FREE WATER KNOCKOUT

WRITTEN BY MATTHEW MILBURY ON 17 FEBRUARY 2016. POSTED IN VESSEL

A Free Water Knockout, abbreviated as FWKO, is a pressure vessel that uses
residence time to separate water from the production process.  It is usually
the first part of an oil dehydration facility.  Removing unwanted water in the
process stream can reduce processing steps by reducing the size of
downstream equipment and lowers energy requirements.  Water leaving the
FWKO is further processed to remove contaminants and then may be used
for injection, boiler feed water or for sale.  Oil and emulsion is processed
further until the oil is ready for sale.

Free Water Knock Out Schematic

Because the FWKO is usually the first piece of processing equipment after the
oil well, it can collect solids that come up with the oil and water.  For very
sandy wells, the FWKO can be automatically cleaning by pushing water
through a series of nozzles at the bottom of the vessel to move sand that may
have collected.

Some free water knock outs operate as a three phase (oil, water, gas) or as a
fluid packed two phase (oil, water) vessel.

A FWKO works best when the process is as stable as possible. Large swings
oil or water may cause the process to upset.  To assist in separation, the
incoming production stream might be preheated prior to the FWKO.  This is
usually with a shell and tube heat exchanger utilizing heat that would
otherwise have been wasted.

The free water knock works based on speed that the oily emulsion will
separate from the water.  This speed depends on many things like the
difference in specific gravities, the temperature and the viscosity between
the fluids.  A low residence time is as short three to five minutes for light oil. 
Heavy oil can have residence times as long as 30 minutes.  If it is a tight
emulsion, chemicals may be introduced to the FWKO to help break the
emulsion.  
 

TYPICAL NOZZLES
 Production Inlet - This will be the largest nozzle because it contains
the entire process.
 Oil & Emulsion Outlet
 Water Outlet
 Gas Outlet - If operating as a three phase vessel or if the vessel is on
a vapor recovery system.
 Sand Cleanout - Series of nozzles at the bottom of the FWKO that
direct water into predetermined locations of the vessel to clean the sand
from the bottom of the vessel.
 Pressure relief valve - Should be sized based on the design code the
vessel is designed to
 Manway - If there are multiple baffles, ensure there is access for an
inspector
 Nozzles for control devices - High level, low level, interface, pressure
and temperature
 Sample Box

TYPICAL INTERNALS
 Inlet Deflector or Baffle - Reduces disturbance from the inlet fluids
and keeps them from creating a channel through the FWKO.
 Calming Baffle/ Wave Beaker - If you’re using that experiences
surges, a baffle will help dampen inlet surges.
 Weir Box – A weir box may be used to separate ensure that the oil/
emulsion outlet does not get contaminated with water.
 Vortex Breaker - Discharge nozzle to prevent the discharge from
drawing from the gas blanket.
 Jets - Jets to direct flow rate to help clean out sand

 
 Wave breaker or calming baffle

Oil wier in a vessel Vortex breaker

in a tank

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
 When sizing a FWKO, size it for the highest reasonable expected flow
rate.  As the rates decrease, residence time increases the efficiency of
the unit.
 For gassy services, consider using the FWKO as a three phase
vessel.  Entrained gas carried through the water or oil outlet will cause
flow meters to show an erroneous flow rate.  If the production stream is
gassy, running the separator at higher pressures will keep the gas from
breaking the gas out of the fluid.
 As with all pressure vessels, it is easier (and cheaper) to add extra
nozzles during the initial fabrication than it is after the vessel has been in
operation.
 If pumping is needed upstream of the FWKO, a low shear pump, such
as a progressing cavity pump should be used.  A centrifugal pump (high
shear) will cause the emulsion to tighten which will increase the amount
of time needed to separate the oil and water.