SEPARATION OF OIL AND GAS

Principles of Separation
 SEPARATION
 The process by which reservoir fluid is
separated in to gas, liquid and solid.
 The liquid is further separated in to water
and oil.
 Principle of separation
Momentum
Gravity Settling
Coalescing
 Fluids must be immiscible and have different
densities
 Objectives of Separation

 Removal of Contaminants

 Maximizing Oil Production

 Meeting Transport/Customer Specification

 Metering for Royalty/Tax Payment

 Non-Solution Gas Required Removed Before
Metering
 GAS SEPARATION AND PROCESSING
 Field processing of Natural Gas consist of
four (4) basic process:
Separation of gas from free liquids such as crude oil,
hydrocarbon condensate, water and entrained solids
 Processing the gas to remove condensate and
recoverable
hydrocarbon vapors
 Processing the gas to remove condensate water vapor
which under certain conditions, might cause hydrate
formations.
 Processing the gas to remove other undesirable
compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxides.
Functions of Gas and Liquid Separation
 A properly designed well stream separator must
perform the following functions:
Cause a primary- phase separation of the mostly
liquid hydrocarbons from those that are mostly gas.
 Refine the primary separation by removing most of
the entrained liquid mist from the gas.
 Further refine the separation by removing the
entrained gas from the liquid.
 Discharge the separated gas and liquids from the
vessel and ensure that no re-entrainment of one in
to other occurs.
 internal components of Separators

A centrifugal in let device where the primary

separation of the liquid and gas is made.
A large settling section of sufficient length or height
to allow liquid droplets to settle out of the gas
stream with adequate surge room for slugs of liquid.
A mist extractor or eliminator near the gas out let to
coalesce small particles of liquid that will not settle
out by gravity.
Adequate controls consisting of level control, liquid
dump level, gas back pressure valve, safely relieve
valve, pressure gauge, gauge glass, instrument gas
regulator, and piping.
 Schematic outline of Main Components in a Gas-Oil
Separator

Section A-Centrifugal inlet device

Section B-Gravity settling Section
Section C- Mist Extraction Section
Section D-Liquid Collection
Section
Classification of Separators
Types of Separator (configuration)
Vertical Separator:
•Often used on low to
intermediate gas well
streams and where
relatively large slugs
of liquids are
expected.
•It occupies less flow
space.
•It is expensive and
takes more diameter
for given gas capacity
than horizontal
separator.
 Types of Separator Continued

Horizontal
Separator:
•These separators are
used for high gas-oil-
ratio well streams, for
foaming well streams, or
for liquid – from liquid
separation.
•It has a much greater
gas – liquid interface
area that permits much
higher velocity.
•It is easier to skid-mount
and service, and requires
a smaller diameter for a
given gas capacity.
•It occupies lager floor
spaces.
Types of Separator Continued
Spherical Separator
•Often used for medium gas-
oil-ratio.
•It offers an in expensive and
compact vessel arrangement.
•The vessel have a very
limited surge space and
liquid settling section.
Three phase separator
The three phase separator handles two
immiscible liquids (oil and water) rather than
one.
It separates the two liquids, provides means
for controlling the level of each liquid, and
provides separate out let for each fluid.
Three phase separators are used commonly
for well testing and in instances where the
free gas readily separates from the oil or
condensates.
 Horizontal Three phase separator

Two common types

exist:
•The differences
between the two is
mainly in the
method of
controlling the
levels of the oil and
water phases:
•In the first type, an
interface controller
and a weir provide
the control.
 Horizontal Three phase separator

