Production Engineering II

Separation Process
 Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)
1. Differentiate between various types of offshore
structure.

2. Analyze the HSE requirement for oil and gas fields

operation.

3. Propose the suitable processes and treatment

equipment to manage produced oil, gas and water.

4. Perform standard engineering calculations for the

design of separator, storage tanks and pipelines.
 Lecture Outcomes
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to :

 Identify the internal parts of separators

 Identify the function of each part.

 Identify and understand the problems expected during dealing

with different types of flow streams

 Vessel Internals
Inlet Diverter

Sand Jets Wave

and Drain Breaker

Vessel
Internals
Mist Defoaming
Extractor Plates

Vortex
Breaker
Vessel Internals
Vessel Internals
 Inlet Diverter
 Functions to :

(i) To impart flow direction of the entering stream

(ii) To provide primary separation of liquid and vapor

 There are many types of inlet diverters. The three main types are

(i) Baffle Plates

(ii) Centrifugal Diverters
(iii) Elbows.
 Inlet Diverter
(i) Baffle Plates

 Can be a spherical dish, flat plate, angle iron, cone or any shape that will accomplish a
rapid change in direction and velocity of the fluids which will disengage the gas and
liquid.

 Liquid strikes the diverter and falls to the bottom of the vessel

 Gas tends to flow around the diverter.

 Inlet Diverter
(ii) Centrifugal Diverters

 Uses centrifugal force to disengage oil and

gas rather than mechanical agitation.

 Can be designed to efficiently separate the

liquid while minimizing the possibilities of
foaming or emulsification of oil

 Design is rate sensitive. They don’t work

properly at low velocities. Hence not
recommended for normal operations since
the rates are not expected to be steady.
 Inlet Diverter
(ii) Elbows

 Similar theory as the baffle plates ; instead of plates, an inlet in the shape of an
elbow pipe is used
 Wave Breakers
 Function of wave breakers are to dampen any wave action that is caused by incoming
fluids.

 Wave breakers are perforated baffles or plates that are placed perpendicular to the flow
which is located in the liquid collection section.

 Waves are resulted from surges of liquids entering the vessel.

 Why eliminate wave?

 To ensure liquid level controllers,

level safety switches, and weirs
perform properly.

 Waves results in reduced separation

 Defoaming Plates
 Function is to aid in coalescence of the foam
bubbles.

 Foam at the interface may occur when gas

bubbles are liberated from the liquid.

 Foam can degrade the performance of a

separator but can be stabilized with the
addition of chemicals.

 However, the most effective way would be to

force the foam to pass through a series of
inclined parallel plates or tubes.

 This will break up the foam and allow the

foam to collapse into the liquid layer.
 Vortex Breaker
 Liquid leaving the separator may form vortices which can pull gas down into the
liquid outlet. This may result in re-entrainment of gas in the liquid outlet.

 Separators are equipped with vortex breakers to prevent the formation of vortex
when the liquid line is open.

 A vortex breaker is a covered cylinder with radially directed flat plates.

 When a liquid stream passes through the vortex breaker, the circular motion is
prevented by the flat plates.
 Sand Jets and Drains
 Accumulation of sand and solids
at the bottom of the vessel is a
common operational problem.

 If build up of solids is not

controlled, the separator
operations will not be efficient as
there is less volume available.

 To remove the accumulated

solids, the sand drains are
opened in a controlled manner
and then high pressure fluid
(usually water) is pumped
through the jets to agitate the
solids an flush them down the
drains.
 Mist Extractor
 Designed to remove the liquid droplets and solid particles from the gas stream.

 The impingement-type of mist extractor is the most widely used type as it offers
good balance between efficiency, operating range, pressure drop requirement
and installation cost.

 There are three main types of impingement-type of mist extractors :

i. Baffles
ii. Wire Meshes
iii. Micro Fiber Pads.
 Mist Extractor
i. Baffles

 This type of impingement mist extractor consists of a series of baffles, vanes or

plates between which gas must flow.

