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Application of CFD to Debottleneck Production Separators in a Major Oil Field

in the Middle East

Article · January 2012

DOI: 10.2118/158201-MS

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SPE 158201

Application of CFD to Debottleneck Production Separators in a Major Oil

Field in the Middle East
Nabil Kharoua, SPE, Lyes Khezzar, SPE, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Hisham Saadawi, SPE,
ADCO, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 8-10 October 2012.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information co ntained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract

In order to debottleneck very large three phase production separators in a Middle Eastern oil field, new high efficiency
internals were installed. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study was conducted of these three-phase separators. The
study focused on the evaluation of internal modifications and the influence of the inflow characteristics. A combination of the
Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase and k-ε turbulence models was used to simulate the complex behavior of the flow inside the
separator. A series of parametric case studies was conducted. The findings of the CFD study were compared with the results
of field performance test.

This paper describes the approach adopted in the CFD study. The geometry, mesh, numerical models, simulation strategy as
well as the results and findings are discussed in detail.

Introduction

Bab field is one of the largest onshore fields in Abu Dhabi. The field is located some 200 km southwest of Abu Dhabi City.
The central degassing station has seven production separation trains designed to handle 540,000 barrels per day. With the
increase in water cut and gas to oil ratio, several operating problems were experienced with the first stage production
separators. These problems include the carry-over of liquids with the gas; out of specifications crude oil and produced water.

To address these problems; a project was initiated to debottleneck the first stage separators. The old separators’ internals were
replaced by new high efficiency ones (Figure 1). The retrofit included the following:

 Replacement of the existing plate deflector with a proprietary inlet device; known as Shoepentoter
 Replacement of the perforated plate with a new one
 Installation of a vane pack agglomerator
 Raising the weir height
 Replacement of the vane pack at the gas outlet with a spiralflow cyclones device
 Adjusting the level controls accordingly.

A field performance test was carried out before and after the retrofit to assess the improvement in separator performance. In
order to better understand and analyze the performance of the separator; a CFD study was conducted on the first stage
production separator. The CFD model was used to compare the performance of the old set of internals with the new ones.
The CFD-based simulations were compared with the results of the field performance test and were also used to evaluate the
impact of changing the weir height on the separator performance.
2 SPE 158201

GAS
Momentum Mist
Breaker Eliminator

Feed Perforated
Plate
Weir

Water Oil
Fig 1 – Horizontal gravity separator

The classic method in the industry to design separators is to use the semi-empirical approach of API standards (API SPEC
12J). This approach gives the overall dimensions of the separator, but cannot provide information on local flow behavior
inside the vessel. The behavior of the multiphase flow inside the separator is affected by the type and geometry of the
internals, which in turn has a considerable influence on the separation performance.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of CFD studies to analyze the performance of separators. Recently, Laleh
et al (2011) reviewed the relevant literature for CFD studies of multiphase separators. They pointed out some of the
limitations of these studies. Previous investigations include those of Hansen (2001), who simulated the two-phase flow inside
a horizontal separator of 6 m length and 1.95 m diameter with a water cut of 20 % and density difference of 200 kg/m3. A
droplet distribution, usually assumed to be Gaussian and having an average diameter of 160 µm, was considered and
simulations with and without coalescence models were performed. The separation process was accelerated under the effect of
the droplet’s growth model to take account of the coalescence phenomenon. The authors concluded that CFD is able to
predict, better than other methods, the important effect of the internals used which is related mainly to the coalescence
phenomenon. Lakehal et al. (2009) presented a new modelling and simulation approach for the three-phase flow in gravity
separation. Contrary to previous studies, employing several simplifying assumptions, the authors tackled the separation
problem in its complicated shape including interface tracking with level-set, modelling of flocculation, coalescence and
breakup, modelling of the diffusion process between the oil and water, and consideration of the viscosity changes and non-
Newtonian behavior of the emulsion. Vilagines and Akhras (2010) of ARAMCO performed a three-dimensional CFD
simulation of a huge separator of 45.5 m long and 4.26 m diameter divided into more than one hundred million computational
cells. They used the full Eulerian multiphase model in conjunction with the Shear Stress Transport turbulence model. They
assumed an average diameter of 0.1 m for droplets and bubbles. The purpose of the CFD study was to compare the separator
performance when the existing internals are upgraded and the inlet device changed to a cyclonic shape rather than an ordinary
momentum breaker. The stratified flow was seen to stabilize at an earlier stage when a new inlet device was implemented.
The whole geometrical domain was discretized to capture the three-dimensional features of the flow.

