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DesignandOptimizationofSeparators|PNG520:PhaseBehaviorofNaturalGasandCondensateFluids

DesignandOptimizationofSeparators
DesignandOptimizationofSeparators
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IntroductionandPurpose
PhaseDiagrams,PartI
PhaseDiagrams,PartII
PhaseDiagrams,PartIII
PhaseDiagrams,PartIV
PTBehaviorandEquations
ofState(EOS),PartI
PTBehaviorandEquations
ofState(EOS),PartII
PTBehaviorandEquations
ofState(EOS),PartIII
CubicEOSandTheir
Behavior(I)
CubicEOSandTheir
Behavior(II)
CubicEOSandTheir
Behavior(III)
ElementaryVaporLiquid
Equilibrium(I)
ElementaryVaporLiquid
Equilibrium(II)
ThermodynamicTools(I)
ThermodynamicTools(II)
ThermodynamicTools(III)
VaporLiquidEquilibriumvia
EOS
PropertiesofNaturalGas
andCondensates(I)
PropertiesofNaturalGas
andCondensates(II)
EngineeringApplications(I)
Introduction:Phase
Behaviorasthe
QuintessentialTool
Designand
Optimizationof
Separators
Compositional
ModelingofGas
Condensate
Reservoirs:TheZero
dimensionalApproach
ActionItem
EngineeringApplications
(II)

Onceoilandgasarebroughttothesurface,ourmaingoalbecomesthatoftransportionoftheoilandgasfromthewellhead
totherefinery(forfinalprocessing)inthebestpossibleform.Allequipmentandprocessesrequiredtoaccomplishthisare
foundatthesurfaceproductionfacility.Hence,allsurfaceproductionstartsrightatthewellhead.Startingatthewellhead,
thecomplexmixtureofproducedfluidsmakesitswayfromtheproductiontubingintotheflowline.Normally,manywellsare
drilledtoeffectivelyproducethehydrocarbonscontainedinthefield.Fromeachofthesewellsemergeoneormoreflow
linesdependingonhowmanylayersarebeingproducedsimultaneously.Dependingonthephysicalterrainoftheareaand
severalotherenvironmentalfactors,eachoftheflowlinesmaybeallowedtocontinuefromthewellheadtoacentral
processingfacilitycommonlyreferredasaproductionplatformoraflowstation.Ifnot,alltheflowlinesorseveralofthem
emptytheircontentsintoabiggerpipelinecalledabulkheader,whichthencarriesthefluidstotheproductionplatform.The
combinationofthewellhead,theflowlines,bulkheaders,valvesandfittingsneededtocollectandtransporttheraw
producedfluidtotheproductionplatformisreferredtoasthegatheringsystem.
Thegatheredfluidsmustbeprocessedtoenhancetheirvalue.Firstofall,fluidsmustbeseparatedintotheirmainphasial
components&mdashnamely,oil,water,andnaturalgas.Theseparationsystemperformsthisfunction.Forthis,thesystem
isusuallymadeupofafreewaterknockout(FWKO),flowlineheater,andoilgas(twophase)separators.Wewillbe
lookingatthedesignofthislastcomponent.
Thephysicalseparationofthesethreephasesiscarriedoutinseveralsteps.Waterisseparatedfirstfromthehydrocarbon
mixture(bymeansoftheFWKO),andthenthehydrocarbonmixtureisseparatedintotwohydrocarbonphases(gasand
oil/condensate).Asuccessfulhydrocarbonseparationmaximizesproductionofcondensateoroil,andenhancesits
properties.Infieldapplications,thisisaccomplishedbymeansofstageseparation.Stageseparationofoilandgasiscarried
outwithaseriesofseparatorsoperatingatconsecutivelyreducedpressures.Liquidisdischargedfromahigherpressure
separatorintothenextlowerpressureseparator.Thepurposeofstageseparationistoobtainmaximumrecoveryofliquid
hydrocarbonsfromthefluidscomingfromthewellheadsandtoprovidemaximumstabilizationofboththeliquidandgas
effluents.
SurfaceProductionFacility:Thephysicalinstallationwherefluidscomingfromthewellheadareseparatedintothreemain
constituents:water,oil,andnaturalgas.

Figure20.1:PurposeofaSurfaceProductionFacility

Usuallyitismosteconomicaltousethreetofourstagesofseparationforthehydrocarbonmixture.Fiveorsixmaypayout
underfavorableconditions,whenforexampletheincomingwellheadfluidisfoundatveryhighpressure.However,the
increaseinliquidyieldwiththeadditionofnewstagesisnotlinear.Forinstance,theincreaseinliquidsgainedbyaddingone
stagetoasinglestagesystemislikelytobesubstantial.However,addingonestagetoathreeorfourstagesystemisnotas
likelytoproduceanymajorsignificantgain.Ingeneral,ithasbeenfoundthatathreestageseparatingsystemisthemost
costeffective.Figure20.2showsthistypicalconfiguration.

