thus reducing the droplet settling distance significantly, and enhancing the coalescence process.

This separator is developed for applications where an improvement in the performance of gravity settlers is required. The inclined plate arrangement allows the liquid phases to disengage diagonally towards the liquid interface. Normally, the flow between the plates is kept in the laminar region for better separation performance. The inclination and the spacing between the plates are fixed depending on the application, the nature of contaminants present in the mixture, and degree of separation needed.

Typically, the angle is either 45° or 60° with plate spacing from 15 to 100 mm. Due to the high fouling resistance, the Mellaplate W is, for example, used in crude oil production separators. It is also ideal for retrofitting an existing gravity settler to operate at a higher throughput and improve the separation performance.

From the construction point the Mellaplate W can be made in modular frame arrangement or boxes for easy installation through the manway.

Alternatively, it can also be constructed in one piece for vessels with access through a body flange. Our experienced engineers can assist you in designing this separator to ensure trouble-free installation and operation.

Mellaplate types M MG N

Sulzer Mellaplate™ M, MG, and N

This type of coalescer is made of structured corrugated metal or plastic sheets.

Various universities and oil companies tested Mellaplate M, MG, and N types in oil/water separators also under moving conditions.

We supplied the first Mellaplate in 1988 for the Hutton tension leg platform in the UK. Since then, hundreds of oil/water separators have been equipped with various Mellaplate M, MG, and N types. Some of them were used as foam and wave breaker devices, e.g. in oil/water separators on Tension Leg Platforms (TLP) or floating production, storage and offloading units (FPSO).

Vessel arrangement