Laleh et al. (2011a and b) addressed the issues and lack of information, such as liquid level control, in the literature and used
the discrete particle model/ Volume of fluid (DPM/VOF) multiphase model combined with the k-ε turbulence model . The
study suggests improved design criteria, for example additional residence times are necessary for droplet penetration through
the interphases and the use of Abraham equation instead of Stokes’ law in the liquid-liquid separation compartment.
Nowadays, known commercial constructors such as NATCO or FMC often combine the general approach of the standards
with CFD simulation and experimental testing to design separators equipped with internals for a more refined separation
(Frankiewicz and Lee, 2002; Bhatia and Fiaz, 2006; Lee et al., 2008).

Almost all of the previous CFD studies of horizontal separators used simplifying assumptions in relation to the definition of
phases, the boundary conditions, and solution strategy. In order to minimize computational time, only half the symmetric
domain was considered in some CFD studies. The majority of previous studies employed two phases in unsteady mode while
three-phase simulations were scarce because of their complexity and the computational resources required. Due to the
complexity of the geometry, when internals were considered in the models, hybrid grids with hexahedral and tetrahedral cells
were often used. The size of bubbles and droplets were typically represented by a single average diameter. Baffles were
SPE 158201 3

appropriately modeled as porous media. The Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based k-ε turbulence model, is
considered to be the workhorse of industrial CFD applications, due to its robustness, simplicity and reasonable computational
cost.

In the present study, a series of parametric CFD computations, using the multiphase Eulerian-Eulerian and the RANS
turbulence k-ε models, are conducted. The computations are conducted to investigate the flow field and separator performance
for two different sets of separator internals refered to as the existing configuration and its upgraded version with new internals
of the first stage separators of Bab field. Subsequently and using the new configuration of the separator with the new internals,
the effect of weir height is addressed. In addition to the evaluation of the overall performance of the separator in terms of
phase separation, the internal structure of the complex multiphase flow is explored. In the present work, great care was taken
to replicate faithfully the internals geometry, albeit some approximations were made. The numerical results were compared
with field performance tests. The next section presents the details of CFD modeling approach followed by the results section.

CFD Approach

The configuration of the internals was replicated in the CFD geometrical model using a high level of detail. The finite volume
technique was used to discretize the computational domain. The set of governing equations consisted of the Reynolds
averaged Navier-Stokes equations, complemented by the k-ε turbulence model and the Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase transport
equations.

Geometry and Mesh.

The horizontal separators are 14 m long with a diameter of 3.4 m. They are equipped with a horizontal inlet and three vertical
outlets.

Old Internals. The initial geometry of the 1st stage separator with old internals is shown in figure 2. Immediately
downstream of the inlet pipe a diffuser strap is placed to guide the incoming multiphase stream towards the momentum
breaker and avoid a sudden spreading of the mixture when it enters the separator body. The momentum breaker is a box
containing long vertical angle beams acting as a diffuser. At this stage, the gas and liquids are separated by the effect of
gravity. Two perforated plates, with 20 % free area, are placed at 2m and 8m respectively from the inlet nozzle to stabilize the
oil-water mixture and to enhance the settling separation mechanism. Indeed, Wilkinson et al. (2000) have conducted a study
on the optimum configuration and position of perforated plates. They found that the optimum free area, in the case of one
baffle, is about 20 % which can be extended until a value of 40 %. A coalescer is located just downstream of the second
perforated plate to enhance agglomeration of droplets improving, hence, their probability of separation. A weir of 0.7 m
separates the water and oil outlets and a vane-pack mist extractor is placed at the gas outlet to separate the finest liquid
droplets.
Momentum
breaker

