Lectures notes in Natural Gas Process Engineering

CHAPTER 3
SEPARATOR AND SEPARATION TECHNIQUES

The next figure summaries the different processes at each of the field operations, inlet
receiving and the entire processing of the treatment plant

Fig 3.1 Natural Gas processing.

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1. Introduction

Natural gases produced from gas wells are normally complex mixtures of hundreds of
different compounds. A typical gas well stream is a high velocity, turbulent, constantly
expanding mixture of gases and hydrocarbon liquids, intimately mixed with water vapor,
free water, and sometimes solids. The well stream should be processed as soon as
possible after bringing it to the surface. Field processing consists of four basic processes:

(1) separating the gas from free liquids such as crude oil, hydrocarbon condensate,
water, and entrained solids;

(2) processing the gas to remove condensable and recoverable hydrocarbon

vapors;

(3) processing the gas to remove condensable water vapor; and

(4) processing the gas to remove other undesirable compounds, such as hydrogen
sulfide or carbon dioxide. This chapter focuses on the principles of separation
and selection of required separators

Inlet Gas Receiving

Gas and liquids that enter the gas plant pass emergency shutdown valves, which isolate
the plant from incoming streams and pig receivers, and then go to inlet receiving, where
condensed phases drop out. Gas from inlet receiving goes to inlet compression (if
necessary), and the liquids go to storage for processing. The initial gas−liquid separation
occurs in a slug catcher. Slug catchers are critical because downstream gas processing
units rely on a continuous gas stream free of liquids, even when surges of liquid enter the
plant. A slug catcher is a gas− liquid separator sized to hold the biggest slug a plant will
experience. Depending upon slug catcher design, inlet receiving handles just slugs or
combines slug catching with liquid storage. See fig. 3.1 for the location of the inlet
receiver at the inlet to the processing plant.

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2. Gravity Separators

Gravity separators are pressure vessels that separate a mixed-phase stream into gas and
liquid phases that are relatively free of each other. In a gravity separator, gravitational
forces control separation, and the efficiency of the gas/liquid separation is increased by
lowering the gas velocity. Because of the large vessel size required to achieve settling,
gravity separators are rarely designed to remove droplets smaller than 250 µm

Gravity separators are often classified by their geometrical configuration (vertical,

horizontal) and by their function (two-phase/three-phase separator). In other words,
gravity separators are classified as “two phase” if they separate gas from the total liquid
stream and “three phase” if they also separate the liquid stream into its crude oil and
water-rich phases. Additionally, separators can be categorized according to their
operating pressure. Low-pressure units handle pressures of 10 to 180 psi. Medium
pressure separators operate from 230 to 700 psi. High-pressure units handle pressures of
975 to 1500 psi. Mainly, there are four steps of separations in the most separators, they
are :

• Primary separation
• Gravity settling
• Coalescing
• Liquid collecting

Separators are sometimes called “scrubbers, knock pots, or inlet receiver” when the ratio
of gas rate to liquid rate is very high. These vessels usually have a small liquid collection
section and are recommended only for the following items:

• Secondary separation to remove carryover fluids from process equipment such as

absorbers and liquid dust scrubbers.
• Gas line separation downstream from a separator and where flow lines are not
long.
• Miscellaneous separation where the gas–liquid ratio is extremely high.

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All gravity separators normally have the following components or features:

• A primary gas/liquid separation section with an inlet divertor to remove the bulk
of the liquid from the gas.
• A gravity-settling section providing adequate retention time so that proper settling
may take place.
• A mist extractor at the gas outlet to capture entrained droplets or those too small
to settle by gravity.
• Proper pressure and liquid-level controls.

Gravity separators are designed as either horizontal or vertical pressure vessels.