•The second
type , the
bucket and
weir design,
eliminates
the need for
an
interface
controller
Vertical Three phase separator
Factors Affecting Separation
Separator operating pressure, temperature
and fluid stream composition affect the
operation and separation between the liquid
and gas phases in a separator.
Generally, an increase in operating pressure
or a decrease in operating temperature will
increase the liquid recovered in a separator.
Design assumptions
No oil foaming takes place during the gas – oil
separation
The cloud point of the oil and the hydrate point of
the gas are below the operating temperature
The smallest separable liquids are spherical ones
having a diameter of 100μm.
Liquid carry over with the separated gas does not
exceed 0.10 gallon/MMscf.
Fundamentals
 The difference in densities between liquid and gas is taken
as a
basis for sizing the gas capacity of the separator (ρo-ρg).
 Liquid (oil) retention time for gas to separate from oil is
between 30 s and 3 min. Under foaming conditions, more time
is considered (5–20 min). Retention time is known also as the
residence time (=V/Q, where V is the volume of vessel
occupied
by oil and Q is the liquid flow rate).
 In the gravity settling section, liquid drops will settle at a
terminal velocity that is reached when the gravity force Fg
acting on the oil drop balances the drag force (Fd) exerted by
the surrounding fluid or gas.
 Settling of Oil Droplets
In the gravity section of a separator, a relative motion
exist between the oil and gas.
The oil tends to move vertically downward under
gravitational or buoyant force, Fg while the gas exerts
drag force, Fd on oil in opposite direction. Oil droplets
continue to accelerate until Fd = Fg
2
 2 g u  3
Fd C d d
4 2 Fg  d  o   g g
6
…….1 ;

………2;
Cd , = the drag coefficient, d=diameter of oil droplets, ft;
ρo, ρg = (lb/ft3); g= (ft/s2 )

A constant velocity ( terminal or settling velocity),u

is achieved when Fg = Fd . Therefore,

8  o   g  d 

2
u  g  ;  ……3
6 g  Cd 

d is normally expressed in microns. 1μm=3.2808x10- 6 ft.

Let dm = droplet diameter and g=32.17. then
Subst,
1/ 2
 o   g  dm 
u 0.01186   
   g  C  , ft/s …… 4
 d
Gas Capacity of Separators
The volumetric rate of gas proposed by a gas-oil
Qg =Agu ft 3/s …..5
In standard temp and pressure (14.7 psia and
520oR),
Gas Capacity of Separator
The volumetric flow rate of the gas processed by
separator is given by
Qg = Agu ft3 /s ................5
The above eqn is for the actual separator pressure and
temperature. But the flow rates is normally reported at
actual standard conditions (520oR and 14.7 psia)
and Qg is in MMSCFD.
6  P   520 
Q g (10 60 60 24) Ag u   
 14 . 7  TZ 
  P 
Q g 3.056 uAg  , MMSCFD …………6
 TZ 

Solving for u,
 TZ   1 
u 0.327Q g  
 P   Ag  , ft/s …………..7

where
Z =gas compressibility at P and T; Ag= available area for gas flow.
 Liquid Capacity of Separators
Oil flow rate (oil capacity of separator), Q o is
related to volume of oil, Vo and the retention
time or residence, t as

Qo(ft3/min) = Vo(ft3)/t(time) ……..8

re-writing eqn 8 in terms of barrels per day,

Qo (bbl/day) = 257Vo/t /min ………………9

Where 1ft3 = 257bbl/day
 Sizing Vertical Gas-Oil Separators
-Gas Capacity Constraint
For vertical separators, the upward average
gas velocity should not exceed the downward
terminal velocity of the smallest oil droplet to
be separated. Mathematically,

1/ 2
 TZ   1   o   g  dm 
0.327Q g  0.01186   

 P   Ag      g  C 
 d

But Ag =π/4(D/12)2
where D = internal diameter of the separator
in inches.
Solving for D,

1/ 2
2  TZ    g Cd 
D 5.058Q g   
 P    o   g d m  , in.2
……10

Eqn (10) gives the minimum acceptable diameter of the

separator. Larger diameters yield lower gas velocities and,
thus, better separation of the oil droplets from the gas.
Smaller diameters, on the other hand, result in higher gas
velocities and, therefore, the liquid droplets will be
carried over with the gas.
 Cd is related to Reynolds number as

3 24
C d 0.34   , ………………11
Re 0.5 Re

 g d mu
Re 0.0049
g , ………………12

Cd is calculated by iterative procedures :