Vane pack mist

extractor

1st baffle

2nd baffle

Weir

Vortex breaker

Fig 2 – Old internals configuration

4 SPE 158201

A mesh of 5 million hybrid computational cells was necessary for a good representation of the internals. Some geometrical
simplifications were necessary due to the complexity of the real geometry of the internals:

New Internals. Figure 3 illustrates the geometry of the separator fitted with new internals. The momentum breaker is
replaced by a Schoepentoeter device which dampens the inlet velocity considerably in a smoother way between curved sheets
acting as a diffuser. Two perforated plates are added to stabilize the oil-water mixture by forcing the flow towards quiescent
conditions so that to enhance the settling separation mechanism. However, they are both placed close to the inlet directly
downstream of the Schoepentoeter. According to Wilkinson et al. (2000), using two baffles, instead of one, might improve the
damping effect if placed close to each other by a distance of around 0.1m. The coalescer, for this case, is larger and formed by
inclined parallel plates fixed in the lower part of the separator and occupying more than half of its cross-section. At the same
location in the upper part, an agglomerator, formed by corrugated parallel plates, is used for mist extraction. At the gas outlet,
the vane-type mist extractor is now replaced by a battery of cyclones called Spiraflow.

The new internals configuration necessitated the generation of a mesh of about 8 million hybrid computational cells.
Similarily to the old internals, some geometrical simplifications were necessary to overcome the complexity of the real
geometry

Schoepentoeter

Spiraflow mist Agglomerator

extractor

1st baffle
2nd baffle

Coalescer

Weir

Vortex
breaker

Fig 3 – New internals configuration

Numerical Models. A CFD simulation consists in solving the unsteady RANS equations in their algebraic discretized form.
For a turbulent multiphase flow, new source terms are added to the RANS equations to account for the phase interactions and
turbulence. Thus additional models (equations) are necessary to quantify the contribution of the new terms. In the present
study, the Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase model in conjunction with the k-ε turbulence model is used to predict the complex
turbulent multiphase flow behavior inside the three-phase separator. The flow was assumed to be incompressible and a
transient simulation was necessary before reaching a steady-state flow. The mathematical model used includes some
simplifying assumptions; emulsification and foaming are not considered, lift, virtual mass, and surface tension forces are
omitted, and the phases are represented by their single average diameter. The set of governing equations was solved using the
commercial code Fluent12.1 (see Fluent documentation)

The Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase model considered is governed by the continuity and momentum equations for each phase q.
Separate equations are solved for the volume fractions of the secondary phases. A single pressure field is shared by all phases
and their interactions are represented by additional terms requiring appropriate exchange coefficients. The most important one
is the interphase drag.

Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase model. The discretized form of the following continuity equation is used to obtain the
volume fraction of each phase

 
t
 
 q q 
x i
 
 q  q U i ,q  0 (1)
SPE 158201 5

with the condition that the sum of the phase volume fractions should be equal to unity in each computational cell
k1  k  1
n

The momentum equations for each phase are given by


 
  p 
  
n
qq U j,q  qq U j,q Ui,q  q  q  qqgi   R pq (2)
t x j x i x j p 1

where the stress-strain relation for the qth phase is modeled as

    2 
q  qq  U  U   q qij Uk ,q (3)
 x j i,q x i j,q  3 x k
 

and the interaction force between phases R pq is modeled as follows

 R pq   K pq Up  Uq 
n n
(4)
p 1 p 1

K pq is the interphase exchange coefficient. According to the symmetric model it is equal to

