Horizontal 3-Phase Separator Sizing

Example 5-2

Input Data
Parameters Gas Flow Rate Gas Specific Gravity Gas Viscosity Compressibility Factor Oil Flow Rate Oil API Gravity Oil Viscosity Water Flowrate Water Viscosity Water Specific Gravity Operating Pressure Operating Temperature Droplet Size Removal Retention time for Oil and Water Droplet Size for Water Droplet Size for Oil Fractional height of liquid in Separator Fractional height of Water in Separator Qg S g Z Qoil SGoil oil Qw w SGw P T dm Tr dw do ho+hw hw 5 0.6 0.013 0.84 5000 30 1 3000 10 1.07 100 90 100 10 500 200 55 28 psia F micron minute micron micron % % BOPD API cP BWPD cP cP Input value MMscfd

Solution
1 Calculation of CD (Drag Coefficient) and Terminal Velocity First Calculate Liquid and Vapor Densities Liquid Density Vapor Density Assume CD (First Iteration) Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Second Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Vt NRe Vt NRe liquid g 54.67 0.351 lb/ft3 lb/ft3

0.34 2.540 33.6 1.573 ft/sec

1.573 1.181 15.6 2.637 ft/sec

Fourth Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Sixth Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Final Values Final CD value Final Terminal Velocity Vt Vt NRe Vt NRe

3.195 0.829 11.0 3.438 ft/sec

3.536 0.788 10.4 3.575 ft/sec

3.591 0.783 ft/sec

2 Calculate difference in Specific Gravities S.G. 0.19

3 Calculate Area required for Gas (Same as 2-Phase Separator) Calculation for Actual Gas Flow using General Gas Equation Actual Gas Flow Qact Ag AT D 0.78 9.00 Area required for gas Total area of Separator Overall diameter of vessel 11.49 25.53 5.70 68.41 L / D ratio Length 4.5 25.65 ft MMACFD ft3/sec ft2 ft2 ft inch

4 Calculate area and retention time for Water Height of water in Separator hw 19.16 inch

As per Cricle formulas, following to be determined to find segmental area for water - Angle AOB - Sector (OADB) area - Triangle (OAB) Area Goto No. 4 (Radius AO and Apothem OE) on attached circle formulas Segment Height ED (hw) Apothem OE 19.16 15.05 inch inch

AE (Trianlge Base) can be find using phytoghorous theorem AE Angle AOE 30.717 1.12 63.90 inch radians degrees

Central Angle AOB Sector Area Triangle Area Segemental area for water Water flow rate Qw

127.80 9.062 3.210 5.851 3000 11.700

degrees ft ft
2 2

ft2 BWPD ft3/min min

Retention time

12.83

Retention time ok for water

5 Calculate area and retention time for Oil Segmental area for oil Oil Flow Aoil Qoil 8.19 5000 19.499 Retention time T 10.772 ft2 BOPD ft3/min min

Retention time ok for water

Third Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Vt NRe

2.637 0.912 12.1 3.195 ft/sec

Fifth Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Seventh Iteration for CD Calculate Terminal Velocity Calculate Reynold's number Calculate CD Vt NRe Vt NRe

3.438 0.799 10.6 3.536 ft/sec

3.575 0.783 10.4 3.591 ft/sec

P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2

Using Q = A Vt

(diameter x fractional height of water)

gmental area for water

(Radius - Segment height) (hyp2 - perp2)

(perp (OE) x base (AE))

time = volume available / flow rate

='Total area - gas area - water area