 The most common is the vane shaped mist extractor.

 The vane forces the gas flow to be laminar between parallel plates coupled with
directional changes.

 The surface of the plates serves as target for droplet impingement and
collection.

 As gas flows through the plates, droplets impinge on the plate surface.

 The droplets coalesce, fall and is routed to the liquid collection section of the
vessel.
 Mist Extractor
i. Baffles (con’t)
 Mist Extractor
ii. Wire Meshes

 The most common type of mist extractor found in production operations is the
knitted-wire-mesh type

 Has high surface area and void volume.

 Effectiveness depends on the gas being in the proper velocity range. If the
velocity is too high, the liquids knocked out will be re-entrained. If the velocity is
too low, the vapor will just drift pass the wire mesh without the droplets
impinging or coalescing.

 Although it is not expensive compared to the other types, they are more easily
plugged than the others. Not the best choice if solids can accumulate and plug
the mesh.
 Mist Extractor
ii. Wire Meshes (con’t)
 Mist Extractor
iii. Micro Fiber Pads

 Use very small diameter fibers to capture very small droplets (>0.02mm).

 Since it is manufactured from densely packed fiber, the drainage by gravity

inside the unit is limited.

 Most of the liquid is eventually pushed through the micro-fiber and drains on the
downstream face.

 The surface area can be 3 to 150 times that of a wire mesh unit of equal
volume.
 Mist Extractor
 The table below illustrates the major parameters which should be considered
when selecting a mist extractor.
 Potential Operational Problems
The following are the potential operating problems which
can apply to two-phase and three-phase separators

(i) Foamy Crude

(ii) Paraffin
(iii) Sand
(iv) Liquid Carryover
(v) Gas Blowby
(vi) Liquid Slugs
 Potential Operational Problems
i. Foamy Crude
 Foam is caused by the impurities in the crude oil which is not possible to
removed before the stream reaches the separator.

 Foaming in a separator results in :

 Aggravated mechanical control of liquid level because the control

device must deal with essentially three phases instead of two.

 Reduced space for liquid collection or gravity settling as foam has a

large volume-to-weight ratio (it occupies a large amount of the vessel
space)

 Difficulties in removing separated gas or degassed oil from the vessel

without entraining some of the foamy material in either the liquid or gas
outlets.
 Potential Operational Problems
 Foaming tendencies of an incoming stream can be determined via laboratory
tests.

 Foaming cannot be predicted ahead of time without laboratory tests.

 By comparing the foaming tendencies of a known oil to a new one, the

operational problems which may be expected with the new oil can be analyzed.

 Foaming can be expected where CO2 is present, even in small quantities. (one
percent to two percent).

 The amount of foam is dependent on :

(i) Pressure drop to which the inlet liquid is subjected.

(ii) Characteristics of the liquid at the separator conditions.
 Potential Operational Problems
 Changing the temperature at which a foamy oil is separated has two effects on
the foam.

a) Change in viscosity
b) Change in oil-gas equilibrium

 It is difficult to predict the effects of temperature on foaming tendencies, but

some general trends can be identified.

 For heavy oils with a low GOR, an increase in temperature will typically
decrease foaming tendencies.

 Similarly, for light oils with a high GOR, temperature increases typically
decrease foaming tendencies.

 However, for light oils with a low GOR, a temperature increase may
increase foaming tendencies. (because it is rich in intermediates which
have tendency to evolve to the gas phase as temperature is increased)
 Potential Operational Problems
 Foam-depressant chemicals can be utilized to increase the capacity of a given
separator.

 In sizing a separator to handle a specific crude, the use of an effective

depressant may not be of the same type as characteristics of the crude and of
the foam may change during the life of the field.

 The cost of foam depressants for high-rate production may not be cost
economical.

 During the design phase, sufficient capacity should be provided in the separator
to handle the anticipated production without use of a foam depressant or
inhibitor.