1. Assume a value for Cd (a value of 0.34 could be used as a first assumption). 2.
Calculate the velocity, u, from Eq. (2). 3. Calculate Re from Eq. (11). 4. Calculate
Cd from Eq. (10) and compare to the assumed value. 5. If no match is obtained,
use the calculated value of Cd and repeat steps 2–4 until convergence is
obtained.
 Oil Capacity Constrain
The oil has to be retained within the separator for a
specific retention time, t. The volume of separator
occupied by oil, Vo, is obtained by multiplying the cross-
sectional area by the height of the oil column, H (in.).
2
   D   H  1 
Qo 257        , bbl/day …13
 4   12   12   t 

2
D H 8.565Qo t , in.3 ………14
 Sizing Procedures
1. Equation (10) is used to determine the minimum allowable vessel
diameter.
2. For diameters larger than the minimum, Eq. (14) is used to determine
combinations of D and H.
3. The seam-to-seam length, Ls, for each combination of D and H is
determined using one of the following expressions as appropriate:
 D<36 in.

Ls = (H + 76)/12 , ft .....................................15

 D>36 in.
Ls = (H+ D + 40)/12, ft ...............................16

4. For each combination of D and Ls, the slenderness ratio, SR, defined as
the ratio of length to diameter is determined.
 Separators with SR between 3 and 4 are commonly selected.
 Sizing Horizontal Gas–Oil Separators:
Gas Capacity Constraint
Because the gas occupies the top half of the
separator, its average flowing velocity within
the separator, ug, is obtained by dividing the
volumetric flow rate, Qg, by one-half of the
separator cross-sectional area, A; that is,
Qg
ug 
 
0.5  / 4) D 2 

 Q g  TZ 
ug 120 2   , ft/s ……..17
D  P 
 The gas travels horizontally along the effective length of the
separator, L(ft), in a time tg that is given by

L
 tg  ,s ……..18
ug

This time must, at least, be equal to the time it takes the

smallest oil
droplet, to be removed from the gas, to travel a distance of D/2 to
reach
the gas–oil interface. This settling time, ts, is obtained by
dividing the
distance (D/2) by the settling velocity from Eq. (2); therefore,
 1
  o   g  dm 
1/ 2

 D  
t s   0.01186  
 C   , sec
 2 *12      g  d 
…19 

 Equating Eqs. (18) and (17), substituting for ug from Eq. (16), and solving
for the product LD, we obtain
1/ 2
 Q g TZ     g  C d 
LD 422       , ftin

P      d
…………20    o g  m  
 Liquid Capacity Constraint
For a horizontal separator that is half full of
liquid, the volume occupied by the liquid is
given by
2
   D 
Vo 0.5    L, ft 3
 4   12 
…………………….21
Substituting in Eq. (8), the following equation is obtained:

D2L = 1.428Qot, ft3 ……………….

….22
  Sizing procedure
 For a given set of operating conditions the size of a horizontal
separator is determined as follows:
1) Assume various values for the separator diameter, D.
2) For each assumed value of D, determine the effective length, Lg,
that satisfies the gas capacity constraint from Eq. (20) and
calculate the seam-to-seam length, Ls, from
 Ls = Lg +d/12 , ft
For each assumed value of D, determine the effective length, Lo,
that satisfies the liquid capacity constraint from Eq. (21) and
calculate the seam-to-seam length, Ls, from
Ls = 4/3Lo, ft
3) For each value of D used, compare the values of Lg and Lo to
determine whether the gas capacity constraint or the oil capacity
constraint governs the design of the separator. Of course, the
larger required length governs the design.
4) Select reasonable combinations of D and Ls such that the
slenderness ratio SR is in the range of 3–5. The cost and
availability would then determine the final selection.
Retention time for many tested
fields
Oil-Gas separation 1min.
High-pressure Oil-Gas separation 2 to
5min.
Low-pressure Oil-Gas separation
-5 to 10min @ 100F and up
- 10 to 15min. @ 90F
- 15 t0 20min. @ 80F
- 20 to 25min.@ 70F
- 25 to 30min.@ @ 60F
Stage Separation
It is a process by which gaseous and liquid
hydrocarbons are separated in to vapor and
liquid phase by two or more equilibrium
flashes at consecutively lower pressures.
Two stage separation requires one separator
and a storage tank .
The purpose of stage separation is to reduce
the pressure on the reservoir fluid a little at
a time in stages or steps, so that more stock
tank fluid will result.
Stage Separation continued
For each high- or first stage separation, there is
an optimum low stage separation that will yield
maximum liquid recovery.
1/ n
 p1 
R 
 

