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.
