Separators are required to provide oil/gas streams that meet saleable pipeline s

pecification as well as disposal.

Oil must have less than 1% (by volume) water and less than 5 lbm water/MMscf gas
.
Water stream must have less than 20 ppm oil for overboard discharge in the Gulf
of Mexico (GOM).
Depressurization
Stage recovery of liquid hydrocarbons - Staged separation (depressurization) - t
o maximize the liquid hydrocarbon volumes Fig. 1 shows a typical deepwater GOM p
rocess train. There are four stages of depressurization:
high pressure (HP)
intermediate pressure (IP)
free water knockout (FWKO)
the degasser/bulk oil treater (BOT) combination
Fig. 1 Typical GOM production separation train consisting of HP, IP, FWKO, degasse
r, and BOT (courtesy of CDS Separation Technologies Inc.).
Bulk water is removed in the third stage, FWKO, and final dewatering is accompli
shed in the BOT. In the North Sea and other locations, water may be removed in t
he HP and/or IP vessels. The BOT is typically an electrostatic treater. Sometime
s, the BOT will include a degassing section, eliminating the need for a separate
degasser vessel. Typical deepwater GOM platform pressures for degasser stages a
re:
1,500 psig for HP
700 psig for IP
250 psig for IP
50 psig for FWKO
Metering
Protection of pumps and compressors
Booster compressor unit
Fig. 2 shows the associated booster compressor unit
Fig. 2 Typical three-stage compressor train (courtesy of CDS Separation Technologi
es Inc.).