 Once the foam depressants are used in the operation, it may allow more
throughput than the design capacity.
 Potential Operational Problems
ii. Paraffin Wax

 The accumulation of paraffin wax in the separator can adversely affects its operation.

 Coalescing plates in the liquid section and mesh-pad mist extractors in the gas
section are particularly prone to plugging by accumulations of paraffin wax.

 Vane-type or centrifugal mist extractors should be used in events where it is

determined that paraffin is an actual or potential problem.

 Manways and nozzles should be provided to allow steam, solvent or other types of
cleaning of the separator internals.

 In general, paraffinic oils are not a problem when the operating temperature is above
the cloud point of crude oil (temperature at which paraffin crystals begin to form).
 Potential Operational Problems
iii. Sand
 Sand causes plugging of separator internals and accumulation in the bottom
of the separator.

 Accumulations of sand can be minimized by periodically injecting

water/steam in the bottom of the vessel to suspend the sand during
draining.

 Plugging of the separator internals is a problem that must be considered

during the design stages of the separator.

 A design that will promote good separation and have minimum traps for
sand accumulation may be difficult to attain.

 This is because the design that provides the best mechanism for separating
the gas, oil, and water phases probably will also provide areas for sand
accumulation. A practical balance for these factors is the best solution.
 Potential Operational Problems
iv. Liquid Carryover
 Occurs when free liquid escapes the gas phase which results in :

 Indication of high liquid level

 Damage to vessel internals
 Foam
 Plugged liquid outlets
 Flowrates which exceeds the vessel’s design rate

 Can usually be prevented by installing a level safety high (LSH) sensor that
shuts in the inlet flow to the separator when liquid level exceeds the normal
maximum liquid level by 10-15% (usually).
Potential Operational Problems
 Potential Operational Problems
v. Gas Blowby
 Gas Blowby occurs when free gas escapes with the liquid phase which can be an
indication of :
 Low liquid level
 Vortexing
 Level control failure

 If there is a level control failure and the level dump valve is open, the gas will exit
the liquid line and will have to be handled by the next equipment in the process.

 Unless the next equipment is designed for gas blowby conditions, it can be over
pressured.

 Can be prevented by installing a level safety sensor (LSL) that shuts the inflow
when the liquid level drops 10-15% below the lowest operating level.

 Downstream equipment should be equipped with PSH sensor/ PSVs sized for gas
blowby
 Potential Operational Problems
vi. Liquid Slugs

 Two phase flow lines tend to accumulate liquids in low spots in the lines.

 When the level of liquid in these low spots rises high enough to block the gas
flow then the gas will push the liquid along the line as a slug.

 Depending on the flow rates, flow properties, length and diameter of the flow
line, and the elevation change involved, these liquid slugs may contain large
liquid volumes.

 Situations in which liquid slugs may occur should be identified prior to the
design of a separator.

 The normal operating level and the high-level shutdown on the vessel must be
spaced far enough apart to accommodate the anticipated slug volume.
 Potential Operational Problems
 If sufficient vessel volume is not provided, then the liquid slugs will trip the high-
level shutdown.

 The separator size must then be checked to ensure that sufficient gas capacity
is provided even when the liquid is at the high-level set point.

 This check of gas capacity is particularly important for horizontal separators

because, as the liquid level rises, the gas capacity is decreased.

 For vertical separators, sizing is easier as sufficient height for the slug volume
may be added to the vessel seam-to-seam length.
 Summary
 In this lecture, separators internals and problems facing separations processes
have been discussed.
 The separators internals include: inlet divertor, wave breker, defoaming plates,
vortex breaker, mist extractor, and sand jet and drains.
(i) Inlet divertor
(ii) Wave breaker
(iii) Defoaming plates
(iv) Vortex breaker
(v) Mist extractor
(vi) Sand jet and drain
 The separation problems include:
(i) Foamy Crude
(ii) Paraffin
(iii) Sand
(iv) Liquid Carryover
(v) Gas Blowby
(vi) Liquid Slugs
 THANK YOU
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