The Use of CFD Simulations to Compare and Evaluate Different Sizing Algorithms for Three-Phase Separators

Ahmed, Tariq; Hamad, Faik; Russell, Paul

doi:10.4043/28066-ms

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…Therefore, more sophisticated design models have been developed using computational fluid dynamics and computational algorithms. CFD models [9,10,11,12] are used to model the dynamics and hydrodynamics of phases and flows in three-phase separators. They are mostly used to determine the effect of the separator internals from which modifications can be made to improve the performance of the separator [13,14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and capital cost optimisation of three-phase gravity separators

Ahmed

Russell

Makwashi

et al. 2020

Heliyon

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The separation of produced fluids is essential once it reaches the surface. This separation is achieved in gravity separators. The design and sizing of separators can be challenging due to the number of factors involved. Improper separator design can bottleneck and reduce the production of the entire facility. This paper describes the development of a capital cost optimisation model for sizing three phase separators. The developed model uses GRG Non-linear algorithms to determine the minimum cost associated with the construction of horizontal separators subject to four sets of constraints. A numerical sizing example was solved to provide the details associated with the model and the ease with which parameters can be varied to suit the user's needs. Finally, a spreadsheet comparison between results obtained from the developed model and four other extant models is carried out. Results indicated that the developed model predicted results within an absolute error of AE5m 3 in most cases and a maximum of AE12.5m 3 for very high gas flows in comparison to conventional models developed based on retention time theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and capital cost optimisation of three-phase gravity separators

Ahmed

Russell

Makwashi

et al. 2020

Heliyon

Self Cite

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Experimental Analysis and Computational-Fluid-Dynamics Modeling of Pilot-Scale Three-Phase Separators

Ahmed

Russell

Hamad

et al. 2019

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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Summary In this work, the performance of two pilot–scale separators was investigated using computational–fluid–dynamics (CFD) simulation with one operating at low gas volumetric quality comprising a bucket–and–weir configuration, and the other operated at high gas volumetric quality with a weir configuration. The pilot–scale separators were selected for this work because of their availability and the lack of data on industrial separators. The effects of the liquid (oil and water) flow rate and weir height on separation performance have been investigated for the separator operating at low gas volumetric quality. For this separator, the design of experiments (DOE) and a preliminary run of the separator were used to select the number of experiments and simulations to conduct and the levels (values) of the three variables investigated. For the second separator, the effects of the inlet flow rate on separation performance have been investigated. Eulerian and volume–of–fluid (VOF) multiphase–flow models in ANSYS® Fluent (Fluent 2019), combined with a k–ε turbulence model, were used to simulate the fluid–flow pattern and phase behavior inside each of the separators. The numerical solutions were initialized with a water level set at 50% of the weir height using a patching tool. A mesh–independence test was carried out to ensure that the results are not dependent on the mesh quality. The separation efficiencies from both models were compared with that from the experimental data. The results indicated that the two multiphase models, namely, Eulerian and VOF, predict the experimental results within 30% error. However, different separation performances were obtained for the same flow conditions. For the separator operating at low gas volumetric quality, the results from the Eulerian multiphase model produced a maximum deviation of 8%, while results from the VOF multiphase model produced a maximum deviation of 23% of the experimental data. For this separator, the oil flow rate was found to have the greatest effect on the separation efficiency. This is followed by the water flow rate and weir height. For the separator operating at high gas volumetric quality, a maximum percentage error of 30% for the Eulerian model and 21% for the VOF was obtained.

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Investigating the Mean Residence Time in a Two-Phase Oil-Water Separator Using Volume of Fluid Multiphase Theory in Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation

Baghi

Karimi

2023

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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Summary Multiphase separators are essential to chemical units, especially in the oil and gas industry. Because separators are usually the first equipment installed in the oil and gas units, their performance directly affects other equipment. A two-phase oil-water separator was investigated in this study. Based on the average residence time reported for the pilot separator, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was validated. The multiphase volume of fluid (VOF) theory in Ansys Fluent software is used for the simulation. Initially, the effect of halving the geometry from its line of symmetry was investigated to see if the halved geometry could replace the complete geometry in the simulation. After validation, the effect of four different inlet deflectors on the mean residence time (MRT) was investigated. A spherical inlet deflector and three plate inlet deflectors with varying angles were tested to examine the effects of inlet deflectors. Among the plate inlet deflectors, the one with an angle between the plates of 105 degrees had the highest MRT and the separator with an angle between the plates of 135 degrees had the lowest MRT. This is because of the fluid conduction by the separator and its collision with its wall. The spherical input deflector increases the MRT by 8.9% compared to the separator without the input deflector.

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The Use of CFD Simulations to Compare and Evaluate Different Sizing Algorithms for Three-Phase Separators

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

Design and capital cost optimisation of three-phase gravity separators

Design and capital cost optimisation of three-phase gravity separators

Experimental Analysis and Computational-Fluid-Dynamics Modeling of Pilot-Scale Three-Phase Separators

Investigating the Mean Residence Time in a Two-Phase Oil-Water Separator Using Volume of Fluid Multiphase Theory in Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation

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