 ps 
Or
P2 =P1/R
Where R= pressure ratio; n=number of stages;
P1=first-stage or high-stage separator pressure,
psia; P2 =second stage or low pressure
separation, psia; Ps =stock tank pressure.
Low – Temperature Separation
 It consists primarily of a high-pressure separator, pressure reducing
chokes, and various piece of heat exchange equipment.
 Low-temperature separators (LTSs) are used to effectively remove light
condensable hydrocarbons from a high-pressure gas stream (gas
Condensate feed). Liquid (condensate) separation is made possible by
cooling the gas stream before separation. Temperature reduction is
obtained by what is known as the Joule–Thomson effect of expanding
the well fluid as it flows through the pressure-reducing choke or valve
into the separator.
 This process separate the water and hydrocarbon liquids from the inlet
stream, recovers more liquid from the gas than can be recovered from
normal temperature separator, and dehydrate gas usually to pipe line
specifications.
Dehydration of natural Gases
Dehydration is the process of removing water
from the gas stream to lower the dew point of
that gas.
Some specifications for natural gas destine
for transportation by pipe line includes
maximum water content (water dew point),
maximum condensate hydrocarbon
content(hydrocarbon dew point), allowable
concentration of contaminants such as
H2S,CO2, mercaptans, minimum heating
values, and cleaniness(allowable solids
content), etc.
Reasons for dehydration of Natural gas
To prevent hydrate formation: Hydrate can
plug flow lines, and retard the flow of
gaseous hydrocarbon streams .
To avoid corrosion problems.
Water vapor may condense in pipelines
potentially causing slugging flow conditions.
Water vapor increases the volume and
decreases the heating value of natural gas;
this leads to reduced line capacity.
Gas Hydrates
Hydrates are solids formed by the physical combination
of water and other small molecules of hydrocarbons.
They are icy hydrocarbon compounds of about 10%
hydrocarbons and 90% water.
The primary conditions promoting hydration formation
are the following:
1. Gas must be at or below its water (dew) point with
‘‘free’’ water present.
2. Low temperature.
3. High pressure.
4.Presence of H2S or CO2 (they are more soluble in water than
Hydrocarbons)
Chemical Formulas for Gas Hydrates
Methane CH4.7H2O
Ethane C2H6.8H2O
Propane C3H8.18H2O
Carbon dioxide CO2.7H2O
Carbon Hydrates C4H10. 24H2O
H2S H2S.6H2O
Hydrate Structure
Two basic structures:
Structure I –cubic or body – centered
Smaller Hydrocarbon molecules (C1,C2,CO2
and H2S) are more stable in this structure
Structure II-Diamond
Larger hydrocarbon molecules (C3 and iC4)
are more stable in this structure.
Molecules larger than C4 can not form
hydrates because they can not fit in to cavity
in the water molecule structure.
Physical Properties of Hydrate structures
They have chemical composition but no
chemical bond
They are physically like ice or wet snow
structure but do not have solid structure of
ice
They have less density than ice (0.96-0.98).
They sink in liquid hydrocarbons and float in
water.
Prediction of Hydrate formation
1. Approximate Methods –Use of Charts
1st : To determine Hydrate Formation Pressure
or Temperature
This involves thefollowing 4 steps:
 Calculate the average molecular weight of the gas mixture
Mg
 Calculate the specific gravity of the gas, γg.
 Given the gas temperature (T ) and its specific γg, find
the corresponding gas pressure for hydrate formation
using the chart.
 Similarly, at a given gas pressure, the hydrate formation
temperature can be determined from the chart
P-T Curves for predicting Hydrate Formation
Prediction of Hydrate formation Continued
2nd : To determine the amount of water vapor
at dew point condition.
This method utilizes McKetta–Wehe chart
which relates the gas temperature T and its
pressure P to the water vapor content of the
natural gas at saturation conditions.
Prediction of Hydrate formation Continued
 2. Analytical Methods
Here the calculations are concerned with
finding the hydrate formation temperature T
at a given pressure P, or the pressure P at
which hydrate formation takes place for a
given operating temperature T.
The basic
n
y equation is given by
K
i 1
1i

