Subsea Separation - Advanced Subsea Processing with Linear Pipe Separators

摘要

Production fluid typically leaves a well in multiple phases, including: oil, gas, water, and solids. It isrnnecessary to separate these components in order to recover the oil and gas, treat the water, dispose of sand,rnetc. In the past decade there has been a trend to move processing equipment to the seabed. As offshorernproduction continues to be developed in deeper water, it is imperative to develop separator technology thatrnwill be designed for the hydrostatic forces and large amounts of produced water that is expected to occurrnover time.rnThis paper explores two novel subsea linear pipe designs that allow subsea processing to be accomplishedrnmore cost effectively than existing technologies. The process undertaken for designing the twornnovel subsea linear pipe separation technologies: (gas-liquid) and (gas-liquid-solids) is described. Tornvalidate the efficiency and effectiveness of these two systems, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)rnanalysis and cost analysis have been performed for each separator to provide both a realistic view of thernactual separation efficiency of the systems, as well as comparative cost efficiency to existing technologyrnin use today. Separators utilizing the pipe classification can be made lighter and cheaper when comparedrnto existing subsea separation modules. In addition, they can be fabricated out of standard pipe sizes, thusrncutting costs due to high availability and ease of fabrication. These factors are made even more attractivernwhen modularized for ease of installation and field expansion.rnApplications of the process and design of these special separators are discussed along with theirrnpotential advantages in offshore deepwater seabed based developments. With continued research andrntesting, the gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid linear pipe separator designs have the potential to reshape thernsubsea separation industry.