Petroleum

Department

5th Stage
Lecture 2 – Crude Oil
Separation

KewanJalil
2022 – 2023 Email-Kewan.Jaleel@gmail.com
Outline
01 Introduction

02 Types Of Separators

03 Separator Components

04 Summary

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01 Introduction
❑ Separators is a pressure vessel used for separating a well stream into gaseous and liquid
components.

● Almost all separators in the oil and gas industry operate on the basis of gravity.

● Since the oil that is produced from the reservoir. it has all three phases (gas, oil and water)
mixed and therefore it is necessary to separate these phases to produce an oil ready for sale.

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02 Types Of Separator
❑ Separators can be classified based on the following:

A. Based on Vessel Configuration

B. Based on Number of phases

C. Based on Pressure stages

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02 Types Of Separator
A. Based on Vessel Configuration

● They can be divided into Horizontal, Vertical and Spherical separators.

Figure 1: Separator Types based on Vessel Configuration

● Horizontal separators have higher efficiency in liquid/gas phase separation because of large
contact area between the two phases.
● Vertical and spherical separators take up less space (usually used offshore).

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02 Types Of Separator
B. Based on Number of phases

1. Two - Phase separators: These are usually used to separate liquids from gases.

2. Three - Phase separators: Generally used for the separation of oil, water and gas from a

well stream.

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02 Types Of Separator
C. Based on Pressure Stages

1. High - pressure separator (HP): These are the first separators that well streams enter,
they are also called ‘production separators’.

2. Intermediate - pressure separators (IP): These are also called 2nd stage separators.

3. Low - Pressure separators (LP): Oil from the 2nd stage separator enters the LP separator

at atmospheric pressure (14.7 psi).

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02 Types Of Separator
C. Based on Pressure Stages

❖ Question: Why is oil separated through several stages?

➢ Answer: A large pressure reduction in a single separator will cause flash vaporization,
leading to instability and safety hazards.

Figure 2: Separator Types based on Pressure stages

● Heat exchangers can be placed between the stages to heat the oil to ensure maximum
separation of heavier phases.
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03 Separator Components
❑ Separators have 5 major components:

1. Inlet diverter

2. Weir plate

3. Vortex breakers

4. Stilling Baffles (Wave breakers)

5. Mist extractor (demister)

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03 Separator Components
1. Inlet diverter

● Inlet diverter Appropriate inlet device is needed to obtain an initial bulk separation of
liquid/gas.

● In most cases, gas will have already come out of solution in the pipeline, leading to the
separator (because of pressure drop across an upstream). Hence, the majority of the gas
is separated from the liquid in the inlet zone.

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03 Separator Components
● The main type of inlet diverter is Baffle plate. A baffle plate can be a spherical dish, flat
plate or anything that will accomplish a rapid change in direction and velocity of the fluids
and thus separate the gas and liquid.

Figure 3: Baffle plate

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03 Separator Components
2. Weir plate

● In liquid-liquid separation, the lighter of two liquids might have an overflow weir.

● Using residence time, chemicals or heat, two immiscible liquids are allowed to separate.

Figure 4: Weir plate

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03 Separator Components
3. Vortex Breakers

● Vortex breakers are installed on the outlet of liquids.

● Vortexes can transport gas bubbles into the liquid outlets, this can be prevented by
“Vortex breakers”

Figure 5: Vortex breaker

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03 Separator Components
4. Stilling Baffles
● In long horizontal vessels it is necessary to install stilling baffles, which are vertical baffles
spanning the gas-liquid interface and perpendicular to the flow.

❑ Stilling Baffles serve multiple functions:

1. Minimizing the amount of waves.

2. The oil & water separation process is stabilized.
3. This prevents large amounts of wet oil (emulsion) from spilling over the weir.

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03 Separator Components

Figure 6: Stilling Baffle

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03 Separator Components
5. Mist extractor

● Mist extractor: A device used to collect small liquid droplets (moisture or hydrocarbons)
from the gas stream before it leaves the separator.

● The two most common types of mist extractors are Wire-mesh pads and Vanes. Once the
small droplets of liquid are collected, they are removed along with the other liquids from
the separator.

● Effectiveness of a mist extractor depends on the gas velocity.

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03 Separator Components

Figure 7: Mist extractor Figure 8: Mist extractor

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04 Summary
1. What is the Separator?

2. What are the types of separator Based on Vessel configuration?

3. What are the types of separator Based on Number of phases?

4. What are the types of separator Based on Pressure stages?

5. Why is oil separated through several stages?

6. What are the components of separator?

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