emulsions and oil treating equipment selection, sizing and troubleshooting

[...]... zones, and wells stimulated by thermal and chemical recovery techniques This chapter describes oil- field emulsions and their characteristics, treating oil- field emulsions so as to obtain pipeline quality oil, and equipment used in conditioning oil- field emulsions 1.2 Equipment Description 1.2.1 Free-Water Knockouts Most well streams contain water droplets of varying size If they collect together and settle... Treated Oil Out Oil Coalescing h Section Oil/ Water Interface Fire Tube Water Out Water Spreader Drain d FIGURE 1.7 Simplified schematic of a vertical heater-treater 13 14 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment Gas Separation Section Oil Outlet Down-Comer Oil Settling Section Water Leg Baffles Heating and WaterWash Section Oil Leg (Heat Exchanger) Fire Tube Gas Out Free-Water Knockout Section Oil Out... emulsion passage through the water helps collect the entrained water and converts 4 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment the emulsion into distinct oil and water layers Oil accumulates at the top and flows out through the spillover line into the oil settling tank Water flows from the bottom of the tank, up through the water leg, and into a surge or clarifier tank The height of the water leg regulates... to a heating fluid medium, which in turn is used to heat the crude oil emulsion 1.2.7 Heater-Treaters Heater-treaters are an improvement over the gunbarrel and heater system Many designs are offered to handle various conditions such as 12 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment viscosity, oil gravity, high and low flow rates, corrosion, and cold weather When compared to gunbarrels, heater-treaters are... Standard vertical heater-treaters are available in 20- and 27-ft (6.1 and 8.2 m) heights These heights provide sufficient static liquid head so as to prevent vaporization of the oil The detailed design of the treater, including the design of internals (many features of which are patented), should be the responsibility of the equipment supplier 18 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment Heat Exchanger Oil. .. (heating and water-wash), oil surge chamber, and coalescing sections 20 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment Shell Vanes Gas Inlet Liquid Outlet FIGURE 1.14 Vane-type mist extractor removes the liquid mist before the gas leaves the treater Incoming fluids enter the front (heating and water-wash) section through the fluid inlet and down over the deflector hood (Figure 1.17) where gas is flashed and removed... the bottom of an expansion chamber Sizing and pressure ratings for these vessels are discussed in the “Gas–Liquid and Liquid–Liquid Separation” volume, this series Factors affecting design include retention time, flow rate (throughput), temperature, oil gravity (as it influences viscosity), water drop size 2 Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment Gas Inlet Emulsion Gas and Emulsion Outlet LC Water Water... Thus, they tend to keep Crude Oil Treating Systems 17 Well Fluids Out Clean Oil In Clean Oil Out Incoming Well Fluids FIGURE 1.11 Heated clean oil preheats incoming cooler emulsion in the oil leg heat exchanger the water droplets from settling out and may even cause them to carry over to the oil outlet The oil level is maintained by pneumatic or lever-operated dump valves The oil water interface is controlled... downcomer should be slightly below the oil water interface so as to ‘water-wash’ the oil being treated This will assist in the coalescence of water droplets in the oil The oil and emulsion rise through the heating and water-wash section, where the fluid is heated (Figure 1.8) As shown in Figure 1.9, a fire tube is commonly used to heat the emulsion in the heating and Crude Oil Treating Systems Gas Outlet Mist... temperature, are efficient (75–90%), and offer a reasonable initial cost Direct fired heaters are typically used where fuel gas is available and high volume oil treating is required On the other hand, they are hazardous and require special safety equipment Scale may form on the oil side of the fire tube, which prevents the transfer of heat from the fire box to the oil emulsion Heat collects in the steel . class="bi x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment This page intentionally left blank Emulsions and Oil Treating Equipment Selection, Sizing and Troubleshooting Maurice Stewart Ken. describes oil- field emulsions and their characteristics, treating oil- field emulsions so as to obtain pipeline quality oil, and equipment used in conditioning oil- field emulsions. 1.2 Equipment. gas–liquid and liquid– liquid separation; emulsions, oil and water treating; water injection; hydrate prediction and prevention; gas dehydration; and gas condition- ing and processing equipment