i
Prediction of Hydrate formation Continued
 Given the gas pressure P and the mole fraction of its
components yi, the hydrate formation temperature T is
obtained through a trial-and-error procedure according to
the following steps:
1. Assume a value for T.
2. Find the values of K for the components of the gas at P and
T using the K charts.
3. Calculate the values of xi, where Xi= yi/Ki.
4. Find the sum of yi/Ki for all components.
5. Convergence to the desired value of T is obtained by trial-
and error until
n
yi
i1 Ki
1
Vapor–solid equilibrium constants for isobutane (Ki)
Preventing Hydrate Formation
1. Temperature – Pressure control. The
recommended methods are:
 Downhole regulators or chokes. In this
method, a pressure regulator (choke) is
installed downhole (in the well). This allows
the largest portion of the desired pressure
drop from the bottomhole flowing pressure
to the surface flow line pressure to occur
where the gas temperature is still high.
Preventing Hydrate Formation Continued
Indirect heaters. In both wellhead and flow
line, indirect heaters are commonly used to
heat natural gas to maintain the flowing
temperature above the hydrate formation
temperature.

2. Chemical Injection. This method is used to

depress the freezing point of liquid water .
The most commonly used chemicals are
methanol and glycols. Sometimes others are
use e.g ammonia.
Preventing Hydrate Formation Continued
The following cases are considered for the
application of hydrate inhibitors:
A system of gas pipelines, where the problem
of hydrate formation is of short duration.
 A system of gas pipelines which operate at a
few degrees below the hydrate formation
temperature.
 Gas gathering systems found in pressure-
declining fields.
 Gas lines characterized by hydrate formation
in localized points.
Methanol Injection
Methanol is the most commonly used
nonrecoverable hydrate inhibitor.
 It has the following properties:
1. It is non corrosive.
2. It is chemically inert; no reaction with the
hydrocarbons.
3. It is soluble in all proportions with water.
4. It is volatile under pipeline conditions, and
its vapor pressure is greater than that of water.
5. It is not expensive.
 Glycol Injection
Glycol functions in the same way as methanol.
 Glycol has a lower vapor pressure and does
not evaporate into the vapor phase as readily
as methanol.
 It is also less soluble in liquid hydrocarbons
than methanol.
This, together with the fact that glycol could
be recovered and reused for the treatment,
reduces the operating costs as compared to
the methanol injection.
Glycol Injection continued
 Three types of glycols can be used:
 ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and triethelyne glycol
(TEG).
 The following specific applications are recommended:
 For natural gas transmission lines, where hydrate protection is of
importance, EG is the best choice. It provides the highest
hydrate depression, although this will be at the expense of its
recovery because of its high vapor pressure.
 Again, EG is used to protect vessels or equipment handling
hydrocarbon compounds, because of its low solubility in
multicomponent hydrocarbons.
 For situations where vaporization losses are appreciable,
DEG or TEG should be used, because of their lower vapor
pressure.
Glycol Injection continued
The amount of chemical inhibitor required to treat
the water in order to lower the hydrate formation
temperature may be calculated from the
Hammerschmidt equation:
ΔT=KW/M(100-W)
where T is the depression in hydrate formation
temperature (oF), W is weight percent of inhibitor
for water treatment, K is a constant that depends
on the type of inhibitor, and M is the molecular
weight of the inhibitor.
Values of M and K for various inhibitors are given
in Table below
Properties of Chemical Inhibitors
Inhibitor M
K
Methanol 32.04
2335
Ethylene Glycol 62.07
2200
