The objective of this five-year project (October, 1997--September, 2002) is to expand the current research activities of Tulsa University Separation Technology Projects (TUSTP) to multiphase oil/water/gas separation. This project will be executed in two phases. Phase I (1997--2000) will focus on the investigations of the complex multiphase hydrodynamic flow behavior in a three-phase Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) Separator. The activities of this phase will include the development of a mechanistic model, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulator, and detailed experimentation on the three-phase GLCC. The experimental and CFD simulation results will be suitably integrated with the mechanistic model. In Phase II (2000--2002), the developed GLCC separator will be tested under high pressure and real crudes conditions. This is crucial for validating the GLCC design for field application and facilitating easy and rapid technology deployment. Design criteria for industrial applications will be developed based on these results and will be incorporated into the mechanistic model by TUSTP.

The objective of this five-year project is to expand the current research activities of Tulsa University Separation Technology Projects (TUSTP) to multiphase oil/water/gas separation. This project will be executed in two phases. Phase 1 will focus on the investigations of the complex multiphase hydrodynamic flow behavior in a three-phase Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) Separator. The activities of this phase will include the development of a mechanistic model, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulator, and detailed experimentation on the three-phase GLCC. The experimental and CFD simulation results will be suitably integrated with the mechanistic model. In Phase 2, the developed GLCC separator will be tested under high pressure and real crudes conditions. This is crucial for validating the GLCC design for field application and facilitating easy and rapid technology deployment. Design criteria for industrial applications will be developed based on these results and will be incorporated into the mechanistic model by TUSTP. This report presents a brief overview of the activities and tasks accomplished during the second quarter of the budget period. The total tasks of the budget period are given initially, followed by the technical and scientific results achieved. A brief statement on the project work planned for the next quarter concludes the report.

This report presents a brief overview of the activities accomplished during the first quarter of the budget period. The total tasks of the budget period are given initially, followed by the technical and scientific results achieved. A brief statement on the project work planned for the next quarter concludes the report. The objective of this five-year project is to expand the research activities of Tulsa University Separation Technology Projects (TUSTP) to multiphase oil/water/gas separation. This project will be executed in two phases. Phase I will focus on the investigations of the complex multiphase hydrodynamic flow behavior in a three-phase Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) Separator. The activities of this phase will include the development of a mechanistic model, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulator, and detailed experimentation on the three-phase GLCC. The experimental and CFD simulation results will be suitably integrated with the mechanistic model. In Phase II, the developed GLCC separator will be tested under high pressure and real crudes conditions. This is crucial for validating the GLCC design for field application and facilitating easy and rapid technology deployment. Design criteria for industrial applications will be developed based on these results and will be incorporated into the mechanistic model by TUSTP. 3 figs.

Gas-Liquid And Liquid-Liquid Separators is practical guide designed to help engineers and operators develop a ?feel? for selection, specification, operating parameters, and trouble-shooting separators; form an understanding of the uncertainties and assumptions inherent in operating the equipment. The goal is to help familiarize operators with the knowledge and tools required to understand design flaws and solve everyday operational problems for types of separators. Gas-Liquid And Liquid-Liquid Separators is divided into six parts: Part one and two covers fundamentals such as: physical properties, phase behaviour and calculations. Part three through five is dedicated to topics such as: separator construction, factors affecting separation, vessel operation, and separator operation considerations. Part six is devoted to the ASME codes governing wall thickness determination of vessel weight fabrication, inspection, alteration and repair of separators - 500 illustrations - Easy to understand calculations methods - Guide for protecting downstream equipment - Helps reduce the loss of expensive intermediate ends - Helps increase product purity

Problems associated with the use of compact cylindrical cyclone gas/liquid (CCGL) separators can be attributed to two physical phenomena: gas carry-under and liquid carryover(LCO). Inadequate understanding of the complex multiphase hydrodynamic flowpattern inside the cylindrical separator has inhibited complete confidence in its designand use, hence the need for more research. While many works have been done with a fixed inlet slot to predict the operational efficiency of the cyclone separator, very little is known about how separator performance can be influenced due to changes in fluid properties. During the operations of the CCGLseparator the complex flow situations arising from severe foaming within the separator has not been addressed. Also the effects of emulsion formation under three phase flow conditions on the properties of cyclone separators are yet to be studied. An understanding of liquid holdup and hydrodynamic nature of flow in a compact separator under zero net liquid flow (ZNLF) and zero net gas flow (ZNGF) conditions is necessary in many field applications, especially for the prediction of LCO and in the design of the CCGL separators. Also, ZNLF holdup is an important parameter inpredicting bottom-hole pressures in pumping oil wells. This research investigated the effects of fluid properties such as density, foam and emulsion formation on ZNLF, zero net gas flow ZNGF, and LCO in compact cyclone separators; this was achieved by replacing water, which is the conventional fluid used as the liquid medium in many previous research efforts with a foamy oil while maintaining air as the gas phase. Variable-inlet-slots that regulate the artificial gravity environment created by the separator were used to check for improved separator performance. Also experiments to check separator response to a range of water-cut in three-phase flow were performed. All experiments were carried out under low constant separator pressures. The ZNLF holdup is observed to decrease as the density of the fluid medium decreases. Varying the inlet slot configurations and recombination points does not haveany effect on the ZNLF holdup when changes in density of the liquid phase occur. Comparisons with previous work show that there exists a wide variation in the LCO operational envelope when severe foaming occurs in the CCGL separator. At high water cut (greater than 30%), the separator LCO performance was observed to be normal. However, at water-cut below 30%, LCO was initiated much earlier ; this is attributed to severe foaming in the CCGL separator.