Zeta-pdm - Offshore Process Consultancy Specialising in Separation Internals and Systems

Zeta-pdm is the joint venture company formed by the founders of Zeta Dynamics Ltd of the UK and Process Design and Management BV (pdm BV) of The Netherlands. With many years proven experience, both onshore and offshore, considerable investment has been made in research and development programs. This has resulted in development in two particular areas i.e. reducing clients' design and planning time and optimising process design to help reduce equipment size and weight.

Zeta-pdm is a specialist technology supplier and world leader to the oil, gas and petrochemical industries, focusing predominantly on various types of separation processes. These include:

• Separators
• Gas Scrubbers
• Produced Water Flash Drums
• Degassers
• Flare Knock-out Drums

Whether it's a single item of equipment or a process train, Zeta-pdm can also offer a full consultancy service to help identify and rectify problems, optimise efficiency and increase throughput, utilising:

• Process Simulation – Hysis, Static and Dynamic
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• 3D Computer Modeling
• Testing and 3rd Party Verification
• Research and Development Facilities

Zeta-pdm Ltd delivers practical and credible engineering, process design expertise and solutions all in strict accordance with the latest additions of EN ISO 9001:2000, based on the extensive range of internals technology developed in-house and licensed from the founding companies. It brings together the high technology Inlet Processing and fluid distribution technology of Zeta Dynamics Ltd and the flexible high performance gas outlet and packings technology of pdm BV, plus a range of industry standard internals.

Zeta-pdm Ltd has sales and technical offices in the UK, The Netherlands, the USA and Australia, a commercial office in Milan (Italy) and with a growing network of agents in various countries we have widespread local representation and points of contact to better serve the client.

MAIN EQUIPMENT AND SERVICE SUPPLY

The specialty of Zeta-pdm Ltd is the design of separation, gas treatment and processing equipment, based mainly on the supply of in-house fabricated, state of the art, proprietary internals.

This range of equipment may be supplied, either as welded or non-welded components, single or modular items to fit through vessel manways.

We welcome the opportunity to expand the scope of supply to encompass stand-alone vessels to full package design and supply.

Proprietary Process Internals including:

• Inlet devices – ZPV, ZSQ, various vane types, semi-cyclonic, 4G-cyclonic and customised
• Distribution devices – perforated, vane, ZHB, ZVB and ZVE fluid control technology and customised
• Liquid / liquid coalescers – packed and plate
• Gas / liquid demisting / coalescing devices – mesh pad / vane type coalescers and demisting devices, filters and filter coalescers, ZP vane packs and 4G-cyclonic type demisters
• De-foaming equipment

Our product range and experience offers the industry compact and efficient designs, yet a commercially advantageous solution for every separation need.

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)

Whilst process calculations assume to provide information on the overall operating conditions in a separator vessel, they are not able to describe the details of the actual fluid flow field associated with the process. Thus Zeta-pdm Ltd also utilises the latest CFD techniques to troubleshoot existing designs and to enhance new build designs.

The process of CFD involves creating a model geometry, highly representative of the separator vessel. The model is then split to form a computational grid consisting of literally millions of individual cells. The equations of fluid flow are solved at each separate and discrete cell point and combined to provide a solution of the overall flow field.

At Zeta-pdm Ltd, we have the knowledge, resources and equipment to push the accuracy level as close as possible to perfection.

PHYSICAL FLOW VISUALISATION (PFV)

PFV provides a complementary verification to Computational Fluid Dynamics, using a well tested and tried physical modelling analysis method.

Independent studies are carried out in our hydraulics laboratories. The technique has been extensively employed for most major operators across the North Sea sectors to study separators, produced water vessels and gas scrubbers.

The techniques employed derive from a background in the aerospace industry and many years of fluid dynamics orientated research work with BP Research, through the late 1970s and through the 1980’s.

Models are created at model scale, with the principal internals, in the laboratory test rig and the physical flow distribution visually assessed.