Experimental Investigation over Effect of Geometrical Changes on Gas/Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone GLCC Separator

Abstract

Gas and liquid outlets length Study and its effect on Gas/liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) separator performance. Gas body column length Study and its effect on GLCC separator performance. Inlet diameter Study and its effect on GLCC separator performance. Study of body column diameter and its effect on GLCC separator performance. Study of gas and liquid outlets diameter and its effect on GLCC separator performance. An experimental GLCC separator was designed and built in laboratory to determine its domain. The best operational domain is where the equilibrium liquid level placed below the inlet and between 1 L/D and 3 L/D of separator column. If it pass the inlet it causes liquid carry over and if it settles below the 3 L/D it creates gas carry under in the separator. Thus the equilibrium liquid level was measured for different range of liquid and gas flowrates. In this work the gas superficial velocity was set between 0.3 and 6 meter per second and for each gas superficial velocity, liquid superficial velocity was from 0.3 to 3.3 meter per second. Moreover, different parts of test separator was changed and their effects on the separator operating domain was studied. These changes are 12.7 mm reduction in inlet diameter size, 5 mm reduction in liquid outlet diameter size, 5 mm reduction in gas outlet diameter size, 0.12 meter reduction in gas column length, 25.4 mm reduction in column diameter size and 1.4 meter increment in outlet length. Based on this work the following results were obtained:Reducing the inlet diameter improves the GLCC separator performance. It allows more gas and liquid flowrates enter the separator for total separation by enhancing the centrifugal effect on liquid and gas phases.Reducing the liquid outlet diameter has negative effect in GLCC flowrates domain but this reduction can be used to control the equilibrium liquid level by a gate valve in liquid outlet leg.Reducing the gas outlet diameter has negative effect on GLCC performance. But in some situations controlling the amount of accumulated gas in GLCC can avoid liquid carry over in the system.Reduction in gas column length shows no effect on the separator flowrates domain.Increasing in length of outlet legs increases the friction force and limited the separator performance.Reduction in separator body diameter raises the chance of liquid carry over and gas carry under and has negative effect on flowrates domain. These findings from GLCC performance give the main guideline to design more efficient separator design for oil and gas fields. Proper designing makes separator performance domain wider whereas it creates separators more compact which in turn minimizes the cost of construction accordingly.