K pq 

 p  p  p   q q f  (5)
pq

The particulate relaxation time is defined as

2
 dp  dq 
 
p p   q q  
 2 
pq   

18  p p  qq  (6)

where f is the drag function

CD Re
f (7)
24

and CD is the drag coefficient which is given by


 24 1  0.15 Re0.687

 Re  1000
CD   Re (8)

0.44 Re  1000

The relative Reynolds number for primary phase q and secondary phase p is

q U p  U q d p
Re  (9)
q

The relative Reynolds number for secondary phases p and r is

rp U r  U p d rp
Re  (10)
 rq
6 SPE 158201

k-ε turbulence model. The k-ε turbulence model used here solves the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate,
for the mixture.

The differential modeled transport equations for the turbulent kinetic energy k and its dissipation rate ε are given by:

  
mk    m Um, jk    t ,m  k   G k,m  m
  (11)
t x j x j  k x j 

  
m   m Um, j    t ,m      C1G k ,m  C2m
  (12)
t x j x j   x j  k

where the mixture density is defined as

N
m   ii (13)
i 1

the mixture velocity as

 ii Ui
N

U m  i N1 (14)
i 1 ii
and the mixture viscosity as

k2
 t , m  mC (15)


The production term of k is

    
G k,m  t,m  U  U  U (16)
 x j i,q x i j,q  x j i ,q
 

The model constants are C1ε=1.44, C2ε=1.92, Cμ=0.09, σk=1, σε=1.3

Physical Properties and Boundary Conditions. The densities, in kg/m3, of the three phases are 813.5, 1015.1, and 17.6 while
the dynamic viscosities, in kg/ms, are 2.27x10-3, 1.106x10-3, and 1.1x10-5 for the oil, water and gas respectively.

In order to reduce the number of grid cells, the computational domain represents only half of the separator geometry with a
symmetry boundary condition applied on the median plane of the separator. At the inlet of the separator, a mean velocity
equal to 7.05 m/s was imposed with a turbulence intensity of 2%. The volume fraction distribution, at the inlet, was 0.06,
0.02, and 0.92 for oil, water, and gas respectively. In this study, gas was considered as the continuous phase while oil and
water were defined as secondary phases with a droplet diameter equal to 100 microns. It should be emphasized that
assumptions of secondary phases represented by their average diameter are frequently employed in the literature for the sake
of simplicity and optimization of the calculation time. The representative size distribution of the oil and water droplets, at the
inlet, was not available for more realistic inlet boundary conditions. For this type of problems, the outlets should be set to a
pressure boundary condition so that the concentration of the phases is part of the solution set. Unfortunately the value of the
pressure is unknown and has to be obtained somehow and hence a procedure had to be developed. The setting and searching
for these boundary conditions constituted one of the major hurdles in this work. Once the flow fields had developed, the oil
and water outlets were opened at the target flow rates and the pressure and liquid levels resulting from such a solution were
recorded. These pressures which correspond to the correct flow rate and liquid levels inside the separator were finally used to
obtain the final steady solution. A constant pressure, equal to 17.2 bars, was imposed at the gas outlet wheras values ranging
from 17.45 to 17.83 bars were obtained for the oil and water outlets. The pressure at the water outlet was almost always
higher than that at the oil outlet by about 300 Pa. No-slip condition, with a standard wall function, was employed on solid
walls.
SPE 158201 7

Simulation Strategy. The simulations started with closed outlets for the oil and water while a pressure of 17.2 bars was
imposed at the gas outlet. The oil and water were patched initially in the computational domain so that they reach their normal
levels without the need to filling the separator starting from an empty status. The oil and water levels were set to their normal
levels and were kept almost constant during the simulation. The program was then run in transient mode until the flow fields
developed after about 1200s. It should be mentioned that the first signs of entrainment based on the amount of oil at the gas
outlet, water at the oil outlet, and oil at the water outlet were at 110s, 26s, and 150s for the old internals respectively and 85s,
99s, and 150s for the new internals respectively. Arnold and Stewart (1998) mentioned typical design residence time ranges of
1-3 minutes for the gas-liquid separation and 3-30 minutes for the liquid-liquid separation.