3. Horizontal Gravity Separators

The horizontal gravity separator is as shown in the fig. 3.2. In this type, the fluid enters
the separator and hits an inlet diverter. This sudden change in momentum generates the
initial bulk separation of liquid and gas. In most designs, the inlet diverter contains a
down comer that directs the liquid flow below the oil/water interface. This forces the inlet
mixture of oil and water to mix with the water continuous phase in the bottom of the
vessel and rise through the oil/water interface. This process is called “water washing” and
promotes the coalescence of water droplets that are

entrained in the oil continuous phase. The inlet diverter assures that little gas is carried
with the liquid, and the water wash assures that the liquid does not fall on top of the
gas/oil or oil/water interface, mixing the liquid retained in the vessel and making control
of the oil/water interface difficult. The liquid-collecting section of the vessel provides
sufficient time so that the oil and emulsion form a layer or “oil pad” at the top. The free
water settles to the bottom. The produced water flows from a nozzle in the vessel located
upstream of the oil weir.

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An interface level controller senses the height of the oil/water interface. The controller
sends a signal to the water dump valve, thus allowing the correct amount of water to
leave the vessel so that the oil/water interface is maintained at the design height. The gas
flows horizontally and outs through a mist extractor (normally known as a demisting
device) to a pressure control valve that maintains constant vessel pressure. The level of
the gas/oil interface can vary from half the diameter to 75% of the diameter depending on
the relative importance of liquid/gas separation and what purpose the separator has. For
example, degassers and produced water flash drums have very high liquid/ gas interfaces.
However, the most common configuration is half full.

Fig. 3.2 Three phase gravity horizontal separator (gas – oil – water).

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Horizontal separators are used most commonly in the following conditions:

• Large volumes of gas and/or liquids.

• High-to-medium gas/oil ratio (GOR) streams.
• Foaming crudes.
• Three-phase separation

Advantages and disadvantages of these separators are as follow.

Advantages

• Require smaller diameter for similar gas capacity as compared to vertical vessels.
• No counter-flow (gas flow does not oppose drainage of mist extractor).
• Large liquid surface area for foam dispersion generally reduces turbulence.
• Larger surge volume capacity.

Disadvantages

• Only part of shell available for passage of gas.

• Occupies more space unless “stack” mounted.
• Liquid level control is more critical.
• More difficult to clean produced sand, mud, wax, paraffin, etc.

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4. Vertical Gravity Separators

Figure 3.3 shows a typical configuration for a vertical three-phase separator. In the
vertical separator, the flow enters the vessel through the side as in the horizontal
separator and the inlet diverter separates the bulk of the gas. The gas moves upward,
usually passing through a mist extractor to remove suspended mist, and then the dry gas
flows out. A down-comer is required to transmit the liquid collected through the oil–gas
interface so as not to disturb the oil-skimming action taking place.

A chimney is needed to equalize gas pressure between the lower section and the gas
section. The spreader or down-comer outlet is located at the oil–water interface. From
this point as the oil rises any free water trapped within the oil phase separates out. The
water droplets flow countercurrent to the oil. Similarly, the water flows downward and
oil droplets trapped in the water phase tend to rise countercurrent to the water flow.

It should be clear that the principles of operation (such as oil/water interface level
controlling) of three-phase vertical separators are the same as the three-phase horizontal
separators described earlier. Essentially, the only difference is that horizontal separators
have separation acting tangentially to flow, whereas vertical separators have separation
acting parallel to flow. In the vertical separator, level control is not also critical, where
the liquid level can fluctuate several inches without affecting operating efficiency.
However, it can affect the pressure drop for the downcomer pipe (from the demister),
therefore affecting demisting device drainage.

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Fig. 3.3 Three phase gravity vertical separator (gas – oil – water).

These separators are used in the following conditions.

• Small flow rates of gas and/or liquids.

• Very high GOR streams or when the total gas volumes are low.
• Plot space is limited.
• Ease of level control is desired.

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Advantages and disadvantages of these separators are as follow.

Advantages

• Liquid level control is not so critical.

• Have good bottom-drain and clean-out facilities.
• Can handle more sand, mud, paraffin, and wax without plugging.
• Less tendency for re-entrainment.
• Has full diameter for gas flow at top and oil flow at bottom.
• Occupies smaller plot area.

Disadvantages

• Require larger diameter for a given gas capacity, therefore, most competitive for
very low GOR or very high GOR or scrubber applications.
• Not recommended when there is a large slug potential.
• More difficult to reach and service top-mounted instruments and safety devices.

