separators

Large separators are often designed to meet the requirements of higher-capacity facilities. But these vessels bring with them consequences on the operating conditions over the full life cycle of a field.

This article highlights some of the code and registration issues the Savvy Separator engineer encounters when retrofitting a vessel with internals to improve or restore the process performance of the separator.

By understanding the factors involved in oil droplet coalescence, the Savvy Separator engineer can assess the operational/chemical factors in the treatment system that are affecting droplet growth and make adjustments to enhance coalescence rates. 

In this tenth article of the series, the author focuses primarily on specific operational elements of troubleshooting rather than the mechanical design of the separator.   

Lessons learned in debottlenecking a “dirty” triethylene glycol contactor at the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company’s LaBarge Black Canyon Facility in Wyoming highlight the results of work performed between 2001 and 2004.

In this eighth articles of the series, level settings and control in gravity separators are addressed.

Operators must take a more practical and less theoretical approach to the design and construction of three-phase separators, with an honest assessment of their separation needs.

Why CFD should be part of your separator design? This goal of this goal is to allay any fears about CFD that you may have as a result of flashbacks to university class and a dizzying array of partial-differential equations.

The main drivers for sizing gas scrubbers have been performance requirements, process conditions, and project specifications. However, optimizing cost, delivery times, and weight is not the same as improving scrubber performance.

The sources and magnitude of shear and the effects on oil droplet size can have significant consequences for downstream separation equipment performance.