The oil level was set, initially, to NLL and monitored to be kept between MNLL and MXLL while the water level was set,
initially, to NIL and monitored to be kept between LIL and HIL. Table 1 illustrates the values of the characteristic liquid
levels.

Table 1. Characteristic liquid levels for the new internals case

Oil (mm) Water (mm)

Old New (weir 1 m) New (weir 1.3 m) Old New (weir 1 m)

LLLL 875 875 1000 LIL 350 350

MNLL 1075 1075 1350 NIL 450 700

NLL 1300 1300 1500 HIL 600 800

MXLL 1450 1450 1650

Results and Discussion

Simulations of the old and new internal configurations of the separator of figures 2 and 3 are discussed first. Next, the effect
of changing the weir height in the sperator with the new internals, see figure 3 is addressed.

Old internals vs new internals.

The two simulations were run with the same inlet flow rates. The purpose was to evaluate the performance of the new
internals compared to the old ones. The results are summarized in Table 2. The new internals simulation was conducted with
a weir height equal to 1m.

 Liquid carry over: the target value is 0.1 USG/MMSCFD; while the results of the field performance tests showed a
very high value of 2.5 USG/MMSCFD which was reduced to less than 0.1 USG/MMSCFD after installing the new
internals. CFD simulation, predicted values of 0.133 and 0.138 USG/MMSCFD before and after installing the new
internals respectively. The difference between the old and new internals was marginal according to the VFD
simulation. It is important to mention that not all the physical phenomena, such as droplet breakup and coalescence,
were modeled in addition to the assumption of a uniform distribution of the droplets sizes which is a crucial
parameter that can affect the separator performance remarkably.

 Oil in water: the target value is 3000 ppm. The performance test results show an increase from 300 ppm to less than
2000 ppm after installing the new internals. On the other hand, the CFD simulation predicted a reduction in water
carry over from 772.5 ppm to 441 ppm.

 Water in oil: the target value is 3 % by volume. The performance test results show that water-in-oil contents
decreased from 10 %, using the old internals, to 2 % with the new internals. CFD simulation, predicted very high
values of 35.62 % and 35.9 % before and after upgrade respectively.
8 SPE 158201

Table 2. Separator performance: old internals vs new internals

Water in gas Oil in gas Oil in water

Water in oil (%) v/v
(USG/mmscfd) (USG/mmscfd) (ppm)

Target (from scope of work) 0.1 3000 3

ADCO Hysis 0 1.03E-06 15.21 11.35

ADCO performance test results

2.5 300 up to 10
(Old internals)

CFD (Old internals) 1.5E-05 0.133 772.5 35.62

ADCO performance test results

≤ 0.1 ≤ 2000 ≤2
(New internals)

CFD (New internals) 2.2E-05 0.138 441 35.9

Observation Total liquid in gas

Some features of the internal flow are illustrated in figures 4-7. Figure 4, shows contours of oil volume fraction in the plane of
symmetry for both configurations. The snapshots are taken during the quasi-steady multiphase flow with almost constant flow
rates of the different phases at the three outlets of the separator. Upstream of the first baffles, it can be seen that the oil layer
penetrates deeper in the case of the old internals due, probably to a more intense mixing of liquids under the effect of the
downwardly directed inlet stream by the momentum breaker which plunges into the liquid bath.

Fig 4 – Contours of oil volume fraction in the plane of symmetry

Downstream of the baffles for both types of internals, the oil layer seems to contain an important amount of water which for
settling would require clearly, longer lengths for a more complete separation. Nearby the outlets, the higher new weir
eliminated the phenomenon of water overflowing the weir of the old configuration illustrated by the perfectly horizontal water-
oil interface just upstream of the new weir.