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5. Vertical Gravity Separators design

Natural gas engineers normally do not perform detailed designing of separators but carry
out selection of separators suitable for their operations from manufacturers' product
catalogs. This section addresses how to determine separator specifications based on well
stream conditions. The specifications are used for separator selections.

5.1 Gas Capacity

The following empirical equations proposed by Souders-Brown are widely used for
calculating gas capacity of oil/gas separators:

and

Where,

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Where the empirical factor K value depends on the separator type:

For vertical type K = 0.06 to 0.35 and average value is 0.21.

For horizontal type K = 0.4 to 0.5 and average value is taken as 0.45.

Substituting both equations to obtain the next equation,

Where

It should be noted that the last equation is empirical. Height differences in vertical
separators and length differences in horizontal separators are not considered. Field
experience has indicated that additional gas capacity can be obtained by increasing height
of vertical separators and length of horizontal separators. The separator charts (Sivalls
Charts of oil and gas separator, see end of the chapter) give more realistic values for the
gas capacity of separators. In addition, for single-tube horizontal vessels, corrections
must be made for the amount of liquid in the bottom of the separator. Although one-half
full of liquid is more or less standard for most single-tube horizontal separators, lowering
liquid level to increase the available gas space within the vessel can increase the gas
capacity.

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5.2 Liquid Capacity

Retention time of the liquid within the vessel determines liquid capacity of a separator.
Adequate separation requires sufficient time to obtain an equilibrium condition between
the liquid and gas phase at the temperature and pressure of separation. The liquid
capacity of a separator relates to the retention time through the settling volume:

Where,

The next table presents t-values for various types of separators tested in fields. It is shown
that temperature has a strong impact on three-phase separations at low pressures.

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Proper sizing of a separator requires the use of both equations for gas capacity and for
liquid capacity. Experience shows that for high-pressure separators used for treating high
gas/oil ratio well streams, the gas capacity is usually the controlling factor for separator
selection. However, the reverse may be true for low-pressure separators used on well
streams with low gas/oil ratios.

6. Stage Separation
Stage separation is a process in which hydrocarbon mixtures are separated into vapor and
liquid phases by multiple equilibrium flashes at consecutively lower pressures. A two-
stage separation requires one separator and a storage tank, and a three-stage separation
requires two separators and a storage tank. The storage tank is always counted as the final
stage of vapor/liquid separation. Stage separation reduces the pressure a little at a time, in
steps or stages, resulting in a more stable stock-tank liquid. Usuallya stable stock-tank
liquid can be obtained by a stage separation of not more than four stages.

In high-pressure gas-condensate separation systems, a stepwise reduction of the pressure

on the liquid condensate can significantly increase the recovery of stock-tank liquids.
Prediction of the performance of the various separators in a multistage separation system
can be carried out with compositional computer models using the initial wellstream
composition and the operating temperatures and pressures of the various stages.

Although three to four stages of separation theoretically increase the liquid recovery over
a two-stage separation, the incremental liquid recovery rarely pays out the cost of the
additional separators. It has been generally recognized that two stages of separation plus
the stock tank are practically optimum. The increase in liquid recovery for two-stage
separation over single-stage separation usually varies from 2 to 12 percent, although 20 to
25 percent increases in liquid recoveries have been reported.

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The first-stage separator operating pressure is generally determined by the flow line
pressure and operating characteristics of the well. The pressure usually ranges from 600
to 1,200 psi. In situations where the flow line pressure is greater than 600 psi, it is
practical to let the first-stage separator ride the line or operate at the flow line pressure.
Pressures at low stage separations can be determined based on equal pressure ratios
between the stages (Campbell 1976):

Where,

Pressures at the intermediate stages can be then designed with the following formula:

Where, pi pressure at stage i, psig.

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3.4 different stage separation.

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7. Slug Catchers

Slugging refers to varying or irregular flows and surges of gas and liquid through any
cross-section of a pipeline. The commonest way of handling heavy slugs is to install
slug-catchers at onshore receiving plants, which are designed to receive considerable
quantities of liquid over short periods. The slug-stabilizing system is capable of providing
slug-handling capabilities at a greatly reduced cost compared to equivalently sized
pressure vessels.