Propylene Glycol 76.10
3590
Diethylene Glycol 106.10
4370
 Dehydration
The most common dehydration methods used
for natural gas processing are as follows:
 Absorption, using the liquid desiccants (e.g.,
glycols and methanol)
 Adsorption, using solid desiccants (e.g.,
alumina and silica gel)
 Cooling/condensation below the dew point,
by expansion and/or refrigeration
Dehydration
Basic Principles of Absorption
The basic principles of relevance to the
absorption process are as follows:
 In this process, a hygroscopic liquid is used to
contact the wet gas to remove water vapor from
it. Triethylene glycol (TEG) is the most common
solvent used.
Absorption, is more favorable at a lower
temperature and higher pressure. This result is
concluded by
considering the following relationship (which is
a combination of Raoult’s law and Dalton’s law):
 Basic Principles of Absorption
Continued
Pi/P = Yi/Xi =Ki
where Pi is the pressure of pure component i,
P is the total pressure of the gas mixture
(system), Xi is the mole fraction of component
i in the liquid phase, Yi is the mole fraction of
component i in the vapor phase, and Ki is the
equilibrium constant, increasing with
temperature and decreasing with pressure.
 Flow diagram of TEG dehydration
Absorption System
The wet natural gas enters the
absorption column near its bottom
and flows upward through the
bottom tray to the top tray and out at
the top of the column.
Lean (dry) glycol is fed at the top of
the column and it flows down from
tray to tray, absorbing water vapor
from the natural gas. The rich (wet)
glycol leaves from the bottom of the
column to the glycol regeneration
unit.
The glycol regeneration unit is
composed of a reboiler where steam
is generated from the water in the
glycol. The steam is circulated
through the packed section to strip
the water from glycol. Stripped water
and any lost hydrocarbons are vented
at the top of the stripping column.
The rich glycol is preheated in heat
exchangers, using the hot lean
glycol, before it enters the steam
column of the glycol reboiler. This
cools down the lean glycol to the
desired temperature and saves the
energy required for heating the rich
ADSORPTION: SOLID-BED DEHYDRATION
Adsorption is the ability of a substance to
hold gases or liquids on its surface.
When very low dew points are required,
solid-bed dehydration becomes the logical
choice.
The most common solid adsorbents are silica
gel, activated alumina, and certain silicates
known as molecular sieves.
 ADSORPTION: SOLID-BED DEHYDRATION
Continued
Table : Properties of Solid Desiccants
 Desiccant reference Silica gel Activated alumina Molecular
sieves
 Pore diameter (A˚ ) 10–90 15 3, 4, 5,
10
 Bulk density (lb/ft3) 45 44–48 43–47
 Heat capacity (Btu/lboF) 0.22 0.24 0.23
 Minimum dew point (oF) 60 to 90 60 to 90 100 to
300
 Design capacity (wt%) 4–20 11–15 8–
16
 Regeneration stream temp. (oF) 300–500 350–500 425–
550
 Heat of adsorption (Btu/lb) — — 1800
Operation of Solid-Bed Dehydrator
When the fed gas enters the
bed from top, the upper zone
becomes satuerated –
Equilibrium zone.
The second zone is the mass
transfer zone and is being
cooled. The third zone remains
un used and therefore active.
 Breakthrough diagram in a fixed bed
•While the bed is in
operation, the outlet
concentration has a
very low water
concentration (Cs) and
mass transfer zone
moves down ward.
•At a certain point, the
outlet water content
rises to the point that
is equivalent to initial
wet gas content (Co) as
if bed is not present.
•This is the beginning
of breakthrough period.
 Solid-bed dehydration process

•The operation is
controlled by opening
valve O and closing
valve C.
• When one bed is
operating, the other is
regenerating.
•The regeneration gas
normally flows
upward to ensure
through regeneration
of bottom bed, which
is the last area
contacted by the gas
being dehydrated.