Although liquid droplet breakup is not taken into consideration in this study, it is worth investigating the turbulent field to
explore the possible regions with high shear effects where, probably, the breakup phenomenon would be important. Figure 5
illustrates contours of the turbulent kinetic energy k in the plane of symmetry for both configurations. The values are limited
to 1 for a better visibility. It is clear that the inlet and the gas outlet regions exhibit high turbulence production. If droplet
breakup occurs in the two aforementioned regions, the inlet region would adversely affect liquid entrainment rather than the
outlet region because at this stage the droplets are already leaving the separator.
SPE 158201 9

Figure 6 shows clearly the regions where the flow accelerates in the axial direction in a plane crossing the inlet of the separator
at z=0.85m. The values are plotted in the range [-1,1] to have a better visibility. However, the maximum axial velocity
reached 6 m/s in the case of old internals and 9 m/s in the case of new internals. The velocity, at this high vertical position, is
mainly due to gas accelerations. For the old internals, the lateral deviation caused by the momentum breaker leads to non-
uniform distribution of the axial velocity in the y direction and hence a possible scause of turbulence energy production by
shear. Turning now to the new internals, the axial velocity is remarkably decelerated through the Shoepentoeter but at the
position of the baffles the flow accelerates again in a more uniform lateral distribution compared with the old internals. It
should be stated that the lower the axial velocity the higher the residence time.

Fig 5 – Contours of turbulent kinetic energy (m 2/s2) in the plane of symmetry

Fig 6 – Contours of axial x-velocity component (m/s) in a plane crossing the inlet of the separator at
z=0.85m

Figure 7 shows contours of the oil axial velocity in a lateral cross-section of the separator at the axial position x=7.5m. The
black line indicates the position of the NLL. The contours are used to check whether a plug flow is achieved inside the
separator or not and which type of internals is more suitable for the generation of such type of flow. The effect of the baffles,
damping the axial velocity component, in the lower part of the separator, is clearly seen. Below NLL, both the old and the
new internals generate a uniform flow in the lateral direction but the oil axial velocities generated by the new internals are
higher. Above the NLL, the flow generated by the new internals remains uniform in the lateral direction apart from the
deceleration near the wall at approximately the middle height of the separator. The old internals generate a more noticeable
10 SPE 158201

acceleration in the upper outer part. This is due to the presence of the momentum breaker which dampens the axial velocity in
the upper central region.

Fig 7 – Contours of oil axial velocity in the separator cross-section at x=7.5m: left) old internals, right) new internals

Effects of weir height. The upgraded separator with new internals included, first, a weir of 1.3 m height which was reduced,
then, to 1 m. The simulations with both weir heights are contrasted here under. Table 3 contains the set of computational
results obtained for the two cases and those obtained from the field performance test related to the weir of 1m height.

 Liquid carry over: the target fixed by the constructor is 0.1 USG/MMSCFD, the field performance test results
illustrate that the target is achieved by using the agglomerator and the Spiraflow CFD predicted a relatively higher
carryover with a slight increase when the weir height is increased from 1m to 1.3m most probably due to the different
liquid level control settings. In the CFD simulations the effects of the above mentioned geometrical simplifications
should be borne in mind together with the assumption of a single constant droplet size of 100 μm for the liquid
phases. Overall the differences between CFD and performance test results are relatively insignificant.

 Oil in water: the oil-in-water entrainment is not an issue since the target of less than 3000 ppm is achieved according
to the performance tests and this was confirmed by CFD simulation. Additionally, the CFD simulation showed that
the oil entrained with water increased from 441 ppm to 1121 ppm when the weir height is increased.

 Water in oil: the target is 3 % by volume. The performance tests showed that the carry over was about 2 %. The
CFD simulation predicted very high values of about 35 %. The water-in-oil carry over decreased when the weir
height is increased.

