2
3
Three general types of separators
─ Horizontal separator
─ for high-pressure and medium-pressure service
─ Vertical separator
─ for low-pressure service (generally)
─ Spherical separator
─ more compact and cheaper
─ limited separation space and liquid surge capacity
─ for low-volume remote platforms
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Internal Structure of Separators
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6
Separation methods
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Stage separation method (two stage separation)
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Low-temperatures separation method
It is used to handle the production from high-pressure gas
wells
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Low – temperature separation method
uses the cooling effect of expanding high – pressure gas
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Low-temperature separation method
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Water-removal
Water-removal — before the oil can be delivered to the pipeline
Free water – some of the water produced with the oil will not be
mixed with it ; this is known as free water .
12
Water removal
using
─Treatment of free-water Free water knock out (FWKO)
13
Treatment of oil-water or water-oil emulsion
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Emulsions
Emulsion – a mixture in which one liquid, termed the
dispersed phase, is uniformly distributed (usually as
minute globules, in another liquid, called the
continuous phase or the dispersion medium (phase))
Water-oil emulsion –
the water is the dispersed phase, and
the oil the dispersion medium
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Emulsions -- continue
Stable emulsion – will not break down into its components
without some form of treating.
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Treatment of oil-water or water-oil emulsion
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Application of heat
One theory assumes that very small droplets, like those found
in emulsions, are in constant motion even when the emulsion
itself is not rest .
Application of heat
(1) Heat increases the movement are makes the droplets strike
each other with greater force and frequency.
(2) Heat also reduces the viscosity – the resistance to flow – of
the oil.
Heater (加熱器)
(1) direct heater
(2) Indirect heater—water bath (fig5.22 P.161) 18
Application of chemicals
One theory suggests that chemical should be used strictly to
neutralize the emulsifying agent.
Thus, to break a water-in-oil emulsion,
another emulsifying agent to produce oil-in-water emulsion
should be added.
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Heater-treater
Heater-treater also called a flow treater or an emulsion treater.
21
Treating natural gas
(1) the gas must be separated from free liquids such as crude oil,
hydrocarbon condensate, water , and entrained solids,
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Treating Natural Gas
The primary treatments for natural gas involve
(1)prevention of hydrate formation
by applying heat and/or
adding hydrate inhibitor:
ammonia
brine
glycol (乙二醇)
methanol (甲醇)
(2)dehydration,
absorption (吸收) – Liquid 乾燥劑
adsorption (吸附) – Solid 乾燥劑
(3)The removal of undesirable components (H2S、CO2)
Alkanolamine process
Iron-sponge process
Glycol/amine process
Sulfinol process
Molecular-sieve removal
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Prevention of hydrate formation
24
25
Phase diagram for a pure single component
26
Dehydration means removal of water
Water vapors (as well as certain other vapor) are removes from
gas by either
(1) the absorption process, or
(2) the adsorption process
Absorption process --
Water vapor may be removed from natural gas by bubbling the
gas counter currently through certain liquids that have a
special attraction or affinity for water.
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Dehydration means removal of water
Adsorption --
Some solids also have an affinity for water, and when gas
flows through a bed of such granular solids, the water is
retained on the surface of the particles.
Desiccant --
The liquid or the solids that has the affinity for water in either
process is called a desiccant.
Dehydration equipment
-- The liquid-desiccant dehydrator
-- The solid-desiccant dehydrator
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Removal of undesirable components
Alkanolamine process
-- It is a continuous-operation liquid process that uses absorption
for the acid-gas removal, with subsequent heat addition to string
the acid-gas component from absorbent solution.
Other processes that are used to removal H2S & CO2 are
The Iron-sponge process,
The glycol/amine process,
The sulfinol process, and
The molecular-sieve removal.
29
Typical Natural Gas Components
30
Casinghead gas
-- gas produced with oil from an oil well.
Residue gas
-- any gas suitable for as commercial natural gas that comes
from a processing plant.
Sweet gas
--the content of hydrogen sulfide, other sulfur compounds,
and carbon dioxide is low enough that gas may be sold
commercially without further effort to remove these
compounds.
Sour gas
--the opposite of sweet gas.
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Types of Natural Gas Liquids
Commercial propane (丙烷)
-- propane and/or propylene (at least 95%)
-- vapor pressure < 215 psig at 100 0F
32
Types of Natural Gas Liquids
Natural Gasoline
33
Vapor pressure, usually referred to as Reid vapor pressure
(RVP), used to designate grades.
Motor fuels: 5-8psi RVP
Very light oils (60-70AIP): 12psi RVP
Natural gasoline product: 14-26 psi RVP
34
The Storage System
35
The Storage System
Stock tanks (or storage tanks)
─Tank battery
─separation equipment
treating equipment tank battery
storage facilities
─stock tanks Bolted steel tank – 500 bbls or larger; assembled on location
Welded steel tank – 90 bbl to several thousand bbls;
welded in a shop and then transported
as a complete unit to the site
─Vapor Recovery System
─LACT (Lease automatic custody transfer) unit
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
Treatment of emulsion
Therefore,
To break down a petroleum emulsion
the properties of emulsifying agent must be
neutralized or destroyed .
By application of
(1) heat
(2) chemicals
(3) electricity, or
(4) combination of these (heater – treater )
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The well stream
The well stream -- high-velocity, turbulent,
constantly expanding mixture of gases and hydrocarbon liquids,
intimately mixed with water vapor, free water solids and
other containment.
44
The bottle test
-- It is used to help determine which chemical can most
effectively break the emulsion from a given well, lease, or
field.
45
Gun barrel or Wash tank
Sometimes an oil-water emulsion is not stable,
Given enough time, the water will settle to the bottom of a
tank and oil will rise to the top.
The settling vessel used for this kind of separation method is
called a gun barrel or wash tank.
46
Stock tanks (storage tanks )
Once the oil is clean enough to meet pipeline specifications, it is
flowed into storage tanks, sometimes called stock tanks.
Tank battery-
47
Stock tanks (storage tanks )
Two basic types of stock tanks:
bolted steel
welded steel
Most tanks are equipped with a bottom drain out let for
draining off basic sediment and water (BS&W).
48
Vapor Recovery System
when oil is treated under pressure and then goes to a stock tank at
pear atmospheric pressure, some of the liquid hydrocarbons flash, or
convent, to gas.