Slug catchers are used at the terminus of offshore pipelines to catch large slugs of liquid
in pipelines, to hold these slugs temporarily, and then to allow them to follow into
downstream equipment and facilities at a rate at which the liquid can be handled
properly. Slug catchers may be either a vessel or constructed of pipes. Pipe-type slug
catchers are frequently less expensive than vessel type slug catchers of the same capacity
due to thinner wall requirements of smaller pipe diameter. The manifold nature of
multiple pipe-type slug catchers also makes possible the later addition of additional
capacity by laying more parallel pipes. A schematic of a pipe-type slug catcher appears in
Fig. 3.5. The general configuration consists of the following parts.

• Fingers with dual slope and three distinct sections: gas/liquid separation,
intermediate, and storage sections.
• Gas risers connected to each finger at the transition zone between separation and
intermediate sections.
• Gas equalization lines located on each finger. These lines are located within the
slug storage section.
• Liquid header collecting liquid from each finger. This header will not be sloped
and is configured perpendicular to the fingers.

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Fig. 3.5 Finger type slug catcher.

Fig. 3.6 Multiple pipe slug catcher.

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Fig. 3.7 Slug Catcher (inlet view)

Fig. 3.8 Slug Catcher (liquid view header)

Fig. 3.9 Slug Catcher (General view)

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Note that it has been assumed that all liquids (condensate and water) are collected and
sent to an inlet three-phase separator, although it is possible to separate condensate and
water at the fingers directly. When doing condensate/water separation at the slug catcher
itself, we have to allow separately for the maximum condensate slug and the maximum
water slug in order to ensure continuous level control.

Separation of gas and liquid phases is achieved in the first section of the fingers. The
length of this section promotes a stratified flow pattern and permits primary separation to
occur. Ideally, liquid droplets, 600 µm and below, are removed from the gas disengaged
into the gas risers, which are located at the end of this section. The length of the
intermediate section is minimal such that there is no liquid level beneath the gas riser
when the slug catcher is full, i.e., storage section completely full. This section comprises
a change in elevation between the gas risers and the storage section that allows a clear
distinction between liquid and gas phases. The length of the storage section ensures that
the maximum slug volume can be retained without liquid carryover in the gas outlet.
During normal operations, the normal liquid level is kept at around the top of the riser
from each finger into the main liquid collection header, which is equivalent to
approximately a 5-min operation of the condensate stabilization units at maximum
capacity.

As the finger type of slug catcher is defined as a piping configuration rather than a
pressure vessel, it is not constrained to the same requirements as a normal vessel;
however, due to its size, it will contain the majority of high-pressure hydrocarbon gas on
the site. It is recommended that the slug catcher be depressurized automatically (for
preventation of fire) as quickly as possible without imposing unusually high flow rates on
the flare system.

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Problems

(1) Size a standard oil – gas separator both vertically and horizontally for the
following conditions :
- Gas flow rate 5 MMscfd
- Operating pressure 800 psig
- Condesate flow rate 20 bbl/MMscf

(2) Size a stahdard vertical oil-gas separator for the following conditions :
- Oil flow rate 2500 bbl/day
- Gas-oil ratio 1000
- Operating pressure 50 psig

(3) A 20 in x 10 ft, 100 psi working pressure horizontal separator is operated at one
half full liquid capcity. Can it be used on a well with the following conditions :
- Gas flow rate 9 MMscfd
- Line pressure 500 psig

(4) Size a horizontal high pressure separator for the following conditions :
- Gas flow rate 10 MMscfd
- Operating pressure 800 psig
- Condensate load 500 bbl/day
- Water load 100 bbl/day

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(5) A well test was made using a simple high pressure separator and an atmospheric
stock tank and the following results were obtained :
- Gas flow rate 10 MMscfd
- Operating pressure 800 psig
- Condensate recovery 500 bbl/day

(6) On the test of high pressure gas condensate well the following data were
recorded:
- Gas flow rate 10 MMscfd
- Operating pressure 800 psig
- Condesate recovery 200 bbl/day
- Separator temperature 85 F

What additional recovery could be expected using a low temperature separation

unit at 20 F?

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Sivalls Charts

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