It should be noted that all the previous results were obtained using a single average representative diameter to represent the oil
and water droplet diameter. Some of the observed discrepancies in the results could be due to this assumption. Consequently,
a sensitivity analysis considering the effect of the droplet diameter was perfromed employing larger sizes for some selected
cases. The oil droplet diameter was increased from 100 microns to 200 microns while that of water from 100 microns to 400
microns. It should be mentioned that the water droplet diameter was kept at 100 microns when studying the effect of the oil
droplet diameter and vice versa. It was seen that the liquid carryover is almost eliminated when increasing the oil droplet
diameter while the oil-in-water increased from 772 ppm to 1622 ppm. On the other hand, increasing the water droplet
diameter decreases drastically the water-in-oil entrainment and the oil-in-water entrainment.
SPE 158201 11

Table 3. Separator performance: Effect of the weir height

Water in gas Oil in gas Oil in water Water in oil

(USG/mmscfd) (USG/mmscfd) (ppm) (%) v/v

Target values 0.1 3000 3

HYSIS Simulation 0 1.03E-06 15.21 11.35

Performance test results (1m) ≤ 0.1 ≤ 2000 ≤2

CFD : new internals (1m) 2.2E-05 0.138 441 35.9

CFD : new internals (1.3m) 2.2E-05 0.148 1121 34.2

Observation Total liquid in gas

Conclusions

A CFD study was conducted on large 3 phase production horizontal separators in Bab field, Abu Dhabi. The aims of the study
were to improve understanding of the multiphase flow behavior inside the separator and to evaluate the impact on separator
performance of the new internals.

The RANS based Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase and k-ε turbulence models were used to simulate the complex flow behavior
inside the separator. It was necessary to adopt several simplifying assumptions. Complex phenomena such as droplet
coalescence and breakup were not considered. A mean droplet diameter of 100 microns was used for the secondary phases;
i.e. oil and water.

The separator performance was presented in terms of average volumetric ratios to quantify the entrainment mechanism. The
averages were obtained during a steady state operation.

The CFD-based simulation predicted marginal improvement of the separator performance as a result of retrofitting the new set
of internals. Agreement on the general trend was obtained between the CFD-based simulations and field performance results.
However, CFD predicted a larger amount of water in the oil outlet stream. This discrepancy was observed for both the old and
new sets of separator internals. The discrepancies may be attributed to the simplifying assumptions adopted.

The CFD-based simulation also predicted that reducing the weir height to 1m would decrease liquid carryover with the gas
stream, while increasing the water-in-oil entrainment.

Although a mean droplet diameter of 100 microns was used for the secondary phases, additional simulations with larger
droplets revealed that the droplet diameter influences the separator performance considerably. The next phase of this work
will involve investigating the impact of droplet size on the CFD-based simulation.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) for providing the financial support
for this work. The authors would also like to thank Ms. Fatima Al Shamsi, Mr. Punacheri Haribaskar and the Operations staff
of Bab field, ADCO for their technical support and contributions.

Nomenclature
CD Drag coefficient
d Droplet or bubble diameter
f Drag function
gi Acceleration of gravity in the i direction
12 SPE 158201

Gk Turbulent kinetic energy production term

Kpq Interphase exchange coefficient
k Turbulent kinetic energy
p Pressure
Re Reynolds number
R pq Interaction force
t Time
Ui, Uj xi, xj mean velocity component
xi, xj System coordinate

Greek Symbols
α Volume fraction
δij Kronecker delta function
ε Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate
μ Dynamic shear viscosity
ρ Density
σk, σε Prandtl coefficient associated with k and ε respectively
 Stress-strain tensor
τ Particle relaxation time

Abbreviations
ADCO Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations
API American Petroleum Institute
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics
DPM Discrete Phase Model
HIL High Interface Level
LIL Low Interface Level
LLLL Low Low Liquid Level
NIL Normal Interface Level
NLL Normal Liquid Level
MNLL Minimum Liquid Level
MXLL Maximum Liquid Level
RANS Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes
VOF Volume of Fluid

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