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DesignandOptimizationofSeparators|PNG520:PhaseBehaviorofNaturalGasandCondensateFluids
Figure20.2:ThreestageSurfaceSeparationFacility

Undertheassumptionofequilibriumconditions,andknowingthecompositionofthefluidstreamcomingintotheseparator
andtheworkingpressureandtemperatureconditions,wecouldapplyourcurrentknowledgeofVLEequilibrium(flash
calculations)andcalculatethevaporandliquidfractionsateachstage.However,ifwearelookingatdesigningand
optimizingtheseparationfacility,wewouldliketoknowtheoptimalconditionsofpressureandtemperatureunderwhichwe
wouldgetthemosteconomicalprofitfromtheoperation.Inthiscontext,wehavetokeepinmindthatstageseparationaims
atreducingthepressureoftheproducedfluidinsequentialstepssothatbetterandmorestocktankoil/condensaterecovery
willresult.
Separatorcalculationsarebasicallyperformedtodetermine:
Optimumseparationconditions:separatorpressureandtemperature
Compositionsoftheseparatedgasandoilphases
Oilformationvolumefactor
ProducingGasOilratio
APIgravityofthestocktankoil
Letuslookatthecaseofthreestageseparation.Ingeneral,temperatureconditionsinthesurfaceseparationfacilityare
verymuchdeterminedbytheatmosphericconditionandincomingstreamtemperatures.Asforpressures,theveryfirst
separatorpressureiscontrolledbythegatheringlinescomingfromwellheads,thusthereisnotmuchroomforplayingwith
pressureinthefirstseparator.Thesameargumentsarevalidforthelaststageofseparation(stocktank),whichusually
operatesatatmosphericconditions.Therefore,weareonlyleftwiththemiddleseparatorforoptimization.
Asitturnsout,thekeytodesigningathreestageseparationsystemisfindingtheoptimumpressureatwhichtooperatethe
secondseparator.Thequestionthatwewouldansweriswhatisthepressurethatwillresultinthebestqualityliquidgoing
outofthestocktankforsales?Wedonotwanttodothisempirically.Thisis,wedonotwanttoplaywiththesecondstage
separatorpressureinthefield,untilweultimatelyfindtheoptimumcondition.Whatwecando,usingourphasebehavior
knowledge,istofindthisoptimummiddlestagepressureapplyingourunderstandingofVLEequilibrium.
Figure20.3showsthetypicaleffectofplayingwiththemiddleseparatorpressureonthequalityandquantityofproduced
oil/condensateatthestocktank.Qualityandquantityaremeasuredintermsofproperties,suchasAPIandBo,andthe
overallGORattheseparationfacility.

Figure20.3:SelectionofOptimumMiddleSeparatorPressure
Theoptimumvalueofpressureforthemiddlestageistheonethatproducesthemaximumliquidyield(byminimizingGOR
andBo)ofamaximumquality(bymaximizingstocktankAPIgravity).ThesmallerthevalueofGORandBo,thelargerthe
liquidyield.ThehighertheAPIgravityofthestocktankfluid,themoreprofitableitscommercialization.FromFigure20.2,
weseethatthisconditionisfoundatneitherextreme(low/high)valuesofmiddlestagepressure.Thereis,infact,anoptimal
valueformiddlestagepressure.Thisisthevaluewearelookingfor.
ThePhaseBehaviormodelthatwehavedescribedthroughouttheseseriesoflecturesprovidesthebasicframeworkforthe
typeofcalculationsrequiredhere.Additionally,wediscussedhowAPIandBocanbecalculatedusingtheoutputofthe
phasebehaviormodel.Whiledoingthecalculationsfora3stageseparatingsystem,keepinmindthatwehaveminimal
controloverfeedpressure,aswedonotwanttoinhibitthewell(highpressureseparator).Wedonotcontrolthesalesline
pressure(stocktankpressure)either.Thecontrolthatwedohaveistheoperatingpressureofthemiddleseparator.
Recallthatfindingtheoptimumpressurecallsfor,inpart,findingtheminimumgastooilratio(GOR,SCF/STB).Weare
dealing,inthiscase,withtotalGOR.ThetotalGORisthecumulativeamountofgasfromallthreeseparatorsdividedbythe
amountofliquid/condensateleavingthestocktank.DuringourdiscussiononBocalculations,wecallednstthemolesof
liquidleavingthestocktankpermoleoffeedenteringtheseparationfacility.Thisnumbercanbeobtainedbysequentially
flashing1lbmoloffeedthrougheachoftheseparationstages.RecallingthedefinitionofGOR,

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DesignandOptimizationofSeparators|PNG520:PhaseBehaviorofNaturalGasandCondensateFluids

(20.1)
where:

[basis:1lbmoloffeed]
Therefore,

[SCF/STB](20.2)
Usually,thestocktankisconsideredtooperateatstandardconditions(psc,Tsc).Nowyouarereadytomakeyourown
surfaceseparationdesign!

Introduction:PhaseBehaviorastheQuintessentialTool

up

CompositionalModelingofGasCondensateReservoirs:The
ZerodimensionalApproach

CourseAuthor:MichaelAdewumi,Professor,Petroleum&NaturalGasEngineering,ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity.

2014ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity
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